Paula Dean - Do You Agree with the Criticism?

I think the concern/annoyance comes in not because she cooks in a very unhealthy manner, but that she hid her disease and then came clean about it after signing a promotional deal w/ a drug maker that makes diabetes medication. In fact, her publicist quit over the whole thing because even she thought it was shady.

Added: I couldn't care less about how other people besides my family eat. But I do think that Paula has really missed a teachable moment in all of this. Because you can't keep eating in such a manner and NOT contract diabetes.

She never marketed her show as healthy. This again comes down to personal responsibility. She didn't have to come forward with her diabetes but the big pharma contract kind of made that have to happen.

I think it is up to me to determine what is healthy for me & my family.

To Jim At Home Dad: Money is not the root to evil. The LOVE of money is the root to all evil.

Added: Nope Jim :) There is a big difference in the small statement is all :)

Personally, I think anyone old enough to watch a cooking show probably is mature enough to realize that eating a stick of butter isn't a good idea.

To those of you critical of Paula Dean for not publicing her diabetes.

Do you share your health problems with evenyone around you?
Do you tell potential employers you have a health problem that could drive their insurance rates through the roof?

I bet not! Someone's health is their business only to be shared on an as needs to know basis. What is good for the goose is good for the gander!

I will admit I "giggled" when I heard she had Diabetes - kind of like "no sh#$" I wasn't suprised.

My husband LOVES her show and would cook like her if he could - but he is also wise enough to know he/we can not eat that way everyday. I agree with OneandDone - Any adult "mature enough to realize that eating a stick of butter isn't a good idea".

I have never seen an episode of Paul Dean where she says "eat this way all the time." Really? I love butter. Do I eat it every day? Of course not. If I did then yes, I would be asking for trouble medically. You go to a restaurant and order something rich and yummy every once in awhile. It's not a lifestyle unless you choose for it to be one, so to criticize her over recipes is silly. That's like blaming McDonald's for America's obesity problem. Paula Dean is not responsible for what I put in my mouth, I am. People are just always looking for someone to blame or point their finger at. Gotta go, there's a stick of butter in the fridge with my name on it. Hahahahahahaha

My opinion is, Paula Dean has a right to cook and eat whatever she wants, She makes the choices for her body. Having Diabetes does not automatically mandate that she has to be a role model for good health and does not mean that she cannot teach others to cook unhealthy meals.

However, if she is going to represent a company that sells diabetic medication it becomes her responsibility to advocate better eating and healthier recipes. She is sending the message that if you take this medication for your diabetes then it is o.k to eat my fat ladden food. Diabetic medication work in conjunction with a healthy diet. I am surprised the pharmaceutical company would even want her as a representative. I would think that they would want a representative that presents with better health habits.

I do not agree with all the backlash AT ALL!

She does NOT MAKE anyone eat anything, sheesh! If you are not smart enough to realize that eating un-healthy ALL THE TIME is not a good idea, then that is on you, not her!

I have seen her show a few times and she does preach 'moderation' and 'splurging every once in awhile'...always has!

I think this is the perfect example of "making your bed and laying in it".

I'm not a Paula Dean fan but what does her personal medical history have to do with her Food Network show? People need to get over it... she was never obligated to divulge that information. How about being responsible for our own diets? If anyone honestly believes that they can eat the kind of food she cooks EVERY day, then that's not on Paula Dean.

it concerns me that she continued in her ways....even after knowing she had diabetes. The whole "moderation" mantra is bogus, & now the truth comes out.....after the pharmaceutical contract, the new show/recipes with her family, etc.

The timing makes me very cynical, & I haven't been a fan of hers - since I read a magazine article disclosing "how" much phony is in her daily look....the fake hair, the fake makeup, & all! To me, that's not real life.

We all have the right to make our own choices. Anyone who doesn't agree with her style of cooking doesn't have to watch or use her recipes. There is enough info out there about healthy eating that criticizing her style is ridiculous. People have the info and are free to choose.

I think that she does a good job of showing how to cook southern/comfort food. She doesn't claim they are healthy but rather tasty. She isn't making anyone cook them or even eat them. You can also alter the recipe to make it healthier.

I don't care what she herself eats.

I love Paula Deen and I love her recipes! I only eat that stuff every once in a blue moon, but I sure do enjoy myself when I do. I wish only the best for her.

I love Paula Dean! I prepare her Baked French toast casserole every Christmas Day. Its yummy! Do I use her recipes every day? Ah NO! She cooks like my grandmother cooked and she lived to be 84 years old. So, the backlash is silly and I just don't care. Paula ROCKS!!

Yes media has gone overboard
Moderation duh!!!!!! You know what you put in your body is your business!!
If she wants to change she will!!!

Well, Americans generally don't get it, but there is WAAAAY more to food culture then 'what's good for you or not' and 'what's affordable or not'.

It IS possible to enjoy life without obsessing about how LONG it is.

We all make our own choices. I think she's fabulous (of course I also think Ellie Krieger with just the opposite kind of cooking is fabulous).

:)

She NEVER modeled herself as a "eat how I do" role model. Why the heck do people think she should be a role model now? That cheeseburger could have been her fist one in months, or she could have had one the day before. WHO CARES. She never said she was healthy, and frankly...she can shove her face with whatever she wants. She's not forcibly shoving it in my face, because I'm an adult. I make my own food choices!!

I think a bigger issue missed is why isn't anyone discussing the company who is offering her the deal. They are pushing their meds and want people to believe that you can still eat what you want (take no responsibility) because we have the magic pill that will help you. How about all those health experts coming out and suggesting that wait... people you don't have to take a pill for Diabetes "2" which in most cases, depending how far gone you are with it, you can turn your health around by making better food choices and of course, exercise, exercise.. forget about Paula Dean.. let's focus on the drug companies who profit off of the Paul Deans of the world.. moreover,people take responsibility for your own health. just because Paula makes it doesn't mean you should eat it.. remember, all those folks on t.v. are "personalities"........... before they are chefs.. at least in my opinion.. well less.. Rick Bayless for whom I love,,, now that is a true chef!!!

For me it's the waiting three years while still profiting by promoting a very unhealthy lifestyle. Then only telling the world as soon as she secured a way to make money off the illness.
What really gets me is I bet she changed her diet years ago when she found out but kept laughing of healthy eating in the name of making money. I wonder how many other people who listen to her now have diabetes who might have avoided it if she had discussed this earlier. Guess she has to live with that!

I don't think people ought to "go after her" at all. She's offering a style of cooking many people prefer, and that's perfectly fine in CLOSE moderation. I mean, who doesn't what fried chicken? It's just not a weekly meal.

I think as adults we're all responsible for our own health and any nut job that wants to blame their obesity, etc, on Paula Dean is just that...a nut job. If you can't handle her food? Don't eat it!

I was shocked at her ingredients when I watched her cook, not knowing about her diabetes. I'm REALLY shocked now.

I agree with the criticism. But she is all about making money and that's where HER heart is. I hope she eats more healthy food consistently than she cooks.

Dawn

Honestly, I would have been shocked if she didn't have diabetes. Not sure what the uproar is about. She's very overweight and cooks lots of fried food...go figure. I'll be surprised if she doesn't have heart disease too.

Most people like me, who love many of her recipes and grew up eating many of them, understand that you cook those things for special occasions, potlucks, etc. You can't eat that way every day and stay healthy unless you're doing hard manual labor (this is how people used to stay thin, non-diabetic, etc. -they ate like this but worked HARD all day long). You can also cut an enormous amount of fat and calories out of her recipes and most others by substituting lighter ingredients, lessening some ingredients, etc.

YOU are responsible for what you watch and what you eat. No one else is! I'm certainly not surprised she has diabetes, but it's really none of my business. If you're so stupid that you think you can eat the way she cooks every day with no repercussions -well, stupidity should be painful, and it often is!

I think what should be focused on considering Paula Deen is that she came from NOTHING, had nothing, raised two boys on nothing and worked very hard to get where she is -so good for her!

I'm with LeeLee. I'm not surprised she has diabetes. I didn't care for her recipes because it's not my style of cooking but if you like it, fine. I had no opinion of her until now. I think she hid her diabetes because she knew it would hurt her show. So, she kept it secret until she found another way to make big bucks. I dislike her now because she's helping a drug company advertising drugs for diabetes. The solution to the diabetes epidemic is to educate people about healthy lifestyle choices. Drugs don't cure diabetes, it just allow you to continue breathing longer. I've seen people with diabetes and on drugs and people with diabetes who control the disease with diet and exercise. BIG difference in their quality of life.

I wouldn't criticize her. I imagine it's very difficult to be her shoes right now. Few people can internalize a diagnosis like this and evolve into the person they need to be overnight. She may become a good roll model yet. One that people going through the same thing might actually be able to relate to.

I don't like her because she pushes an unhealthy diet and obese people like my brother and sister-in-law idolize her. They see her now not taking her diet seriously and it just reaffirms to them that it's ok not to eat properly to manage their diabetes, too. I wish that wasn't the case, but it is. In my case, it's a personal dislike of her recipes because of what they've helped to do to my brother.

Money is the root of all evil.

Eagles; Splitting hairs are we....?

The only thing I know about Paula Deen are these two things...

I volunteered for Make-A-Wish and one of our kids wishes was to meet Paula Deen. We tried for over a year trying to make that happen. Paula never had time...schedule wouldn't permit...blah, blah, blah.

Miraculously, when the media got ahold of this information and started to publish it, Paula had TIME to visit this kid...even filmed it. Of course, she was all over the kid...but those who volunteered for Make-A-Wish knew differently.

The other thing I noticed is if you go back and watch her early day stuff, you will notice a huge difference in her "southern drawl"...not nearly as heavy in the beginning. It's all for publicity. Personally, I can't stomach her.

Simply a different perspective about Paula.

I adore her! Im from the south and I remember my great grandma saying, down here we can make any vegetable bad for you! She cooks what she cooks and if you don't like it don't eat and shut up! Im glad she's got it under control and is getting healthy! Love her to peices.

OK I have to respond and support the pharma company that she has the contract with. I am a former 12 year employee of theirs. And I just need to let you know that they approached her to modify some of her recipes so that people with diabetes can enjoy them too, and to come up with some diabetic recipes---prior to knowing she even had diabetes as she had kept that information private. It was because of that meetup that she mentioned she has diabetes and then announced it publically. Then the deal with the meds came about.
This pharma company is very health conscience and promotes a healthly lifestyle. They hold weight watchers meetings, have a fitness room in their building and offer a discount to a local fitness center, plus many many other healthy benefits. Please do not criticize companies that you know nothing about.
Without the diabetic meds that the company makes and other companies make, many people would die from type 2 diabetes and its complications. Also, some people with type 2 diabetes do not take care of themselves and just think that they can take the meds to control their blood sugars and do not excercise or eat healthy. How is it the pharma company's fault that people do not take care of themselves.
People need to take care of, and be responsible for themselves and their actions and not blame anyone else. No one forces the food you eat into your mouths, you do it all by yourself. No one stops you from exercising, and most people have the ability to walk. Walking is great exercise.
Also, this is not about type 1 diabetes, that is a different disease. Do not confuse the two.
This is my vent for today, but probably not my last.

I like some of Paula Deen's recipes. Of course, no one should eat the way she cooks all the time. I'm certainly not making her praline topped baked french toast every morning, or even every weekend.

That said, my problem with this revelation is that she hid it for 3 years and only came out of the proverbial closet in order to announce her partnership with a pharma company for a new diabetes drug, for which she was now the spokesperson. Had she told the public when she was diagnosed and said "hey friends, this is me. I love my food and you should too. But, remember, you can't eat like this every day or you'll get type 2 diabetes, like me" then I think she would have avoided the backlash.

The way it all came down just makes her look like a fraud.

My oldest daughter and i briefly met her. I ran after and yelled her name. Not something i would normally do. She was so kind to us. She took us behind a curtain area, took a picture with us and signed my daughters autograph book.

I think the media is too hard on her. I have high BP, i dont eat like i should. It is my business, no one elses. I am sorry for her.

I agree with *SamIAm!, no sh-t Paula Dean has diabetes. It's not Paula's responsibility to make healthy recipes and have healthy viewers. She never had a show titled "My Healthy Cooking". I love her Green Bean Casserole with all of the fat in it but that is why I make it 1x a year and eat such a small portion. Good luck to Paula, maybe she will change her recipes and start living healthier... but maybe the food won't taste as good.

I love her and her boys. I'm also from the south. She makes things I grew up with and I am surprised about the diabetes she's not obese. She may be a bit over weight but it's not that bad.
I have 2 of her cookbooks and the recipes that involves a lot of butter 1/2 to a stick of butter , which a stick is 1/2 a cup, are ones that involve sauteing something in it or a crust of some sort. I love her food. I never follow all recipes the way they are written, but then my kitchen is my lab. I am always tweeking things.

She is a cook on t.v., not our doctor. Poor woman and her medical issues needs to be left alone. NEVER TRUST A SKINNY COOK

Nobody cared that Dr. Atkins and his crappy diet killed him and will do its toll on the rest of the world. It would be like Dr oz doing a mcdonalds commercial.

Our doctors should be looking out for us, not our chefs.

Charlotte Z said it best. Lose the fake accent. I am a Texan born and bred and most folk with that thick of an accent do not make it out of the Southern ghettos or trailer parks.

She cooks southern style food on her shows. No one forces us to make or eat them. We don't know her. She is paid to cook her southern recipes on tv. We don't know what she is choosing to eat in her personal life, and honestly it is not our business whether she follows her doctor's advice or not. I think that people are not separating the tv persona/career from the woman. We each choose how to eat. I don't care what she does in her own life, that's not my business.

Yes, I do. Measures to protect ourselves against type 2 diabetes are no secret and yet people just don't take care of themselves. Especially in her endorsement of this medication, she is sending a strong message: "If you're interested in trashing your body with your diet and don't want to be bothered to take care of yourself, at least you have a drug you can take (complete with nasty side effects that can wreak havoc on other aspects of your health and wellness) that will deceive you into thinking it's all ok."

That said, in many ways this is still a free country. It's her body and her decisions are her choice. It just makes me sad that they will influence others.