The Deen Wars

DISCLAIMER:  I don't watch telly (except the occasional Masterpiece show) and I don't have cable so I have never watched any cooking shows, including Deen's. 

This week, celeb chef Paula Deen told America and the world that she has had Type 2 Diabetes for three years.  This from the woman who taught folks how to make such things as a Krispy-Kreme Burger, Deep-Fried Lasagna and Fried Butter Ball appetizers.  Is anyone surprised?

And yet, across the media blog-o-sphere, writers, readers, and commentators are duking it out over Paula's announcement, her shilling of a diabetes drug, and the place of personal responsibility in all this mess.  So why is it that Paula's fans are coming out of the woodwork to support a woman who clearly DOES eat what she cooks, no matter how much she might say "special occassions only!" about her notoriously unhealthy recipes?  Why are they not bothered by the fact that she is telling American audiences this:

After her diagnosis, Deen says: “I wasn’t about to change my life. But I have made simple changes IN my life.” Those include, she says, cutting back on her sweet-tea consumption, taking more walks with her husband and running after her grandchildren.

All she plans to do is stop drinking SWEET TEA and take walks.  If only it were that simple.


“I’m here today to let the world know it is not a death sentence,” Deen said.


FROM THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE:

After many years, diabetes can lead to serious problems:

• You could have eye problems, including trouble seeing (especially at night), and light sensitivity. You could become blind.
• Your feet and skin can develop sores and infections. After a long time, your foot or leg may need to be removed. Infection can also cause pain and itching in other parts of the body.
• Diabetes may make it harder to control your blood pressure and cholesterol. This can lead to a heart attack, storke, and other problems. It can become harder for blood to flow to your legs and feet.
• Nerves in your body can get damaged, causing pain, tingling, and a loss of feeling.
• Because of nerve damage, you could have problems digesting the food you eat. You could feel weakness or have trouble going to the bathroom. Nerve damage can make it harder for men to have an erection.
• High blood sugar and other problems can lead to kidney damage. Your kidneys may not work as well, and they may even stop working.

Infections of the skin, female genital tract, and urinary tract are also more common.

So apparently losing a foot, your eyesight, or your kidneys is 'no big deal' to Deen.  As long as she has her drugs, she's free to do what she wants.  It's no big deal.

Asked whether she would be changing her cooking, Deen stressed that she has always encouraged moderation.“On my show I share with you all these yummy, fattening recipes. But I tell people ‘in moderation,’ ” she said. “You can have that little piece of pie.”

The thing is, Deen, as well as many Americans, want to have 'that little piece of pie' not just for the holidays, but daily, or weekly.  And it's killing us.

Deen’s cookbook, “Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible,” made it onto the worst cookbooks list of 2011 compiled by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. The nonprofit group, which promotes preventive medicine and conducts clinical research, cites a recipe for Hot Buffalo Wings as one of its worst offenders, with 910 calories and 85 grams of fat per serving.

So why do some people feel the need to come to Deen's defense, despite the fact that she is clearly spreading false information and hawking a drug to solve a problem that can be fixed simply by eating a whole foods, plant-based diet?  Simple.

THEY DON'T WANT TO CHANGE.   They'd rather do what Deen does, and continue to eat the food that is making them sick, whilst relying on a drug to regulate the effects of their illness.  But those drugs cost $6000/year...oh, and by the way:

The FDA approved Victoza in January 2010, but it did so amid strong evidence of a link to thyroid cancer. In April 2009, the FDA's Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 12-1 that rodent data linking the drug to thyroid cancer could apply to humans. The committee got hung at 6-6 (with one abstention) on whether the cancer risk was ground for FDA rejection. The drug eventually won approval anyway.  - Mother Jones.

Paula left that bit out, as well as these side effects: headache, nausea, and diarrhea. Nausea is most common when first starting Victoza®, but decreases over time in most people. Immune system related reactions, including hives, were more common in people treated with Victoza® compared to people treated with other diabetes drugs in medical studies.
 


One last note that many people have overlooked:


Some people with type 2 diabetes no longer need medicine if they lose weight and become more active. When they reach their ideal weight, their body's own insulin and a healthy diet can control their blood sugar levels.

Guess what diet can do this safely, effectively, and deliciously?

The proof is in the (vegan) pudding.

By now I am sure some of you are wondering, "Yeah, that's great...but does it WORK???"

Just thought I would pop in here quickly before a busy weekend of work and travel to give an update.

Today is Day 48. 

My last doctor visit was November 17.  At that visit I was my heaviest, and complained about my drugs and my 'low-residue' prescribed diet by my doctor, and how I felt they were contributing to my feeling sick, tired, and having little energy all the time as well as my difficulties losing weight.   He suggested Weight Watchers but seemed relatively unconcerned about my complaints.  After all, I was in remission right?

I began juicing November 26 with an eye to 60 days.  My body rebelled after less than two weeks, so I decided to go vegan from that point on.

During that time:

*I have eliminated the need for expensive and possibly dangerous medications.
*I have gone from having a hard time walking a few miles to being able to work out on an elliptical for an hour and then do the rest of my day.
*I have been able to get a part-time job, mainly because I feel well enough to work.  I could do more.
*I have lost 18.5 pounds.

All of that without anything I would call sacrifice.  I eat well, I enjoy my food, I cook more at home, and I have the energy and desire to continue because I feel so incredibly good.  I can eat until I am full and know I am not backsliding.  I won't gain weight if I stick to my eating plan - that's not just rhetoric, either.  I can't gain weight if I stick to my plan because of simple maths - I can't eat that much food.  What I eat is so nutrition-dense and low in calories and fat that it is virtually impossible to overeat.

I still have a long way to go.  I was overweight before I got sick, because I didn't take care of myself properly, not at all.  But with the results I have achieved in such a short time, I know I can reach the goals I set for myself, and continue to be in good health while improving fitness and body composition.


So yeah, I'd say it works.

Vegan eating on the go.

Today my husband and I did a quick trip into midtown, armed only with a banana and an apple.  While he met with a client, I decided to see just what sorts of options there were for a vegan pressed for time.

Whilst running around near Radio City, I was pleased to find that some of the pushcarts were offering healthy options, like salads, juices and fresh fruit.  I would totally have hit up the fresh fruit guy had I not just scarfed down my fruit breakfast.  Nearby there was a deli/bodega that had dried fruit and nut cups as well as some fresh fruit.  So snacks were a snap to find.  It was a bit cold and windy to sit outdoors and eat a salad today, though on a nicer day that might have been an option, depending on what dressings they offered.

For lunch I really went the desperate traveler route and decided to see what I could find in that beacon of bad fast food, Penn Station.  Littered with Auntie Anne's, Krispy Kreme, pizza joints and fast food chains, Penn Station leaves little for the health-conscious...or so one might think.  I found a few options for the on-the-go veg that surprised me.

SUBWAY.  Subway is one of my favorite reliable, predictable fast food choices.  Their Italian and 9 Grain Wheat breads are both vegan, though the wheat does have HFCS.  I usually choose the Veggie Delite and hold the cheese, with Italian bread.  I also skip the dressings, choosing instead to get fresh avocado.  Since I hardly ever eat bread or any sort of baked goods, I don't worry too much about that.  My favorite sandwich includes lettuce, tomato, fresh spinach, sweet peppers, pickles, olives and avocado. 

CHICKPEA.  Chickpea is a Middle Eastern chain that does a lot of pre-made sandwiches and has a yogurt bar.  They do have vegan choices like dilled tofu dumplings and udon noodles in little plastic containers, but being pre-packaged you don't know what you're getting until you try it.  None of it looked super-appetizing, though, and I skipped out of there without sampling anything. What looked really good at Chickpea were the fresh fruits you could get put into yogurt; if you're vegetarian, that might be an option for you.  Had I been less hungry and pressed for time, I might have tried a few things. 

PENN SUSHI.  I know, Penn Station is the last place one would think 'sushi'.  Personally, I can't stand sushi.  It's the seaweed thing; I can't eat something that tastes and smells like low tide.  My husband loves it, though, and we peeked in to see what they had.  Penn Sushi had California and cucumber rolls as well as edamame and fruit cups, so lots of choices for the vegan there.  Everything was fresh-made that day and looked pretty good.

ZARO'S BAKERY.  I wanted to like Zaro's.  They did have a California Wrap that was loaded with interesting veggies but unfortunately had ranch dressing on it.  When I asked if I could have one made fresh without that due to dietary restrictions, they said no.  They did suggest a salad, but considering they have no seating that would be difficult to eat and also defeat my on-the-go concept.

In conclusion, I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to find ANYTHING to eat in Penn Station, though with an extra fifteen minutes I'd certainly have gone to street level and hit up Pret a Manger for a veggie sandwich or some soup.  There were far more vegetarian options than vegan, to be sure, but the choices were there.  Ten years ago I don't think that would have been the case, not at all.  So here's to veg becoming more mainstream, and hopefully more delicious!

We're back - and still vegan!

I had a fabulous holiday season with my beautiful daughter and wonderful family, and managed to stay on my diet (though I did have a cookie or two) and I still feel really good.  I'm going to post a few new recipes I've tried over the hols that were just delicious.


Quick Banana Breakfast To Go

Serves: 2
Preparation Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2 bananas, sliced
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup pomegranate juice
1-2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon raw sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons dried currants

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a small microwave-proof bowl. Heat in the microwave for 3 minutes.

NOTE: For on the go, combine all ingredients in a resealable container and eat later, either hot or cold.

I halved this recipe and still could not finish it all.  Note that mostly, it's fruit, with a little grain and protein thrown in to keep you going.  


DIJON DATE DRESSING/DIP

1 cup water
2/3 cup raw cashews
4 T. Balsamic vinegar
2 T.  Mrs. Dash (table blend)
2 T. Dijon Mustard
6 pitted dates
1 clove garlic, minced

Blend everthing til creamy.


This dressing is by far one of the best salad dressings I have ever had.  My husband found it spicy so I might cut down on the Mrs. Dash in the future.  Also, you could play around with how much water you add to make it more of a 'dip' consistency for fresh veggies.



~~~~~~

A new product I found in the supermarket this week that I love:  Wholly Guacamole 100 calorie packs.   this gives you roughly two huge teaspoons of guac in an easy to open package.  I smeared it on some of my bean enchiladas and even on a veggie sub.  It was delicious and convenient, and I will probably pack some in my lunch for work.

A friend of mine over at http://www.nutmegsseven.co.uk/ inquired about food resolutions for the upcoming year.  Although ours are very different, I enjoyed reading about the different ways people think about, and enjoy, food.  Of course, for me, I hope to expand my vegan cooking repertoire and experiment with foods I am unaccustomed to, to get to the gym as often as possible, and to push myself as I restart my career after several years of being a mommy and recuperating from chronic illness.

What are yours?

Day 22 - Best Kitchen Tools and My First Party.

Today I am going to sing the praises of one of my favorite new kitchen tools, the Progressive International GPC-4000 Fruit and Vegetable Chopper.  This item lets you dice, slice, and chop fruits, veggies, and nuts super fast and easy.  At $29, it's not an investment either.  I just diced 6 cups of tomatoes in about five minutes.  Considering the sheer volume of produce I go through in a week, this will be a huge time saver, especially I as begin my new job (which is afternoons and evenings, mainly.)  I love this thing - Merry Christmas to me!

Tonight we are going to a spur-of-the-moment Christmas party, where appetizers will be served.  I am bringing a bruschetta with a balsamic vinegar reduction drizzle to the party, guaranteeing there will be something vegan there to eat (and hopefully something everyone will enjoy!)


Chopped tomatoes
Minced clove garlic (I did about 2 small)
Fresh basil leaves (to taste - I adore fresh basil)
A little salt

Chop all that up and set it into a fine-meshed strainer to drain over the sink.  Do NOT refrigerate the tomatoes - they will lose their tomato-ey flavor! Then reduce one cup balsamic vinegar down to about a 1/4 cup (or to taste.)  It will become thick and syrupy.  Set aside.

Toast bread (we chose a french baguette) and drizzle with a really good organic extra-virgin olive oil, if desired.  Assemble the bruschetta just before serving, drizzling with the reduction.  Enjoy!

Day 20/21 Reflections on habits, and the long-term

Alphabet Juice has a new look!  I am quite pleased with it and I hope you enjoy it as well.

The great essayist, polemicist, and all-around genius rapscallion Christopher Hitchens died yesterday of esophageal cancer, stage VI.  I have always been a fan of Hitchens' writings, even when I did not agree with him, and I admired his brave and unscathing pieces about everything from the fatwa on Rushdie to the inner workings of the Beltway.  A bright light has gone out, and we are all poorer for the loss.

But what does this have to do with this blog, and eating?  In a way, everything.  Hitchens, as he said himself, "burnt the candle at both ends, and it made a very lovely light."  There is no doubt that his light was, indeed, lovely.  But the lifestyle he lived made me reflect on the hard drinking, smoking, and partying Hitchens did that no doubt trimmed his candle's wick and shortened his life severely. 

So often in life, we are touched by a loss, a death, the suffering of someone else brought close enough to us that we examine our own lives and vow to make changes that may help us avoid the same fate.  Some of us are touched with chronic illnesses of our own, and again, we swear we will do things differently.  But our memories as humans are short, and we quickly forget about the past, and even the future, instead living in the few days that make up our workweek, or our weekend, forgetting all about the long-term goals in favor of the now.  It is so easy to say, "I'll change tomorrow,"  forgetting that all those tomorrows add up in the long run and make true change more difficult.

Today marks three weeks for me.  Three weeks of total vegetarianism.  They say it takes three weeks to make a habit, but I think it takes more, much more.  Every day I recommit.  Every day I remind myself of how far I have come, and how much further I have to go.  Is it a challenge?  Oh yes, definitely.  Everywhere we look, our culture inundates us with messages about "deserving a break today" and "treating yourself" by making the very things I am trying to avoid seem mainstream and therefore easier, better.  Are they easier?  Definitely.  But are they better?  No, never.  Every day, I remind myself that treats are for real events, like birthdays and holidays (not 'holiday months,' which is what October, November, and December have become.)  Will I indulge on those special days?  I will, yes...but I will choose carefully how I do that.  I just can't live blind anymore, and I wouldn't want to.  I guess that is what the real three week habit is...a change in thought, in consciousness about what I put into my body three times a day.

It takes a complete shift in thinking to enact real change in one's life, be it to give something up (like smoking or drinking), or begin something anew, like diet and exercise.  Hitchens said at the end of his life that he couldn't have imagined his life without that second bottle at that party over that conversation.  That was his habit, and his choice, and he never flinched from the fact that he paid for those choices. 

This is my choice, and like some of Hitchens' ideas, it will not be popular with a lot of people, but like Hitchens, I don't particularly care.  I do hope what I write affects people to at least think, and perhaps make small changes that will greatly benefit them, because in the end, as Hitchens said:

“What do you most value in your friends? Their continued existence.”

Day 19 - But what about the outside?

Today, I did not have to cook.  I have a house full of soups, chilis, fruits and veggies.  It was a relaxing day of enjoying leftovers, going to the gym, and fussing about the house.

This morning, I was talking to my sister about food, and how we have changed our eating, and she brought up something I hadn't thought about yet:  what about the outside?  What about our biggest organ, our skin.

She referred me to a website, http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ which is a cosmetics/body care/beauty product website that tells you in no uncertain terms what is in the products you rub onto your skin every day, often after a hot shower, when your pores are open. 

From their website:


EWG's Skin Deep is an online safety guide for cosmetics and personal care products, launched in 2004 to help people find safer products, with fewer ingredients that are hazardous or that haven't been thoroughly tested. Skin Deep combines product ingredient lists with information in more than 50 standard toxicity and regulatory databases. The database provides easy-to-navigate safety ratings for tens of thousands of personal care products.

Needless to say, I'll be slowly making some changes in the products my family uses.  Go poke around on their website, look for your favorite products, and see how they scored!