Stop blaming the turkey. New research shows that the reason you crashed after Thanksgiving dinner had less to do with the tryptophan and more to do with the sheer volume of food you consumed. Your body cannot digest three plates of potatoes smothered with gravy and a side of cranberry sauce with a turkey leg without taking a little break.

The turkey’s tryptophan took the blame when it was the fork’s fault all along.

Your body redirects its effort and energy to the most urgent job at hand. This is a fairly simple biological concept, isn’t it? It’s also an economic concept Ms. Jones has been dealing with since her excessive overeating at the banquet of credit card spending, negative home equity and debt refinancing. She redirected her energy toward the urgent task of digesting that heavy meal.

Now it’s the week after Thanksgiving and the leftovers are gone (if you’re still holding onto that green bean casserole, it’s time to let go). But guess what? I’m hungry again! I’m already planning my next meal, albeit a bit smaller one than the great Thanksgiving Day feast.

Ms. Jones will get hungry again, too, and I think she’s really looking forward to eating at your table. Do you think she’s going to be more concerned with indulging herself, or with making smart choices? Can you serve her a smart salad bar instead of a smorgasbord of sugary treats? Do you have to change your product selection to do this, or just change the way you talk about it?

Does your marketing direction match her menu?