Pictured: High Garden Tea
Going out to eat in Music City doesn't have to mean that a (pork) bellyache is the final course on the menu. Woven into Nashville's neighborhoods are food and beverage offerings that can help improve some of your most common health peccadilloswhile simultaneously tasting fabulous.
Headaches
Stuck with a throbbing head? Steer clear of triggers such as cheese, chocolate, and wine and turn your attention to the tom yum soup at The Smiling Elephant; the lemongrass can lessen the severity of your pulsing temples. Around the corner in Berry Hill, grab a sunflower veggie burger at Sunflower Café for lunch. Sunflower seeds contain magnesium, which will help relax and sooth tight muscles, often the cause of headaches.
Stress and Anxiety
Exercise your right as a food-loving Nashvillian and calm your nervous system at the same time with several smoothie options from Juice Revolution in Green Hills. The colorful pitaya bowl contains mood-boosting vitamins B and C. Another feel-good food is the chickpea, which you can find in the creamy hummus at Belle Meade's Anatolia.
Sore Throat and Cough
Looking for a different kind of liquid courage when you're under the weather? Make plans at Pinewood Social and order the elderflower tea with a squeeze of lemon or housemade almond milk. Elderflower's antiviral and detoxifying properties will sooth your throat and usher out foreign invaders. Further east, High Garden Herbs Tea & Tradition, is a veritable smorgasbord of natural medicines. Try the Socialite tea with honey and strike up a conversation with the knowledgeable owners.
Fatigue
An exhausted body needs quality fats, proteins, and all-natural sugars from fruits and vegetables. The Jubilation at the Silly Goose, starring sustainable salmon and roasted root vegetables, is a perfect dish to give you a boost of energy. Humanely and locally sourced red meat from Porter Road Butcher will also provide a dose of iron, often deficient when you're chronically tired.
Laura Lea Bryant, holistic chef and owner of LL Balanced.