[MikeMartial]

Q: What's all this grass-fed hooplah I keep reading about?

A: Animals eat grass. Yes even chickens. The grass contains omega-3 fatty acids. Since animals became largely and almost entirely grain-fed, the nutritional value of their byproducts has dropped more than half of what it should be. This is true in America, and is a reason you'll see a lot of the regular posters here agreeing that food in America is basically shit unless you're willing to spend money on the real food, because it is expensive.

Here's the breakdown of the terminologies (as it applies to poultry, but the terminology also applies to beef):

Pastured Poultry:
Thousands of small farms in the US and worldwide produce what is called "pastured poultry". To these farmers, pastured poultry means chickens and other poultry raised right on top of living grasses.

This enables the birds to eat all the varied, living grasses, other plants, insects, etc., that they can find. Since chickens also need grain, they cannot be totally grass-fed, according to several experts. In the chicken tractors are grain feeders, and watering devices. Chickens will eat up to 30% of their calories in grass (and that's a LOT of grass), if allowed access to unlimited supplies. Pasturing the poultry assures that they have these supplies of living grass at all times.

A few purists want to reserve the term "grass-fed" for animals raised exclusively, 100%, on grass and nothing else. Now, ruminants, such as cows and sheep, can be raised totally on grass, but by all accounts, poultry cannot.

A few purists say that "pastured poultry" cannot be raised in cages, that pastured poultry means poultry that is free to roam over pasture without physical restrictions. These folks include the addition of grain-based feeds for their "pastured" birds.

But in general usage around the world, "pastured poultry" means chickens raised in chicken tractors that are moved over fresh grass very often, with grain feeders available.

Grass-Fed:
The term grass-fed poultry is a larger group, of which the pastured birds are a sub-set. Grass-fed poultry, among those who are discussing the topic, means birds that are allowed to forage on as much living grasses as they desire, whether in chicken tractors, small coops surrounded by pasture, or the exclusive French "Red Label" birds raised on glamorous par-courses. As long as they get all the grass they want, they qualify to be called "grass-fed." (Experts, please comment below ~ thank you!)

The public, especially in cities but also in the country to a large extent, have no idea how badly the term "free-range" is abused. It is virtually meaningless as a marketing term. One thing must be understood about chickens: they will not walk very far out of their line of sight; they feed on what they see close to them. They won't go around a see-through fence for water. But commercial poultry farmers, I'm told by many sources, have put little doors at the ends of their huge chicken barns, doors that open onto a bare dirt lot, and by doing so, are able to call their product "free-range," whether the chickens ever go outside or not.

Free Range:
"Free range," as used commercially today, simply indicates chickens that are not in cages and do not have a physical barrier between them and the outside of their building. They do not get any living grass. In fact, one prominent health-food-store poultry producer who has slid the advertising words "forage on native grasses" into their advertising, admits to me on the phone that those birds have four square feet of dirt space per bird (2 feet inside, and 2 feet outside), no open range or living grass of any kind. The company cannot find anyone on their premises who can explain to me what "forage on native grasses" means to them. As of this writing, I have not found one company, health-food-store, restaurant or website that sells grass-fed poultry at anything like a fair price (one company will ship, but it comes to $18 per chicken, minimum four birds).

The sad part is, pastured poultry farmers have to allow their birds to be marketed under the term "free range," because the public heads for that term like iron to a magnet. No other marketing term works as well to sell supposedly healthful birds. The fact is, out in the country, and in smaller cities, with some careful searching, people can undoubtedly find some grass-fed poultry among the birds called "free-range." Almost always, it will be found at local farmers' markets, where the small farmer is allowed to sell a certain minimum number of birds a year.

The term "pastured poultry" makes people think of pasteurization; it's hard to say, confusing, and unsexy. It won't sell a flea. "Grass-fed" is just now catching on, but again, the public is still uninformed of its benefits, in fact of the necessity of switching to this method of feeding poultry. It is an unknown term, requires education, is better than "pastured," but it still isn't as sale-worthy as "free range." "Free range" conjures up a picture of chickens running around a healthy, bustling farmhouse, eating grass and other things to their hearts' content. It is the term of choice.

--->EatWild.com - This is an excellent resource for information and locations on grass fed animal products.

Q: I'm a vegetarian/vegan. I use Soy for my protein, can that equate to enough protein intake per day?

A: While there's no question that animal-based whole foods are a more efficient form of protein, if you're a strict vegetarian for morale reasons, soy may be your only option. Some of the most current (and best, IMO) research as of late has been complied by Berardi et al here, in a well written article. To sum it up via a direct quote from Berardi: "Here's the message...soy was never good or bad. Lots of soy, especially in supplement form, IS bad. A little soy, especially in food, is just fine." If supplementing with soy, a recommneded option could be to rotate through hemp, rice, and soy-based proteins.

Q: I want to try GAKIC, LEUKIC, Nitrous, Esterfied Creatine, Androstein (if I can get it), Steroids, etc., is it going to be worth it?

A: No. Unless you're a professional athlete and are making the money back that you're spending on these things based on your athletic ability. They really aren't worth spending the money on. Paying over $60 for a bottle of anything specifically for vanity purposes and temporary results is just stupid. You'd be better served spending that money on less-costly supplements where the effects are long-term. Like protein, and better food.

Also of note is that where banned supplements are concerned, it's not worth the risk of your freedom for vanity. There are no Pro Athletes doing Prison time over banned supplements. Rather the people in jail over this are people like you and the guy you're going to get them from. Because the Laws passed to dismantle banned supplement use in Pro Sports has severely missed it's mark. It's highly un-wise to play a game in which you've already lost before it begins.

Q: Hey do you have any recipes?

A: There's a recipe thread stuck at the top of the forum. If there's something missing from there, make a thread requesting a specific type of recipe you're looking for. But always check the thread first.

Q: Do I need to cycle or load creatine?

A: Loading versus regular dosing has been proven to be no different in terms of efficacy; in fact, a person may experience more gastric distress and bloating if they load. Cycling came about through the bodybuilding culture of cycling AAS; as far as creatine, there's absolutely no need to cycle. The myth that one's body would "shut down" production if it's being supplemented also came out of the bodybuilding culture. Creatine FAQ and Info

Q: What is the best fat-burner? And will fat-burners kill me? I don't want to have a heart-attack!!

A: Again, "best" is a relative term. Find one that works best for you. It might be a trial-and-error process. To answer your second question, only if you use them stupidly. Problem with stimulants and thermogenesis is that you're creating an artificial boost of your ****bolism. This could have a negative re-bound effect. Kind of like when you're on life support too long and your lungs can no longer breathe on their own. So use them to get where you want to go, then stay there by being disciplined. Caffeine (which is the stimulant in MOST fat-burners, and the ones without stimulants usually don't work), will NOT kill you. Abuse of caffeine however, could lead to heart and blood-pressure problems. If you use a thermogenic, and a particularly strong one, don't drink soda and coffee all day.

Q: What do I sweeten all my food with?

A: Why does your food HAVE to be sweet? Best advice, learn to appreciate how food TASTES. Condiments are added sugar, salt, and fat more times than not. Be mindful of that. Aside from that there are a plethora of both natural sweeteners (like honey and fruit for your oatmeal or protein shakes) and artificial ones like Splenda, Stevia, and Aspartame.