By Jennifer Whitmire, MS, MEd, MH, CHES, NEP
Every year on the morning after Thanksgiving, my inbox fills with the same messages:
“I’m so bloated.”
“My joints are screaming.”
“I didn’t even eat that much! Why do I feel so bad?”
“I feel puffy everywhere.”
“I’m already craving sugar again.”
And every year I want to say the same thing:
Your body is responding to change.
Thanksgiving, no matter how intentional you were, is a shock to the system.
The combination of richer food, sugar, alcohol, irregular meal timing, disrupted sleep, stress, travel, and emotional dynamics doesn’t just affect digestion. It affects your nervous system, your gut lining, your hormones, and your immune system all at once.
You’ve been working on resilience, AND…you can recover quickly without punishing yourself. Your body is designed to rebalance, and it only needs a few simple signals to do that.
Today, one day after the holiday, is the perfect time for a reset focused on boosting nutrition.
Why You Feel the Way You Feel Today
(A quick but important explanation)
- Your blood sugar likely spiked… and crashed.
Even “healthy” Thanksgiving meals are higher in starch, sugar, and fat than usual. Big swings in glucose = big swings in mood, energy, and inflammation.
- Your gut lining got irritated.
Alcohol, sugar, gluten, dairy, overeating, and stress all weaken the tight junctions in the gut. That “food baby” feeling is usually just inflammation and slowed motility.
Maybe you avoided all of those types of foods, but they can be really sneaky. It is so easy to get glutened or slip up and have something you thought you were avoiding.
- Your microbiome shifted overnight.
Pathogenic bacteria LOVE sugar and heavy foods. Your beneficial microbes? Not so much.
- Your lymphatic system got backed up.
Puffiness, swelling, and stiffness are classic signs your lymph needs help moving. And, maybe your liver needs a little extra support today, as well.
- Your nervous system went into overdrive.
Even joyful holidays are stressful. The body can’t digest well in fight-or-flight.
You didn’t do anything wrong. Things happen! Your biology is simply asking for gentleness today.
The CalmYourBodyDown Morning Routine
This is exactly what I recommend to my clients the morning after a holiday.
It works.
It’s simple, and it feels good.
A. Warm water with lemon and a pinch of sea salt
This rehydrates your cells, wakes up digestion, and supports bile flow.
B. A cup of ginger tea
This reduces bloat, improves motility, lowers inflammation, and supports the liver.
C. A protein-forward, low-glycemic breakfast
Think: leftover roasted vegetables with beans and greens. Or maybe there is a leftover soup with beans, lentils, or tofu with greens? This steadies blood sugar for the entire day.
D. A short walk after each meal.
Ten minutes. That’s all you need, but you can always do more! It lowers glucose, moves lymph, and calms the nervous system.
This is how you bring your body back online.
Your PostThanksgiving Midday Reset Meal
Today’s goal is simple, warm, mineral-rich, low-glycemic, and soothing.
My favorite option is a Warm Detox Greens Bowl:
(And you probably have these already leftover from yesterday)
Sautéed greens like kale or chard
Leftover roasted veggies
A handful of beans or lentils
Fresh herbs
Lemon
A drizzle of olive oil or slices of avocado or a sprinkle of chopped almonds or walnuts
It supports every system needs help today:
Your liver, your gut lining, your blood sugar, your microbiome, and your adrenals.
What NOT To Do Today
(This is just as important as what to do.)
- Please don’t punish yourself.
- Don’t skip meals.
- Don’t chug coffee on an empty stomach.
- Don’t jump into a cleanse or fast or detox tea.
You don’t need to do anything extreme! In fact, another big change will add more stress to the body and probably make you feel worse. Just provide stability.
Let today be the bridge between yesterday and the peaceful times you want for December.
Herbs That Help You Recover More Quickly
These are so supportive after a heavy meal:
- Dandelion root tea — provides high minerals and supports the liver and improves bile flow.
- Ginger — reduces bloat, improves motility, and calms digestion.
- Peppermint — calms spasms in the gut and relaxes the system.
- Chamomile — signals your nervous system to soften and is also very relaxing.
- Lemon balm — reduces postholiday overwhelm. It’s my go to for acute stress anxiety.
Your body understands herbs, because they speak the same chemical language. They are what nature provides.
If You’re Feeling Emotional Today…
You’re not alone.
Food + family + expectations + stress + sugar… These are a perfect storm for emotional dysregulation.
If you feel anxious, tired, sad, overstimulated, or a little disconnected from yourself, it’s okay. You just need some calm.
When our body is stressed, it feels like everything is “too much.”
The beautiful news?
That can shift in a single day with gentle, supportive choices.
Join Me Inside The Culinary Healing Circle
December’s theme is:
Peaceful Nutrition: Foods & Herbs for Calm, Joy & Winter Resilience, and I would love to guide you through it.
If your body craves grounding, steadiness, and a calm nervous system after this week, this is the perfect moment to join us.
Inside the Circle, you’ll get:
- live cooking demos
- a monthly masterclass
- Q&A + open coaching
- weekly Qigong
- a supportive community
- recipes & herb teachings for winter resilience
And right now you can join with a FREE 1month trial.
Immediate access. Cancel anytime.
You can come in just for December and see how it feels.
Because your kitchen can be more than where you cook,
it can be the place where you rebuild peace in your body.
Wholistic Jen 
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