-
Recent Posts
Categories
Archives
- March 2016
- February 2016
- December 2015
- May 2013
- March 2013
- December 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- June 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- December 2009
- October 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
Tags
- 2015
- 4 hour body
- amazon
- analysis
- animal communication
- Anne McCaffrey
- Aslan
- blogs
- Blue
- body fat
- book reviews
- books
- challenge
- Charlie
- classes
- clicker training
- diet
- dogs
- Doubting River
- editing
- farm
- fat loss
- field
- fitness
- general news
- genre conventions
- Guin
- Guinevere
- Harvey
- Heidi
- horses
- ideas
- insulin
- intention
- jack kruse
- job
- jury duty
- leptin reset
- Leslie Peeples
- low carb
- monthly challenge
- monthly results
- NaNoWriMo
- New Orleans
- new year's resolutions
- novels
- obesity
- Paleo
- paula deen
- Pax
- Pflouff
- plotters guide
- Primal
- Princess
- publishing
- Rain
- Rainbow Bridge
- reinventing-melissa
- remodel
- River
- Rowan
- screenwriting
- Slow Carb
- social media
- story elements
- T-Mobile
- tarot
- training
- travel
- weight
- work
- writing
- writing projects
- year in review
- year-long challenge
Tag Archives: paula deen
Paula Deen
Interesting article here in the Huffington Post about Paula Deen:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristin-wartman/paula-deen-diabetes_b_1220459.html
As you’ve probably heard, Paula Deen recently admitted that she has been diabetic for three years. Her announcement came at the same time that she became a paid spokesperson for a diabetes medication. Since that time, crap has been raining down upon her.
I disagree with most of the criticisms being leveled against her.
First, I couldn’t care less that she waited three years to “admit” to the world that she has diabetes. Celebrity or not, chef or not, it’s none of our business. Can anyone look at her and at the food she cooks and be SURPRISED that she’s diabetic?
Second, I don’t happen to personally like diabetes management drugs and won’t take one myself, but I don’t begrudge her for either taking one or becoming a spokesperson. LOTS of people take similar drugs — Metformin, anyone? — and believe, in their hearts, that they HAVE to take the drug to avoid (or slow) the progression of the disease. Since the media isn’t coming down on them, I guess it’s just that she dares to make a living as a celebrity by being a paid spokesperson for a product she believes in. Well, get over it. That’s neither a crime nor a moral failing.
Third, Paula Deen’s food isn’t healthy and has never been healthy, and no one, including Paula Deen has ever claimed it to be so. Is there ANYONE out there who thinks her concoctions are health food?
Paula filled a niche. She is personable and fun, and she makes food that some people enjoy. This is not a crime. She has ZERO responsibility to provide only healthy products or to coach people on how to eat well. Her job is to provide recipes of the type that her audience WANTS, and she does that well.
The article claims that in “real home cooking,” the chefs would make everything from scratch — that Paula Deen’s failure is in using processed food. Um, I’m from the South, and I can assure you that even my grandmother stopped making most things from scratch except for special occasions by, oh, 1975. Get real.
Fourth, Paula Deen bears no responsibility for anyone’s health except her own. Period. She does not need to change her style and offer healthy, non-diabetic recipes. There are other chefs who do that. Her only responsibility is to herself and the people who pay her — people who want the unhealthy stuff because that is what people are BUYING.
Fifth, just because Paula Deen promotes a certain style of cooking and certain recipes doesn’t mean she eats that way all the time. Get serious, people. If she ate like that all the time she would be 500 pounds.
Sixth and finally, Paula Deen is not an authority figure. She is not a role model. Children are not looking up to her and thinking, “If I make all these recipes, I can be just like her!” She’s a celebrity chef who provides a product that people want. She didn’t MAKE them want it, and she is not responsible for their eating habits in any way.
She does not need to educate people on healthy cooking or eating. They need to do that themselves. If people think that eating a breakfast sandwich between two donuts is healthy, then, well, they have bigger problems than Paula Deen.
I like Paula Deen. I’d love to meet and chat with her. I’d love to spend an afternoon in the kitchen with her (on my cheat day, of course). I hope she discovers Paleo and makes a huge turnaround in her health. But I also hope that she sticks with her current brand unless she herself wants to change.