If you enjoyed my conversation with Dr. Rhonda Patrick, you're going to love today's conversation with my new friend Ray Cronise.

A passionate innovator, disrupter and scientist, Ray began his career as a Materials Scientist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, where he worked for 15 years in Physical and Analytical Chemistry and Biophysics as Assistant Mission Scientist on four Spacelab missions and projects like the impact of microgravity on biophysics; and space station environmental life support systems.

I have no idea what any of that means, but it sounds impressive.

Ray went on to co-found ZERO-G– the world’s first private parabolic flight operation – with XPRIZE creator Peter Diamandis. Otherwise known as vomit comets, ZERO-G flights produce weightlessness and approximate space flight conditions for purposes of scientific research, cinema and entertainment.

But it wasn't until Tim Ferriss' The 4-Hour Body* featured Ray's pioneering work with cold stress therapy as as a tool for fat loss that Ray began popping up everywhere as the man behind the Metabolic Winter Hypothesis.

Results motivated this prodigious scientific mind next to peer keenly into the chemistry, physiology, mechanics and research methodology behind human nutrition — specifically, what is wrong with current nutrition research and how to fix it. After copious investigation, analysis and self-experimentation, he has arrived upon a well supported but perhaps contrarian conclusion: a whole food plant-based diet is optimal for long-term health and wellness.

Despite decades spent struggling to manage his own weight and stay fit, for the past six years Ray has kept the weight off using a combination of cold stress, healthful sleep cycles, and a plant-based nutritional regimen.

Mainstream culture would deem Ray's ways extreme. But ask Ray and he will tell you that the way most people live and eat today is actually a radical departure from our natural state and is likely the root cause of our epidemic of chronic lifestyle illness.

After listening to this guy you will realize one thing – he did not arrive at his conclusions lightly. Conclusions soon to be explored in his upcoming book, Our Broken Plate, which aims to change the way people look at all diets so they can make lasting lifestyle changes that improve what Ray calls healthspan.

Over the course of an amazing 3 hours, we cover an absurd amount of territory, including:

* Ray's upcoming book ‘Our Broken Plate'

* the insanity of our protein obsession

* the “over nourishment” of America

* the impact of caloric & protein restriction on longevity & cancer

* the impact of thermogenesis on diet and exercise

* the importance of separating diet and exercise

* telomeres and aging

* nutrient deficiencies, supplements, instinctive eating; and

* exactly how Penn Jillette lost 100 pounds

Enjoy!

Rich