I'm feeling kinda bad for Paula Deen these days. I see she's been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and is soon to be the spokesperson for some non-insulin drug. Unfortunately, this all means she's had to give up on all that sugar, and the deep-fried foods she loves so much.
There were a lot of factors that went into her becoming a Type 2 diabetic, but are any of us really surprised at the diagnosis? All that southern comfort food was bound to catch up with her – we all knew it. She's says she's always been a proponent of eating all that southern, deep-fried goodness she's so famous for, in moderation. But if I could throw stuff together like she does, "moderation" wouldn't be in my vocabulary. I'm just sayin'.
She was a guest on yesterdays airing of The Chew. On the show (check out the second segment), she talked about how she's come to terms with it along with some of the changes she's made in her life since the diagnoses back in 2008. She also talked about why she didn't come out and annouce it to the world right away.
Here's a shocker (it was for me):
It wasn't the butter! Butter can actually be good for you and is even listed as a suitable food for people with diabetes. Butter me up baby!
Some many diabetics have come out and criticized her for continuing to promote unhealthy foods and have called Paula a hypocrite. A hypocrite – really? I think that's so ridiculous. So what if she continued to share recipes that were not so healthy? It's television. No wait. It's entertainment television. I am not diabetic, but I wouldn't dare touch some of the more fatty recipes she's put out there. I've never tried any of her recipes and frankly, I can only listen to her talk in small does, but I have watched her show a few times and there's no denying that I find myself drooling. My point is, she didn't force any of that food into anyone's mouth. If someone cooked it, knowing the ingredients that went into the recipe, and knowing that they were diabetic or pre-diabetic, then that's their mistake, not Paula's.
There has also been some criticism of Paula getting paid for this medication endorsement. Well, a gal's gotta make a livin', right? Who cares how she makes her money? Celebrities put their face on a product or service it all the time. Some, even if they don't believe in the product or service they're endorsing. If Paula (yeah, I say her name like I know her personally) believes in the product, why not endorse it? Better yet, why not endorse it and get paid for doing so? Better still, why not endorse a product or service you believe in, get paid for doing it, and give some of the proceeds to a worthy cause?
Now that she's having to deal with this, I may even watch the show on a regular basis, knowing that she will have to come up with new, more diabetic-friendly recipes. I can hardly wait to see what she comes up. I know it's going to be good because she likes the same kinds of food I do. Who knows? Maybe I'll actually try one of her new recipes instead of constantly wiping off the drool off my chin, while I watch the show. Go on Paula, do your thing!
I am really looking forward to chowing down on some of her old, fatty recipes, at her restaurant in Savannah, GA this summer! More on that later (road trip!).
[image via The Chew]
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