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.
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?
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