Last week, Hail Merry went to Austin to spend time with a very special group: The Austin Flyers. The Austin Flyers are a women’s cycling group, but, their interests don’t just begin and end with cycling. They’ve grown into a full-fledged recreational and social club, frequently hosting events centered not just around rides or skills clinics, but also more general community activities.
Our founder, Susan O’Brien, spoke at one of these events just last week. She talked about plant-based fats, like coconut oil, as a great and natural fuel for long rides out in the gorgeous Texas hill country. Susan also talked about the problems with modern engineered snacks and synthetic vitamins.
For example, did you know that natural vitamins and supplements contain “micro-nutrients” that are important for proper absorbtion, but that synthetic vitamins lack these nutrients and can actually hamper optimal nutrition?
The Austin Flyers event took place at Juan Pelota Cafe, which is located right inside Mellow Johnny’s bike shop, THE go-to bike shop in Austin - of course, the fact that it’s owned by one Lance Armstrong doesn’t hurt! And, while Lance isn’t vegan himself, his Livestrong organization promotes a raw food diet. In fact, we couldn’t have summed up their stance on raw food eating any better ourselves:
“Raw-food eating maximizes nutrient intake, as some nutrients are lost during the cooking process. It allows the consumer to know precisely what he or she is eating, without concern for harmful additives or questionable ingredients.”
Hail Merry was even selected to have a booth showcasing some of our delicious raw food snacks at the Cafe, which truely is an honor considering their strict vetting process. Juan Pelota Cafe is smack dab in the middle of the bike shop, which is perfect for a nice perk-up during a ride, or a healthy snack like their hot granola or muesli. But, of course, their speciality is their organic, Fair Trade coffee, which is roasted in Austin and always sold within 10 hours of roasting. Sounds incredible!
