Paula Dean saves humanity...

[Blueridge]

I just read about her announcement of having Type II Diabetes, after receiving her diagnosis 3 years ago...and instead of changing her cooking and eating habits, she is teaming up with a drug company to 'educate' and share with the country that things will be just fine with all that butter and sugar. :001_huh: Honestly, she is a beautiful woman who could do a lot of good, if she would just change her recipes and be more moderate. I know she is exercising now, but it makes me sad that she will not change her cooking ways.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/paula-deen-confirms-type-diabetes-teams-novo-nordisk/story?id=15378730#.TxXsWG_OzEY

 

(My apologies for spelling her name wrong! Tried to fix it but it won't show up correctly :( )

Edited January 21, 2012 by Blueridge

[Parrothead]

From the quotes it sounds like she is in denial.

[elegantlion]

I have an extended family member with type II diabetes. He also refuses to change his eating habits. :glare:

[Scarlett]

I have an extended family member with type II diabetes. He also refuses to change his eating habits. :glare:

 

Oh my word! Me too. It is ridiculous.

 

When I first heard about Paula teaming up with someone I figured she had just been diagnosed and was changing her evil cooking ways. I couldn't believe she has known for 3 years!

 

I LOVE her. I think she is beautiful and I love her food---for special treats!

[Julie in CA]

You know, I've come to the conclusion that for some people, their sense of what would make their quality of life enjoyable trumps having a longer, healthier lifespan. I don't necessarily agree, but I can see where people make their choices & trade-offs according to their own values & priorities. In other words, I'm not assuming it's denial simply because she's making a different choice than I would. Very sad, either way. :sad:

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I was just reading this. She says she's always encouraged moderation, but for people predisposed to type 2 diabetes her version of "Southern Cooking" is death on a plate. Even a little bit of it. And she won't change her style, other than to tell everybody she quit drinking sweet tea (all day long!) and faithfully injects her meds.

 

I think I told you all we buried my uncle last month. He was exactly Paula Deen's age. Died of diabetes and pancreatic cancer because he couldn't or wouldn't change his lifestyle drastically enough to save his life.

[Veritaserum]

I thought I saw an ad for a show with her son where he revamps her recipes to make them healthy....

[elegantlion]

It's not the butter, but rather the sugar.

 

But anyway, I think it's hard to change. Food is a huge part of her life.

 

But you would think, especially her, as a advocate of cooking with fans that are diabetic, she would want them to eat more healthy. I don't watch cooking shows (<--- slight pause, understatement of the year) but she strikes me as someone who wants to have a loving family oriented persona.

[snickelfritz]

I can't judge her. I think Julie in CA is spot on about choosing what gives her the greatest (in her perception) quality of life.

Edited January 17, 2012 by snickelfritz

[GoVanGogh]

You know, I've come to the conclusion that for some people, their sense of what would make their quality of life enjoyable trumps having a longer, healthier lifespan. I don't necessarily agree, but I can see where people make their choices & trade-offs according to their own values & priorities. In other words, I'm not assuming it's denial simply because she's making a different choice than I would.

:iagree:

My mother was dx with type II a few years ago. She is very bitter of the dx and refuses to change her diet because she doesn't want to give up the foods she thinks gives her a better quality of life. She is forever pointing out people who are heavier than she is and how it isn't fair that they haven't been dx as diabetic. Crazy. But that is how she sees it.

She isn't in denial, as she owns up to the fact that she has it. But she doesn't care that it will shorten her life. She insists she can eat whatever she wants and just adjust her meds accordingly.

[Daisy]

 

Really, I don't know. She is a Food TV personality, not a dietitian. KWIM? I don't personally look to people in those positions for information on healthy eating.

 

That's how I see it. She MAKES money with recipes full of butter & sugar. Even if she personally changed her diet, I can't see her ever changing her shtick. It pays for the bread...and the butter.

[Trish]

I was just reading this. She says she's always encouraged moderation, but for people predisposed to type 2 diabetes her version of "Southern Cooking" is death on a plate. Even a little bit of it. And she won't change her style, other than to tell everybody she quit drinking sweet tea (all day long!) and faithfully injects her meds.

 

I think I told you all we buried my uncle last month. He was exactly Paula Deen's age. Died of diabetes and pancreatic cancer because he couldn't or wouldn't change his lifestyle drastically enough to save his life.

 

Is there a lifestyle change that helps with pancreatic cancer?

 

Not being flippant, I'm very sorry about your uncle. It's sad to lose anyone we love, and particularly if they go sooner than they had to. I would certainly make a lifestyle change before accommodating Type II diabetes. (I mean trying to eat healthy, rather than relying solely on meds and keeping my lifestyle the same)

[elegantlion]

Well it might be a combination of not knowing what exactly is healthy, denial, and possibly knowing that others won't change?

 

Really, I don't know. She is a Food TV personality, not a dietitian. KWIM? I don't personally look to people in those positions for information on healthy eating.

 

True

[Daisy]

I've never heard of any (not that I know much about it). It's pretty much a death sentence as far as I know.

 

There may be some correlation between diabetes and the development of pancreatic cancer. Perhaps the OP feels if her relative's diabetes had been better controlled it might not would have lead to pancreatic cancer?

 

I found this...

 

About 80% of pancreatic cancer patients have glucose intolerance or frank diabetes [4,5]. This observation has led to the following two hypotheses: i. pancreatic cancer causes diabetes and ii. diabetes is a risk factor for the development of pancreatic cancer. Numerous studies have been performed in order to elucidate the relationship between these two diseases. article

[Scarlett]

Really, I don't know. She is a Food TV personality, not a dietitian. KWIM? I don't personally look to people in those positions for information on healthy eating.

 

:iagree:

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

It's not the butter, but rather the sugar.

 

 

:iagree:

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Is there a lifestyle change that helps with pancreatic cancer?

 

 

Yes. My uncle's doctor told him decades ago to stop smoking and follow his diet, because sausages, sugar, and cigarettes are too risky for overweight men of Native American descent.

 

He did finally quit smoking and lose some weight, but he never got the diabetes under control.

 

We don't judge him, these are all very hard things. We just love him and miss him.

 

http://www.everydayhealth.com/pancreatic-cancer/risk-factors.aspx

[kitten18]

You know, I've come to the conclusion that for some people, their sense of what would make their quality of life enjoyable trumps having a longer, healthier lifespan. I don't necessarily agree, but I can see where people make their choices & trade-offs according to their own values & priorities. In other words, I'm not assuming it's denial simply because she's making a different choice than I would. Very sad, either way. :sad:

 

It's not the butter, but rather the sugar.

 

But anyway, I think it's hard to change. Food is a huge part of her life.

 

:iagree:

 

 

ETA - I hope that Paula cuts the sugar/carbs from her own diet but I don't think she has a social responsibility to change her recipes.

Edited January 17, 2012 by kitten18

[Lang Syne Boardie]

There may be some correlation between diabetes and the development of pancreatic cancer. Perhaps the OP feels if her relative's diabetes had been better controlled it might not would have lead to pancreatic cancer?

 

I found this...

 

Yes, my uncle's doctor believed in a strong link between diabetes and pancreatic cancer, more in men than in women.

[Pink Fairy]

Is she controlling her sugar levels with her medications? I thought that Type 1 diabetics still ate regular foods, but controlled things with meds. Are Type 2 diabetics different?

[edelweiss]

:iagree:

 

 

ETA - I hope that Paula cuts the sugar/carbs from her own diet but I don't think she has a social responsibility to change her recipes.

 

 

:iagree:

[emzhengjiu]

oops wrong thread

Edited January 17, 2012 by emzhengjiu
wrong thread

[DianeW88]

That's how I see it. She MAKES money with recipes full of butter & sugar. Even if she personally changed her diet, I can't see her ever changing her shtick. It pays for the bread...and the butter.

 

:iagree:This. It's her niche on Food Network. It's what people watch her show to see. Her viewers don't want her changing her style of cooking....it's what they like. In her own personal life, she may very well regulate or eliminate sugar from her diet.....but her employer will not want her saying that out loud. That's not what they hired her to do. They have shows on Food Network for folks who want to eat healthy. Hers isn't one of them.

[Crissy]

I don't think she has a social responsibility to change her recipes.

 

I don't think she *should*, but I wish she *would* be honest with her followers about the fact that the very product she has been selling them has likely contributed to her condition.

[justamouse]

She can't change her brand, now. Well, she could, and I hope she does, but it's her brand and wow, that's an undertaking.

 

Yeah, if she got out in front of it and was the clarion call for healthy eating, it would be awesome.

[Mimm]

:iagree:This. It's her niche on Food Network. It's what people watch her show to see. Her viewers don't want her changing her style of cooking....it's what they like. In her own personal life, she may very well regulate or eliminate sugar from her diet.....but her employer will not want her saying that out loud. That's not what they hired her to do. They have shows on Food Network for folks who want to eat healthy. Hers isn't one of them.

 

That's what I was thinking. I even wonder if they knew she had the diabetes and asked her to keep it quiet. Or maybe not. Who knows. :) I've literally never seen a moment of her show or anything else on the Food Network that I can recall.

[Crissy]

It's her niche on Food Network. It's what people watch her show to see. Her viewers don't want her changing her style of cooking....it's what they like.

 

She can't change her brand, now.

 

That's what I was thinking.

 

I don't quite agree with this. The people I know who love Paula Deen, LOVE Paula Deen. It's about her personality. They buy what she is selling because they adore HER. I think she could absolutely take her 'friends' on the journey of cleaning up their diets together, controlling their health issues and still enjoy their time together in the kitchen.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Is she controlling her sugar levels with her medications? I thought that Type 1 diabetics still ate regular foods, but controlled things with meds. Are Type 2 diabetics different?

 

Yes, type 2 is different. Type 2 diabetics can reverse diabetes with diet and exercise in many cases. It depends on if your insulin receptors are totally burnt out or not.

[Rhonda in TX]

I hope she changes her eating habits. Death by uncontrolled diabetes can be a very ugly thing. :(

 

I feel like I'm a ticking time bomb in regards to diabetes. I had gestational diabetes with both pregnancies and it is rampant on my dad's side of the family. However, that's one of the reasons I've started exercising and losing weight.

[elizabeth]

That's what I was thinking. I even wonder if they knew she had the diabetes and asked her to keep it quiet. Or maybe not. Who knows. :) I've literally never seen a moment of her show or anything else on the Food Network that I can recall.

 

No great loss. Her version of Southern is really not southern at all. Outsiders might consider it such but it is not. Try the Charleston Junior League or even better The New Orleans Museum cookbook. The food is amazing and while not Weight Watchers it is not disgusting either. I agree with Anthony Bourdain on this one. http://www.amazon.com/Artists-Palate-Cookbook/dp/0894940260

Edited January 18, 2012 by elizabeth
link added

[mcconnellboys]

Her son is doing a show that revamps her recipes so that they are healthier....

[DianeW88]

I don't quite agree with this. The people I know who love Paula Deen, LOVE Paula Deen. It's about her personality. They buy what she is selling because they adore HER. I think she could absolutely take her 'friends' on the journey of cleaning up their diets together, controlling their health issues and still enjoy their time together in the kitchen.

 

Well, if she truly believes in a more healthy lifestyle I guess we'll find out when her Food Network contract is up. Unfortunately, she most likely has to do what the network executives want her to do and what their research supports. If she renegotiates for different terms or doesn't renew when her time is up....we'll know how strong her love affair with butter and sugar really is. :lol:

[Halftime Hope]

There is a diabetic (blood relative) in my family, and I can tell you that the food choices are an addiction. Bless my family member for trying, but it is a battle.

 

:banghead:

 

I'm so happy to see two of my kids consciously choosing a different way of eating.

[Sputterduck]

Her son is doing a show that revamps her recipes so that they are healthier....

 

Yeah, and I wonder if her diabetes was part of what kicked that idea off in his head. She tries what he makes and she likes it. I'm glad he's doing that show. It's good for his mom.

[TranquilMind]

Blueridge: I just read about her announcement of having Type II Diabetes, after receiving her diagnosis 3 years ago...and instead of changing her cooking and eating habits, she is teaming up with a drug company to 'educate' and share with the country that things will be just fine with all that butter and sugar.

 

That part just irks me.

 

I'd be a lot more impressed if she changed everything, and ditched the Type II diabetes like all those Biggest Loser contestants did by losing weight instead of push drugs for the drug companies.

[TranquilMind]

There is a diabetic (blood relative) in my family, and I can tell you that the food choices are an addiction.

 

Food choices are an ingrained habit - not an "addiction".

[Audrey]

That's how I see it. She MAKES money with recipes full of butter & sugar. Even if she personally changed her diet, I can't see her ever changing her shtick. It pays for the bread...and the butter.

 

:iagree: And add that it's really up to each individual what they choose to eat and how they choose to cook. Personally, I think variety is a good thing, and so is moderation. I try to eat and feed my family real food, prepared healthily, but sometimes I will make something that is full of fat and sugar. That doesn't mean we eat it all in one sitting or every night.

 

If there are people who are cooking à la Paula Deen and Pioneer Woman every day, then they will have to bear the consequences to their health and their families health. But in the end, that is their choice. Paula has obviously made her choice. The consequences shall be hers as well. I can disagree with her, but I cannot judge her choices. I am not her judge.

[Ohdanigirl]

I just read about her announcement of having Type II Diabetes, after receiving her diagnosis 3 years ago...and instead of changing her cooking and eating habits, she is teaming up with a drug company to 'educate' and share with the country that things will be just fine with all that butter and sugar. :001_huh: Honestly, she is a beautiful woman who could do a lot of good, if she would just change her recipes and be more moderate. I know she is exercising now, but it makes me sad that she will not change her cooking ways.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/paula-deen-confirms-type-diabetes-teams-novo-nordisk/story?id=15378730#.TxXsWG_OzEY

 

But I believe her son does healthy versions of her recipes.

 

Danielle

[Crissy]

But I believe her son does healthy versions of her recipes.

 

Danielle

 

That depends on how you define "healthy". Some of the Deen Brothers' recipes are here. While the fat and calories are certainly lower, the refined sugar, flour, corn, potatoes, etc. are all still present in significant quantities.

[LucyStoner]

I've never heard of any (not that I know much about it). It's pretty much a death sentence as far as I know.

 

:iagree: Pancreatic cancer is not a form of cancer that only or even mostly impacts those who live unhealthy lifestyles. Everyone I know who has died of pancreatic cancer was a picture of health and fitness before actually. There is no way to screen for it in a cost effective way. By the time it is detected, it is generally stage IV.

[tex-mex]

As a fellow Type 2 Diabetic and having many family members who were non-compliant with their Type 2 Diabetes... I gotta say MAYBE Paula is still struggling with the dx, kwim?

 

She may be panicking as she sees her "food empire" about to crumble as this style of cooking is all she knows. Her restaurant, cookbooks, and her hawking ham is that "brand" -- comfort food. And since she was Smithfield's endorsed celeb (we all know

for being the largest pork producer in the world) it does not surprise me to see she is a paid endorser celeb for this new group. Her agent most likely told her it would be a "great" image change for her brand.

 

My mom was in denial for decades about her Type 2 Diabetes. She ended up losing both legs to non-compliance. She died at 52 years old. My uncles and aunts are also not good at taking care of themselves. One uncle refused to stick to a healthy diet and kept eating the bad stuff and then COMPLAINED he had to take insulin as the pills "did not work anymore". :rolleyes: Um, yeah... blame Metformin.

 

Isn't Paula in her late 60's or early 70's? By then, you do get set in your ways and turning over a new leaf may be impossible -- especially as your mortality is looking you in the face. I'm not a big Paula Deen fan, but after seeing this life pattern (dysfunction/denial) in my own family for decades... I cannot swing a sword in judgment against her either. Who knows? Maybe she will have a "come to Jesus" moment and be the greatest Diabetes advocate?

[happyhomemaker25]

There is a diabetic (blood relative) in my family, and I can tell you that the food choices are an addiction. Bless my family member for trying, but it is a battle.

 

:banghead:

 

I'm so happy to see two of my kids consciously choosing a different way of eating.

 

Yes. I am working hard to control mine, I know all the risks! It's still very hard. People have told me I just need to change the way I eat. Ok. I'm 34yo. That's a lot of changing. If I have even a little bit of a sweet or white carb I crave more until it's all I can think about. I eat better now than I did as a kid or even as a young adult, but I'm not eating in an ideal way for diabetics. I am trying though.

Paula Deen was probably raised eating that way. She's always cooked that way. It's not as easy as some people seem to think it is.

[happyhomemaker25]

Food choices are an ingrained habit - not an "addiction".

 

I have an addiction. It can be described as nothing else. It's all I think about. My mouth goes dry. My brain turns off. I just need one more serving. It's ridiculous. It helps to know that it's an addiction. It helps me to know that if I eat just a bite of something I will NEED to eat more of it.

[LucyStoner]

Food choices are an ingrained habit - not an "addiction".

 

People who struggle to change their eating habits exhibit symptoms that full-on mirror the detox cycle of from substances that are widely acknowledged to be habit forming and addictive- caffeine, cocaine, nicotine, alcohol etc. People can certainly be addicted to a type of food because of the chemical reactions to foods that one is addicted to. If you like something and eat it too much or often it is not necessarily and addiction but the same goes for coffee and drugs and alcohol. However, if you are structuring your day around getting your next taste of a food, highly anticipate that food on a very regular basis, you are panicky when you can't have it, hungry for it but not other foods, feel calmer as you eat that food etc it rises to the level of an addiction. It is a choice, and a powerful one, to stop and to eat better foods but that does not make it any easier to do for many. The same therapeutic strategies and coaching that help people break other addictions have proven quite beneficial for people breaking food addictions.

 

Someone saying that food can not be addictive is like me as a non-smoker saying that quitting nicotine is no big deal.

 

I realized this when I stopped drinking caffeine. I was a heavy, heavy user of caffeine and my reactions were intense and difficult and physically painful. I had scoffed at food and nicotine as "addictions" until I realized that even a fraction of what it took to go cold turkey on caffeine was A LOT. The physiological impacts of things like chocolate or sugar addiction are definitely there. I suggest "The End of Overeating" by Dr. David Kessler for more complete information.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I am sorry for her needing to abandon her food culture. I had to do that, when 5/6 of my family was diagnosed with celiac disease.

 

I was a baker! Pies, cakes, breads of all kinds. I'd learned so many family recipes from four generations back, carefully passed on by my mother and grandmother. Love was chicken and noodles from scratch, and I could cook it in my sleep.

 

When we had to go gluten-free, all of that was gone overnight. Whoosh. It was like somebody took my Matriarch Badge off my shoulder and cut it into smithereens. How can you be a Mama if you don't use a rolling pin, or if you don't knead bread by hand? Myself in an apron with flour up to my elbows...that was part of my identity.

 

I had to learn to be a Mama who simmers a stew, or fixes rice and beans. I had to create an entirely new food culture for my family, even though their dozens of cousins and relatives still eat the old way. That's hard. I know we are healthier, and my boys are protected from diseases that would have come from untreated celiac disease. I know they get tons more fruits and vegetables than they would have. It is still hard.

 

To an outsider our new diet looks better. It is lighter, fresher, and has more of an international flair. Still, to me, the loss of connection to my family's food culture has been something to grieve. I still get very upset about it sometimes.

[tex-mex]

To an outsider our new diet looks better. It is lighter, fresher, and has more of an international flair. Still, to me, the loss of connection to my family's food culture has been something to grieve. I still get very upset about it sometimes.

Good point.

 

Hubby and I were talking about this and he pointed out that Paula used her love of food to overcome divorce, poor single motherhood, and overcame severe depression/agoraphobia/anxiety to have her sons go door to door selling sandwiches as the "Bag Lady". I think it would be a psychological blow to her to say goodbye to all of that. :confused:

 

ETA: Yes, I agree that saying goodbye to food you love -- but does not love you back -- is difficult. In addition to Type 2 Diabetes & lactose intolerance, son and I have a rare liver disease that has us eat a low protein diet. I love doughnuts, chocolate pie, pizza, ice cream and hamburgers... but cannot eat them as they are VERY bad for me. I can totally relate!!

Edited January 18, 2012 by tex-mex

[Amy in NH]

You know, I've come to the conclusion that for some people, their sense of what would make their quality of life enjoyable trumps having a longer, healthier lifespan. I don't necessarily agree, but I can see where people make their choices & trade-offs according to their own values & priorities. In other words, I'm not assuming it's denial simply because she's making a different choice than I would.

 

:iagree:

[Audrey]

You know, I've come to the conclusion that for some people, their sense of what would make their quality of life enjoyable trumps having a longer, healthier lifespan. I don't necessarily agree, but I can see where people make their choices & trade-offs according to their own values & priorities. In other words, I'm not assuming it's denial simply because she's making a different choice than I would. Very sad, either way. :sad:

 

 

I felt this way about both my dh's mom and my own dad. Both chose to enjoy their cigarettes, even though they were fighting cancer and heart disease/emphysema, respectively.

 

Although it pained me deeply to witness, and I disagreed completely, I understood they were choosing to make a trade-off. :crying:

Edited January 18, 2012 by Audrey

[Joanne]

I have an addiction. It can be described as nothing else. It's all I think about. My mouth goes dry. My brain turns off. I just need one more serving. It's ridiculous. It helps to know that it's an addiction. It helps me to know that if I eat just a bite of something I will NEED to eat more of it.

 

Science backs this up for some "over-eaters," especially when it comes to carbs.

 

{{hugs}}

 

If you haven't already, read "Good Calories, Bad Calories" (or Why We Get Fat). They are not rah-rah, encouraging diet books but will explain, scientifically, your experience.

[Joanne]

(this one is hard for me)

 

I have a friend who has a new liver and kidneys. He is a Type II, and had *alcoholic* cirhosis. He was severely overweight. He did stop drinking about 5 years ago (but never sought actual recovery). He never changed his eating habits, remains overweight.

 

And word is that he now drinks a "beer or two."

 

I love this man; but I am furious with him. I'm married to a man with the same medical issues, but an old liver who didn't get there through over consumption of alcohol. I get very angry.

 

When I am with the other guy, I just prayerfully repeat to myself that I need to love and understand him and that my anger does no one in the equation any good.