Queen of Butter, Paula Deen, Reveals Diabetes Diagnosis

Paula Deen has been living with a now public secret; she has Diabetes II.  According to various reports, the Queen of Southern Fatty Foods was diagnosed and is now taking medication to control her diabetes.  Food Network star, Paula Deen, is sure to face this diabetes challenge the way she has faced many others in her life.

 

Paula Deen, 64, has joined the over 8 percent of Americans who suffer with diabetes.  The Queen of Southern Cuisine has built her professional cooking career on down home cooking, which often times included deep fried this and that and rich desserts loaded with buttery goodness.  Everything Paula Deen cooks looks like the ultimate comfort food, but, the drawback is, very few of the dishes promoted healthy eating.

However, to be fair to Paula Deen, the Food Network star, watchers and followers should always use their own discretion when cooking her dishes or anyone elses.  I totally enjoy watching her, but, I know, because of diabetes and related conditions, to avoid using a stick of butter in just about every other thing that I cook.  In fact, a stick of butter would last an awful long time in my home.  My blood pressure rises just watching her cooking shows, therefore, I keep the deep fryer sitting on the bottom shelf, instead, I bake everything.  I still get a lump in my throat when I think about her cooking a big dish of lasagna, then, making a huge sandwich with it.

Knowing that Paula Deen has diabetes II should pose as a wake up call to us all.  Yes, it's back to checking myself; do I really need that salt? Is that too much butter?  Time to cut down on the pizza and add more vegetables.  And, it's probably time to get up and be more active.  I am sure that Paula Deen, like many Americans with diabetes, is thinking of ways to adjust her lifestyle to continue to live a good life, despite the disease.

The question is, how will this effect her cooking career and how she portrays herself?  It wouldn't bother me one bit to see a healthier cooking Paula Deen; reducing the butter, putting away the deep fryer, and preparing desserts that have less calories and fluff.  And it doesn't seem that the diabete II diagnosis has hindered her saleability, since a pharmaceutical company, Novartis, has signed her on as spokeswoman to promote the drug that she is taking.  Well, there's a jump, from  promoting honey-baked hams to pushing drugs, I mean, promoting.

Paula Deen's diet may not have been the sole contributor to her developing diabetes.  There are other factors that could have played a role, like weight, age, stress, smoking, and virus infection.  Read more about the causes of diabetes here.  Whatever brought about Paula Deen's diabetes, her fans will continue to rally around her and hope that she faces this challenge the way she has so many others in her life, with that brilliant smile and cheerful southern attitude.  You may, also, enjoy reading - Anthony Bourdain Slings Food at the Head of Paula Deen