Woman cancels Thanksgiving instead of giving into sister-in-law's demands to follow another strict fad diet for dinner: 'Every year she sends me a list of foods she can't eat'

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Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor
Nov 3, 2025 12:00 PM EST

If you've ever hosted a big family holiday, you know that the turkey isn't the hardest thing to deal with — it's the people! Every family seems to have that one relative who manages to turn a simple meal into a logistical nightmare. Maybe it's the cousin who refuses to eat anything that isn't beige or the vegan that wants everyone to adhere to their moral code while declining to host their own dinner. But for one woman, it's her sister-in-law and her ever-changing list of diet rules that have finally pushed her over the edge.

For the last twenty years, she's been cooking Thanksgiving dinner for her husband, kids, siblings, and mother without complaint. That is, until her brother's wife, Julie, entered the picture five years ago. Every year since, Julie has sent over a new list of banned foods and a completely different menu — Atkins one year, keto the next, and now, a fertility diet. After years of bending over backwards to accommodate her, the hostess finally drew a hard line and vowed that this year, there would be one meal and one meal only. This only led to angry phone calls, Facebook posts, and accusations of "ruining Thanksgiving." So, she decided to do the unthinkable and cancel the holiday altogeter to end the drama once and for all!

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  • 01

    AITA for canceling Thanksgiving?

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  • 02
    I 40F have hosted Thanksgiving for my family (husband, children, mother, siblings and their spouses) for the last 20 years.
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  • 03
    There was never an issue until my brother met his now wife Julie* five years ago.
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  • 04
    Julie is very big into fad diets (Atkins, keto, South Beach) and every year she sends me a list of foods that she cannot eat and a
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    list of things that she can. Last year I cooked her the exact keto foods that she wanted and she
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    was upset the entire meal because my brother didn't want to eat it with her so they fought at the table.
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    Last week she sent me a text message that she is now on the fertility diet as they are starting
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    IVF and sent me another list of foods that she cannot eat and a planned menu for me to cook for her.
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    I texted her back and told her that this year I was making one meal and one meal only and she could
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    either eat what was being served or bring her own food. She texted back and told me that I was being selfish and didn't care about her.
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    My brother called me up the next day and asked if I was happy about ruining Thanksgiving and started to yell about how at their
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    BBQ last summer they catered to my food allergies (I am deathly allergic to strawberries and have an epi-pen). I told my brother that
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    this was not the same as a life threatening food allergy, that this was dietary choice, and it changes every year.
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    He called my mother, who told him that we all find it difficult to keep up with Julie's dietary
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    needs and that if she wants special foods, she needs to bring them herself.
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  • There's definitely a huge difference between accomodating someone's allergies and their (ever-changing) dietary preferences. Even when I was a vegan, I never expected anyone to cook entire family meals to my standards. 

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  • 19
    Now my entire family is fighting with each other, my brother won't speak to me and my SIL is posting nasty things about me on Facebook.
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    I talked to my husband about this, and he said this was "ridiculous high school bullshit drama." He told me he would be fine
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    canceling the whole meal and it just being our family. I agreed with him and sent everyone a text message. I told them that
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  • 22
    Thanksgiving at my house is canceled. That I am serving (Thanksgiving menu). If they want to come over and eat with us, they are welcome to do so.
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  • 23
    My sister is thrilled that I finally said something about it. She hosts Christmas dinner and is also tired of cooking extra meals.
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    My mom however is upset that we are all fighting and thinks that I shouldn't have canceled the meal. Now I am starting to feel
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    guilty, but my husband and my son say that I need to stand my ground and not give in to Julie and my brother.
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family drama diet marriage brother thanksgiving siblings relationships couples family pregnant sister relationship drama holidays entitled people
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