On two separate occasions now, I’ve been informed that exercise isn’t nearly as good for you as you may think. The first was at a free talk about having more energy that I attended at Earth Fare. Of course, I was the only person at the talk under the age of 60, so maybe I should just quit my bellyaching and accept that it’s not going to get any better.

But in spite of my pessimistic fatalism, at the talk I was told that given the choice between a good night’s sleep and losing an hour of sleep to exercise, I should pick sleep. (Yea! I heart sleep!)

The other was in an article in Time magazine that suggested exercise just makes you hungrier and any benefit is negated by the excess calories. (Yea! I heart not having to figure out how to get to the gym!)

Before you get too excited though, the article, and the energy talk, both suggested moderate exercise like walking as a way to gain energy without getting the munchies.

So, Jade and I decided to go for a long walk to get some lunch. We set off for Earth Fare.

Here’s some free advice: if you are ever going to take a long walk with a 5-year-old, find him or her a stick and instruct them to hit every metal object you pass to hear the different pitches. This entertained Jade for most of the walk. My other advice would be to cut through the VA if it’s on your way. Walk right past the “No Through Traffic” signs and straight toward the duck pond. Crossing State of Franklin is exhilarating and teaches your small child the benefit of being able to sprint.

Earth Fare has a variety of lunch options. I always check out the soup bar first. The butternut squash and apple is a personal favorite, as is the potato-bacon-kale (which they don’t have that often, so get it if it’s there or you’ll be kicking yourself later).

The hot bar usually has something good going on like pasta or a stir fry. I love when they bust out the Indian food.

The potato samosas are both filling and cheap. The pizza is good and so are the sandwiches, but kind of expensive for the size.

Sometimes I get food from the deli or the refrigerated section that has pre-packaged deli food ready to buy and eat. On that day, I went for the salad bar and bought a small wedge of goat cheese from the dairy department to have with it. Jade had chicken soup with rice and a berry smoothie. We ate and played a few hands of Go Fish while discussing which city we thought should get the Olympics.

By the end of our meal I was stuffed. I could barely walk home.

Earth Fare is located at 1735 W. State of Franklin Rd. To contact them, call 423-232-1011 or visit their Web site at www.earthfare.com.

P.S. – If you missed the free food, wine and body art at First Friday, then you need to get out more.

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