Paula

by Sherry

Paula Deen recently announced that she had been diagnosed with diabetes, receiving a very negative back lash from the public. The queen of country cooking being diagnosed with diabetes does not come as a surprise. The fact that she knew this several years ago and continued to push deep fried cheesecake does. Before she became uber famous, I recall seeing her for the first time on the Oprah show. She was making a Southern dish and just kept adding more and more butter. This was at a time when Oprah had lost some weight, and was a little stricter about her diet. She looked a little horrified at all the butter going in the bowl, and asked if all of it was necessary. Paula answered “Oh honey, I’m not your doctor, I’m your cook!”  This comment received a big laugh from Oprah and the audience. It was at that moment it became cool to eat deep fried everything. Paul Deen’s career took off. We appreciated her honesty about her fat infused cooking. She made no apologies for things tasting good. We bought her cook books and began feeling noble about ourselves embracing mountains or butter, sugar, and flour. We were free to make cakes, cookies, and biscuits. We fried chicken and immersed our green beans in bacon grease for that extra flavor. I myself made a yummy delicious coconut cake from Paula’s recipes. Her son Bobby’s favorite when he came to visit. This was a work of art, and so it should be, because it packed a whopping 680 calories per serving. I remember thinking, “That seems like a lot.” Once my food induced comma wore off, I had to face the truth. This was not a healthy way to live. If I wanted to enjoy the freedom of just moving on my own, without any added help of golf cart, I needed to stop making these heart clogging recipes. The love affair was over. I put away the heavy cream and went back to almond milk. I began embracing my fresh whole foods again.

Paula Deen has diabetes. That saddens me a bit. She seems like a great lady up there on the big screen. But even she has to admit that this way of life has come back to bit her in the butt. She was on a recent TV program and looked good. She had begun to exercise and dropped some weight. She did not elaborate on her health, only that she was feeling great. The empire she had built is on a foundation of fat. She can’t really be negative about anything securing her and her family’s future. Next up you will see Paula endorsing a diabetes medication and her son cooking healthier recipes, perfectly orchestrated to take over. They have had a few years to do any damage control while continuing to promote their artery clogging recipes. Regardless of how much the empire suffers or whether she changes her cooking habits remains to be seen. The diabetes says it all for her. I like Paula, and wish her good health in an uphill battle.