Ornish has been advocating his diet for more than a generation now.

FORBES: The Mediterranean Diet: The New Gold Standard?

In a talk he gave at the TED conference in 2006, Dr. Dean Ornish, who first became well known for talking up the benefits of diet and exercise in fighting heart disease, told a story about a year he spent studying under a well-known swami.

FORBES: Promoting Wellness vs. Illness: It's All About We vs. I

Now it is up to the AHA, and Ornish, to prove that their diets are better than, or even as good as, the Mediterranean diet.

FORBES: The Mediterranean Diet: The New Gold Standard?