Let's Give Paula Deen A Break...Diabetes Or Not

Southern cooking guru Paula Deen has been diagnosed with diabetes. I heard it first on the Today show this morning. CNN, MSNBC, Headline News and the ABC Evening News have all reported on Paula Deen and her new diagnoses of diabetes today. And the anchors just couldn't contain their glee. I guess the size two t.v. people who don't eat are happy to see that Paula Deen is "finally gettin' her due," a phrase we use down here. (The phrase basically means karma's catching up with you.)

Now, we may use a little too much butter in our cooking, but we would never celebrate someone else's bad luck down here. (Well, perhaps with the exception of Osama bin Laden.) Anyway, the Today Show highlighted footage of Paula Deen serving a hamburger between to hot, glazed (and buttered) doughnuts. Fans know that this particular recipe was not meant to be a meal. And, if you've watched Paula Deen lately, you've seen her son presenting some low-carb and healthier versions of southern standards.

As one out of every three Americans know, diabetes is a life-changing disease. Diet does play a big part and I am sure Paula Deen will make the needed adjustments. How do I know this? Because of the obvious love she shows for her family. She's not going to want to leave the early. I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't use the Paula Deen brand - cooking shows, magazines, et al – to education Americans on how to cook and eat as a diabetic. But I'll also bed that every few shows, she'll throw in the signature Paula Deen chicken & dumplins or fried catfish every week or so. Low-carb, low-cal and low-fat can get boring. If you're going to be on a diet for a lifetime, you better mix it up. That means everything, including butter, in moderation.

For American women, Paula Deen is more than a cooking guru. She found herself broke and almost homeless with two young sons to raise. She wasn't exactly middle-aged, but she some would have considered her past her prime. Did she throw a pity party and give up? Did she decide that welfare was the best she could do? (Not that there's anything wrong with that if you need it) Paula Deen took stock of her best skills and put them to use with a modest business plan that was funded day-to-day. Deen didn't set out to be the queen of southern cuisine. America fell in love with her and we chose to give her that title.

So, if all of the size 2 television anchors want to rejoice at Paula's bad fortune tonight - go ahead. Your celebration will be short--lived. Paula Deen is going to come out on top.

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