Aaron Blanco of Brown Coffee Co. in San Antonio demonstrates the art of making coffee.

“We bring the personal chef experience to everyone. Eating delicious and healthy food from gourmet chefs shouldn’t be a luxury. Order meals and get them delivered directly to you on the same day at a time of your choosing. Enjoy great food and a forever changing menu.” -- Munchery

Produce & Products:
-Blue Potatoes
-Baby Dutch Potatoes
-Kale
-Fingerling Potatoes
-Nutritional Yeast
-Wayfare
-Daiya
-Mediterranean Feta
-Almond Milk
-Agave Nectar
-Israeli Couscous
-Red Chard
-Mexican Squash
-Tree Oyster Mushrooms
-Shredded Coconut
-Arugula
-Red Lentils
-Pepino Melon
-Pumpkin
-Yellow Peas
-Steel Cut Oats
-Duvel
-Chantaboon Rice Stick Noodles

Services:
-Farm Fresh to You

Need To:
-Fennel
-Orka
-Purslane
-Rhubarb
-Rutabaga
-Turnips
-Sweet Potatoes
-Chondrus Crispu
-Sunchokes
-Salsify
-Radicchio
-Mustard Seed
-Kohlrabi
-Blood Oranges
-Endive
-Fava Bean
-Garden Cress

Vegetarian Cyclist Nutrition

The average person has about the same amount of iron in their body as a large rusty nail. It’s purpose in the body is to help with the formation of red blood cells that are used to transport oxygen to a cyclists hard working muscles. A deficiency of iron could lead to anemia and the associated symptoms of tiredness and fatigue. In athletes where the risks of over training are high (such as in cycling) it is vitally important to maintain high levels of iron in order to maintain performance.

Symptoms of Iron Deficiency in Cyclists

Symptoms of iron deficiency are not unique to the condition and can easily be mistaken for general states of tiredness. To the cyclist however, many of the symptoms can simply be diagnosed as over training when in fact a deficiency can be a cause of the symptoms. Symptoms of iron deficiency include:

Fatigue,Weakness, Brittle Nails, Irritability, Paleness of colour in the face/tongue, Pica (a strange craving for mineral rich non food substances such as dust or sand)

Vegetarians and iron

Iron is one of the most difficult minerals for our bodies to breakdown and absorb. In addition endurance athletes such as cyclists lose iron during exercise and therefore need to ensure iron intake is high to maintain the correct levels. Add to this that vegetarians generally have a lower iron intake because of their diet (see below) and it is easy to see why cyclists with vegetarian diets need to pay particular attention to their iron intake to avoid an iron deficiency.

Foods that are rich in iron

Most mild iron deficiencies in cyclists can be corrected by changes in diet that result in an increase in the consumption of iron rich foods. Generally foods contain two types of iron:

Heme iron sources are usually found in meats and are much more easily broken down and absorbed by the body than non-heme iron that is usually found in vegetables and grains. The foods listed below have high iron content;

Lean red meats, chicken, turkey, Fish (eaten by some vegetarians), Eggs, Beans (fresh or baked), lentils, chick peas, Nuts, Fortified breakfast cereals, Brown Rice, Tofu, Wholewheat bread, Leafy greens such as spinach and broccoli, Dried fruit such as apricots, prunes, raisins, Avocado

Iron Absorption

Most vegetarian diets do not contain as much iron as a non-veg one. The interesting thing about iron as mentioned above is that the body finds it very hard to absorb. Vitamin C has been found to be great at helping the body absorb iron. Foods particularly rich in vitamin C such as oranges, kiwi, broccoli, kale, tomatoes, peppers and orange juice can massively increase the amount of iron you can absorb. Therefore if you are a vegetarian be sure to make sure you include these types of foods in your diet.

On the flip side tea has been found to impede iron absorption so again try to avoid drinking tea with or immediately after your meals.

Iron Supplements

Iron supplements are usually not required unless you have very severe iron defficiency. Too much iron can be very bad for the body and so most doctors recommend treating any deficiencies purely through the adaption of diet.

Simplicity is a state of mind for many tea drinkers, so it doesn’t surprise me how large and innovative the design community is. I just wanted to spend a moment and track down some inspiring/different designs in tea related products. Here are some gems I found, click the image to view the source:

Modern Tea Bags -

Modern Tea Pots -

Modern Tea Cups -