Rick Strong wrote:

> Bruce:
> > Calorie restriction is not healthy. Roy Walford, the leading
> > proponent, was recently diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease,
> > Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). So much for the CR diet
> > preventing chronic degenerative disease.
>
> But, what do you know about the
> etiology of Lou Gherig's disease?  Aren't there their well know
> victims who probably did not practice calorie restriction (e.g.
> Lou Gherig, Woody Guthrie (although poverty may be an
> unintentional factor in calorie restriction), Stephen Hawking.
> The cause may have a genetic component, it may be viral;
> dietary??  Who is saying that?? And calorie restriction?

I don't blame the disease on calorie restriction, but I
think Roy's choice of foods definitely factors into it.
Nobody knows exactly what "causes" ALS. Yet, Roy claims
"absolutely" that "the diet didn't bring this on." He's
consigned himself to the disease in the hopes that his
diet will slow it down. If I were in his situation, I'd
look for ways to reverse the disease, not draw out the
suffering and degeneration...

http://www.lef.org/news/aging/2003/01/06/REC/0000-0300-KEYWORD.Missing.html

> My questions were directed toward trying to understand why
> there are many studies that do verify health benefits of a diet
> heavy in plant based foods.

I think we are mainly seeing a substitution effect. Whole
grains vs. refined cereals. No dairy vs. processed dairy.
No meat vs. bacon, sausage, and hot dogs. They never test
the other side of the coin - people avoiding starches and
refined sugars, eating raw dairy, eating fresh meats, and
avoiding processed foods.

> Frankly, while I love meat, I am
> bored when I do not have a diet rich in tasty items from the
> plant world (sometimes, I cycle a very low carb regimine).
> I cannot imagine that the average  paleo stud would have
> passed up the opportunity to gorge on berries (just like your
> average 1000 pound griz).  Rick

Berries are very low in Calories and carbs. Strawberries
have just 114 Calories per pound (1.25 pts or 2.5 cups).
I think it's great to eat berries, raw "unheated" honey,
comb honey, and other natural sweets. But we definitely
need lots of natural fat, cholesterol, and protein.