That brings me to number two: we want to learn to balance our blood sugar. That’s really where the bad feelings stem from. A few tips to help you go into these meals ready to keep your sugar balanced:

Thing one: Think back to past Thanksgivings. You’re about to eat a massive meal, right? How many of us skip breakfast because we’re “saving room”? We set ourselves up to overeat—usually the things that aren’t beneficial. On Thanksgiving morning, eat a protein-rich breakfast. Don’t save your calories for later. Load up on protein first thing and mix in some fiber. Protein and fiber give your body nutrition that won’t spike blood sugar. They slow digestion in a good way so your body has time to absorb nutrients. It will also help you not overeat when mealtime comes.

Thing two: Plan to take a little walk after you’ve had that meal. As little as 5–10 minutes after your meal can blunt the blood sugar spike. It keeps it from going as high, which keeps you from feeling as bad and decreases the amount of insulin that has to be released—so you’re not contributing to insulin resistance you might already have. Better than 5–10 minutes would be 10–20, maybe even 30 if the weather’s nice. I know some places the weather won’t be great, so this may be hard. But if you have the opportunity, this is a great tool.

Another tip: Stay hydrated all morning. Make sure you’re not walking in hungry and dehydrated. Our bodies often perceive thirst as hunger, leading to overeating.

I mentioned how bad I felt two Thanksgivings ago and how I felt better last year. I want you to have that same experience. These are the things I did to make sure I didn’t have as much of a spike—except the walk. Our meal was a little too late in the day, and by the time we ate and I got things tidied up, the daylight was gone because it gets dark here now at, it seems like, 4:30. This year we’re going to have the meal earlier to keep that from being a problem. I was one of those people who would always “save room” so I could eat as much as possible. I didn’t do that last year and it made a big difference. I didn’t overeat.

The main goal is to balance your sugar, because that high spike and the crash after are what make you feel so crummy. You are not sinning by eating pumpkin pie or pecan pie or whatever your desserts may be. Focus on finding ways not to overdo the things you know are loaded with what you don’t need. Pumpkin’s good; sugar’s not. Have a little without overdoing. When you front load your day, you increase the likelihood you won’t overdo it.

​Remember 1 Timothy 6:17—He gives us all things richly to enjoy. We know in the Bible that Jesus feasted, so feasting is not a sin. And again, everything God created is good if received with thanksgiving. Food is not the enemy. We just want to keep it in its proper place.

To avoid that crash: eat a protein-rich breakfast, as I mentioned. Here’s another thing—build your plate in this order, and eat in this order:

First, protein. Put extra of the meats that are hopefully not deep fried in inflammatory oils. Get extra turkey, extra ham—anything higher in protein. If you’ve got deviled eggs (or “dressed eggs,” depending on what you call them), things like that—get more of those and eat them first.

Then vegetables and fiber. Anything with vegetables that aren’t over-casserole. These slow digestion and lower that blood sugar peak.

Then sides you love. With the space left, add the sides you love. Maybe instead of two big scoops, take one small scoop so you get the flavor without overdoing it.

​Dessert last. Later, choose one—maybe two small portions—of dessert to enjoy. It’s not about restricting yourself; it’s about rebalancing your plate and giving your body the right rhythm to process food without spiking sugar. Go heavy on protein and vegetables that aren’t loaded with sugar, lighter on casseroles and desserts.

If you’re preparing the meal, lower the sugar content where you can. For example, I make homemade cranberry sauce. I highly recommend you make homemade cranberry sauce—don’t just get it out of the can. Mine has fresh-squeezed orange juice, orange zest, and maple syrup as the sweetener. It cooks long enough to thicken, and it is so good. Just ask Alex, my sweet unofficially adopted son—every year I have to send it to him because he’ll lose the recipe. That’s the one thing he makes every year for whatever Thanksgiving he’s going to because he had it at my house one year and it really is that good. I can’t take credit—it came from Pioneer Woman. You can probably find it on her website; or if you need it, email me and I’ll send it. It’s going to give you a big dose of good stuff without artificial sweeteners or extra added sugar. Yes, there’s maple syrup in it, but at least it’s a more healthful sweetener.

If you’ve transitioned to using fresh milled grains, sneak those in where you can in foods that call for flour. Don’t go back and get the store-bought stuff—use the good stuff. Then you’re giving people extra nutrition as they eat the things they love, and they’ll never notice it. That also adds fiber, slowing digestion and helping them be healthy too.

Pro tip: If the pies are already pre-cut, there’s no law that says you have to take a full slice. You can cut a piece in half. You’ll get the flavor without getting too much, and you’ll help yourself not to overdo it. Think creatively—just because it looks a certain way doesn’t mean you have to eat it a certain way.

Another tip: Don’t keep grazing all afternoon. It’s easy because the food sits out. You’ll go back through and pick little things and end up getting “one more bite” of something that isn’t the best choice, leading to that overfilled “ugh” feeling later.

​Again, walk after you eat if you’re able, and stay hydrated. The headaches that sometimes come after Thanksgiving are almost always a result of dehydration, too much sugar, and bad salt. Another thing you can do for your family as you prepare: use real salt so they’re getting all the minerals they need—not table salt, which has been stripped of minerals and only has sodium.

Next, remove the guilt and go into this meal relaxed and joyful. Being relaxed and joyful improves digestion and metabolism—there is science behind this. Slow down your eating. Increase your chewing. Chewing is the first stage of digestion—breaking up food so your stomach can break it down further to get the full complement of nutrition in your intestine.

If you skip that because you’re excited and shovel food in, you rob yourself of nutrition. You also increase the likelihood of overeating because there’s a delay between when your body releases the hormone that tells your brain you’ve had enough. Your belly is done, but your brain doesn’t know yet.

When you slow down, you decrease the amount of food you eat overall—which is the goal: not to overdo. Pray over your meal. Hopefully someone is leading a prayer for the group, but if not, pray over yours. Be mindful of the Lord who has provided this for you and thank Him. Take time to breathe and enjoy the conversation. These things put your mind in a less-stressed state and help you digest well, because stress negatively impacts digestion.

In my functional medicine training this week—I’m taking a Women’s Functional Medicine certification—we’re studying gut health. I learned that laughter actually increases something called sIgA, which supports gut health and immunity. How cool is that? Laughter—just having fun and enjoying good conversation—can be more impactful than some pharmaceutical treatments. God knew what He was doing when He made us. He didn’t make us to be miserable. He made us to enjoy things. Enjoy it. Don’t walk in with stress, worry, and guilt. Laugh and have a great time. That will help you be in a state of “rest and digest,” which is the phase you need to be in for this day. Peace and happiness in your heart help bring peace and happiness to your whole body.

​How you eat matters. Sit down when you eat. Don’t rush. Take your time. Chew more. Enjoy your conversations. Take deep breaths before eating. Pray over your food. These things help you digest well.

And now the last thing: if you do overeat—if you find yourself regretting some choices—you are not a moral failure. I believe in you. You can make great choices to nourish your body without losing the enjoyment. Re-listen to this on your way to Thanksgiving dinner if you’re going somewhere. Remind yourself of these tools. Also recognize this is new for many of you, and habits take time to form. That’s okay.

If you overdo it and later you’re feeling regretful or guilty, don’t spiral. Ask yourself, “What is my body trying to tell me? What does this tell me about how God intends my body to be cared for and nourished?” Use that information moving forward.

​I know this is possible. I lost 15 pounds from October 1 to December 31 last year, and inside that window were Thanksgiving and Christmas—and a family vacation. It is possible. It’s not easy. Use this knowledge and curiosity to your advantage. If you end up feeling crummy, take that as a sign that you really do need to make real changes. You may need help to redirect and get a new start.

Like you, these last few weeks are very busy for me. I’m working hard on building Verity Village. It’s going to be a place for us all to gather together—including all my existing clients and everyone else who is under the sound of my voice right now. It’s going to be a place for us to come together and really learn and grow in a safe, distraction-free place.

Because of that busyness, I only have room in my schedule right now for one or maybe two new one-on-one clients before the end of the year. What’s the difference between Verity Village and coaching? I want you to understand the difference so you can know which one is for you.

Verity Village is a place for everyone. It will include my current coaching clients, but it’s for everybody—to gather, have that essential community we all need, and learn and grow healthy habits and lifestyles together with the right support. It’s a place that will give you your people. You’ve heard me say, “find your people.” This is where your people are going to be. You won’t be alone anymore, no matter where you live—remote or rural. It’s a place where I’m going to share a wealth of information on things I can’t easily share in places like Facebook because of censorship. You may even be in my Facebook group and never see what I post unless you purposely go look for it. This is a place where you will see it. It won’t be buried; it won’t be censored. It will be where you can actually learn from it—in a safe place away from distractions, ads, and temptations.

That’s Verity Village.

One-on-one Coaching is for you if, deep down, you don’t feel like you should—you don’t feel like God made you to feel. You know something’s up. Your doctor has been telling you everything’s fine, but you know everything’s not fine. You feel so bad. If you’ve found yourself saying things like, “I guess that’s just aging. I’m just getting older and that’s how I’m going to feel,” coaching is for you.

You do not have to feel bad. Your body is telling you something is wrong—and you’re hearing it—but the world is telling you to ignore it. I’m telling you to listen and heed it, because it’s telling you there’s something to work on. If you don’t, if you continue to ignore those bad feelings, they will eventually develop into a big diagnosis. It flushes out differently in everybody, but your body is trying to communicate with you, and if you ignore it, it will keep getting louder until you’re forced to listen. Why not listen now? Why not heed it now?

I have two different clients right now who have a combination of things in their labs and symptoms that show me clearly they came to me for coaching at the perfect time. They haven’t gotten that big hairy diagnosis yet, yet their bodies were giving them a clear message: you’ve got to change. We are putting those changes in, and they are feeling better. It’s a beautiful thing because that diagnosis, in a really poor way—they’re never even going to know what it was—because they’re getting healthy now. They’re making changes now. You can do that too. I want that for you.

If you are feeling that nudge that something’s not right and you need help to figure it out, that’s what I’m here for—someone who will work side by side with you to help you sort through it and feel better. I come from more than 20 years of experience working with women. In addition, I am adding functional medicine training with Dr. Aviva Romm. I’m in her Women’s Functional Medicine training course, which is a certification program for healthcare professionals. It helps me look at your situation from the position of putting the puzzle pieces together—figuring out what’s really going on—so that you can heal.

If that sounds like you—if you know you need that—then coaching is for you, and now is the perfect time to get started. We’re heading into a new year when most people set resolutions and then forget them. You set the resolutions on January 1, and by January 31 they’re gone for most people. Let this be the year you get the help you need to form habits that won’t fall through—to make lifestyle changes that will stick and work. No, that does not mean go get a gym membership. That is not what I’m saying. It means it’s time to invest in real change and real help that actually works—with me as your guide.

If that sounds like you, apply for a call with me. That call is where we figure out if you and I are a good fit to work together. It’s simple; there’s no pressure. Fill out the short application and sign up for your call with me at https://www.morriswellnessservices.com/apply
. I spell it out because some people find that just typing morriswellnessservices.com doesn’t work—so put in the whole “https://www.”
part. There’ll be a link in the show notes; you can just click that if you want to.

Whether or not coaching is where you need to be, I know you need to be in Verity Village. Go sign up for the waitlist so you can be one of the founding members who gets an exclusive discount when the doors open. Do that at https://www.morriswellnessservices.com/villagewaiting
​. The link will be in the show notes, so you don’t have to type it all in—just click it.

I want you there with me. The more I think about it, the more I know this is going to be the place for Christian women whose focus is not of this world—women who want to truly honor God in all that they do, both in their spiritual lives and in their physical lives. We’ve been making a mistake for so long by not considering Him in how we care for our physical bodies. We’ve pretty much made our physical health an afterthought. We deal with it when we get sick and then go back to so-called normal without truly considering that God did not make us that way. He did not make us to forget Him in aspects of our lives. He wants us to bring Him into every aspect of our lives.

There’s a plan very clearly in Scripture for salvation, and just like there’s a plan for salvation, there’s a plan He made for our bodies to work—for us to have the healthy design we’re meant to have. While man has attempted to hide that from us and tell us we need the things created by man’s so-called wisdom—things that are making us sicker—those truths are still evident. We can still learn them. We just need to get together and work through it using resources, challenges, meetups, and support.

That’s what Verity Village will provide. It’s not ready just yet. It is just me behind the scenes building this piece by piece, and it’s taking a little longer than I wanted it to. I’m hoping for it to open in December—that’s my goal. But when it’s ready, it’s going to be beautiful. You can join the waitlist today and be the first to know when it opens. You’ll also get one of the first resources available, which is about balancing your blood sugar God’s way—perfect to stick in your back pocket for Thanksgiving. When you sign up for the waiting list, you’ll get that sent to your email.

MorrisWellnessServices.com/villagewaiting is where you sign up to be the first to join, be a founding member, and get an exclusive discount when the doors open.

​I hope this has helped you so much. I hope you have a wonderful, beautiful, blessed Thanksgiving, and I will see you right back here next week.