>Out of curiousity, about how many grams of protein are you eating daily
>at the present time?

Whatever 2-3 pounds of red meat contains.

It's certainly a hell of a lot more protein than Barry Sears recommends for
someone my size in his book.  I was allowed about 100 grams a day by Sears'
count, and I remember looking at those teensy tiny little protein portions
and wondering how anyone could possibly survive on that.

Other people I know look good, feel great, and enjoy the hell out of The
Zone.  More power to 'em.


>Ornish promotes massive amounts of fruits and veggies, lots of grain,
>and no meat products at all, right? I think this diet is probably more
>natural than what lots and lots of Americans eat, namely an amazing array of
>highly processed foods that are multiple degrees removed from their natural
>state.

Yeah, that's Ornish in a nutshell.  And you're right that it's probably
healthier inasmuch as it avoids a lot of the processed foods.  If nothing
else, you go on Ornish and you give up all junk food like potato chips,
cookies, ice cream, candy, etc. and that alone probably makes some people
healthier.  It's also high in fibre, which also helps some people.  It's
also a reduced-calorie diet.

A critical review of Ornish's data shows that his results are no better
than the results of -any- program with reduced calories and an emphasis on
avoiding junk food.  HOWEVER, I think that there's always that 5% factor:
no matter what the overall results of your data, there will be at least 5%
of subjects who do not fit the mold at all.

I _know_ people who are happy and healthy on diets radically different from
mine.  My old boss has been a high-carb eating, grain-eating, raw-food
eating vegetarian for five years now, and massively improved his health in
several different ways, and looks better and feels better than he has since
he was a teenager.  He's healthier by far than most people his age.  If I
ate like he did I'd get sick.

Although I think it is probably the case that the vast majority of humans
need some meat in their diet, I'm about convinced that there are some
humans who need far more of it than others, and that others won't feel
right if they're eating too much meat.  I suspect that some people will be
happier and healthier eating meat 2-3 times a week, and others will be
happier and healthier eating meat 3-4 times a day (like me).

My wife's grandparents both lived to be well over the age of 90.  Both
smoked until they died.  Both were active, alert, and stable and able to
take care of themselves until they died (well okay, her grandpa fell apart
after her grandma died and he was gone within a year, but...).  Both ate
lots of potatoes, lots of bread, and lots of dairy their whole lives, and
her grandpa never stopped drinking vodka.  You can call that luck if you
want to, but I call it having the genes of an Eastern Polish peasant (both
were natives of Eastern Poland, near the Lithuanian border).