10 "Food Pushers" and How to Respond
What to say to someone who makes your food their business
The holidays bring out the best and the worst behaviors around the dinner table. And while snarky, knee-jerk reactions to comments like "You sure can put it away can't you?" can be tough to resist, they also fuel the drama that can make your holidays anything but happy. We went one-on-one with Dr. Susan Albers, author of Eating Mindfully and 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food, to find out the perfectly polite response for when someone makes your food their business.
What you wish you could say: "And boys don't normally cry through Steel Magnolias, so I guess we're both unique."
Try this instead: A simple "ouch" will often suffice, Dr. Albers says. But when it doesn't, a little humor can go a long way. "Eating like a bird went out of style with the corsets and hoop skirts. I'm going for a run this afternoon (or fill in the blank with whatever activity you do—lug around a 20-pound child, play tennis, hike half a mile to the subway, etc.)."
