"The Lady" is a Giant Hipocrite, Y'all

Who would have thought I'd be inspired to come out of my cozy, blogging hibernation by Paula Deen? Not me, that's for sure.

But I'm kind of irate about her and her diabetes and I feel the need to tell you why.

So Paula Deen announced she has type 2 diabetes ( you know, not the genetic predisposition kind but the kind that is mostly attributed to a lifetime of bad habits ). Wow, I didn't see that coming! Let's see - so a 63 year old woman who is obese because of a high fat, high sugar diet, a professed aversion to any kind of exercise and a 50 year pack a day smoking habit has type 2 diabetes . . .shocker!

Oh and here's the really fun part. She's known about it for over 3 years, but she continued during that time to peddle her "southern" diet of fried, sugary, high cholesterol recipes while secretly being treated for the disease. Social responsibility be damned, right Paula? AND, one of her sons is turning this whole thing into his own cottage industry - he has a new show called Not my Mama's Meals where he magically transforms his Mama's disgusting recipes into magical healthy versions, but they still taste great y'all! I'm glad they at least had the forsight to choose the skinny one to host this show.

Oh oh wait - did I forget to mention that on the same day she announced her condition, she came out as the new spokesperson for a controversial Diabetes drug that has been strongly linked to thyroid cancer and other delightful side effects. Her payoff for this lucrative endorsement is rumored to be in the high 7 figures. Oh and she says she's not planning to change her diet, thanks to this miracle pill she's taking, she doesn't have too! Are you freaking kidding me?  This from a woman who built her empire on recipes like a hamburger topped with fried eggs, bacon and buns made from two donuts. I just have one question -is Paula Deen trying to kill us?

I got an email this week from a customer, telling me she'd made my Tomato Soup recipe and loved it, but she felt guilty about adding the butter at the end in light of the recent news about Paula Deen. It made me mad to think that she was wasting her time thinking this way. Adding unsalted butter to finish a wholesome soup made with healthy, nutrient rich ingredients is NOT GOING TO CAUSE YOU TO CONTRACT DIABETES. Paula Deen's love affair with butter and mayonnaise is only one of many self indulgent reasons why she is sick.

I am sorry for her that she will be forced to depend on constant blood testing and drugs to keep her body from breaking down, and will eventually need to be insulin dependent and possibly even suffer from cardiovascular disease, loss of limbs and a host of other fun things that go along with Diabetes. I will be honest and tell you that when I was pregnant with my daughter I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and it was not only a giant pain in the ass but also a huge wake up call for me. I made small, effective changes in my diet that included adding more high fiber, lean protein foods and minimizing processed foods and empty calories.  With those small changes I successfully curbed the insulin resistance without the use of drugs. I also exercise, I don't smoke and even the "unhealthiest" recipes I teach include organic, whole ingredients that have significant nutritive value so I don't feel the least bit bad about a splash of cream, a sprinkle of Parmesan or a pat of butter in the pot.  It is widely known that diet & exercisee are the most effective ways to control type 2 Diabetes, it's just a shame that Paula Deen is more concerned with a payday than her health, and the health of her fans across the world.

So we're not gonna give up butter just because "The Lady" has Diabetes. Sorry, Paula, but we're just not buyin' what your sellin'.