7 Vegan Snacks to Fuel Your Ride
Roman Go aka @sadhappyalien is a Pure Cycles rider living in Moscow and leading an active, vegan lifestyle. We reached out to Roman after he wowed us in our Photo Challenges and asked him what his favorite vegan snacks are to power him through a day of biking in a city as big and daunting as the Russian capital. Roman's other IG obsession is sharing his vegan recipes as beautifully presented dishes on @wecook_weshoot, so this worked out perfectly. Take it away, Roman!
I’ve been a vegan for 5 years and it’s really hard to be vegan and a bike rider in Moscow. But it’s not impossible! Here are my top 7 vegan snacks that pack the energy to pedal.
Green Power Smoothie
To be fueled for riding in Moscow I drink a green ‘power’ smoothie before and after my ride. I make all my smoothies myself and my favorite blend is made of bananas, green apples, avocado, spinach or kale, spirulina, nuts, blueberry and hemp seeds. These healthy shakes are loaded with protein (kale, hemp, avocado and pumpkin seeds) and antioxidants (spirulina, blueberries).
Falafel
After a long ride I like to eat some falafel or a sandwich with vegan cheese and sundried tomatoes along with a chai latte. Yum! Falafel is packed with protein from chickpeas, it’s super tasty and it's available in most vegan places in the city, so it's never hard to find a healthy post-ride snack.
Avocado Toast with hemp seeds
Most often my mornings start with avocado toast topped with hemp seeds. In chilly weather I prefer oatmeal with fried bananas, though. This breakfast has everything I need to start a day of riding. Avocados are perfect for topping toast, providing a substantial amount of healthy monounsaturated fatty acids. They are a naturally nutrient-dense food and contain nearly 20 vitamins and minerals. Hemp seeds are a great protein source and have omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which promote cardiovascular health.
Homemade Granola Bars
Granola bars are one of my favorite snacks and also easy to take on a long ride. Instead of buying prepackaged granola bars from the store my wife bakes them at home. There are a ton of great recipes out there for homemade bars but ours call for banana, pure vanilla extract, rolled oats, dried cherries, walnuts,sunflower seeds, pepita seeds (shelled pumpkin seeds), sliced almonds, hulled hemp seeds, cinnamon & sea salt. We don’t need to add any sugar because the bananas give them the right amount of sweetness.
Bananas
Speaking of- bananas are the ultimate ride snack, vegan or otherwise. Packaged by nature, easy to carry and full of fiber, potassium and natural sugars - they're perfect before, during, and after a ride!
Raw Carrot Cake Balls
Raw carrot cake balls are easy to make, super healthy and they give me a quick burst of
energy with just the right amount of sweetness. My wife and I make them at home in 5 minutes with 7 simple ingredients; dates, rolled oats, grated carrots, shredded coconut, raisins, cinnamon and ginger.
Almonds & Cashews
Nuts are great because they're easy to pack with you while riding (or anywhere, really). Full of protein and minerals, nuts are filling and easy to eat, even while still in the saddle! Also, you can feed squirrels in the park. :)
That's Roman's top 7 (Thanks, @sadhappyalien!)! And now that you've got some ideas for delicious meat-free bike fuel, there's no excuse for not stacking some miles today. Eat up, enjoy the road, and we'll see you out there.