Friends and family surround you during the holidays. These can be times of joy, anxiety, or a combination.

At Thanksgiving, many of us gather around families. We love our families, but a multigenerational gathering is a crush of personalities, histories, and habits. The big meal requires cooks to stick to their menus or accommodate a host of dislikes, quirks, and diets. Dinner guests have to accept foods and styles of cooking they don’t like or disrespect diet choices.

Here are a few tips for hosts and guests to make the holidays bright:

  • Set boundaries
  • Ask for help
  • Only go to events you actually want to attend
  • Change topics
  • Focus on getting along, not winning arguments
  • Bring a friend to act as a buffer and keep family members on their best behavior in front of someone who isn’t a relative
  • Don’t use alcohol to manage stress
  • It would help if you avoid alcohol, but you can use other drinks and foods to calm your nerves.
  • Herbal teas
  • Leafy greens
  • Zinc-rich foods such as lobsters, beans, nuts, pumpkin seeds, and whole grains
  • Probiotic foods, including yogurt, kimchi, and kefir
  • Foods bursting with B vitamins, like bananas, avocados, oats, and poultry

With these strategies, the holidays will be a time of comfort and joy.

Email us at:

For more health and wellness tips follow us on: