COMMENTARY | To say I am a fan is an understatement. I am a devout foodie who is a religious subscriber to her magazine. I cook Paula Deen’s recipes five to seven times a week. What I love about Paula is I can always count on her expertise to provide me with not just a warm meal for my family, but one that is gourmet and delicious. I can read her recipe, make it, and take it to a family gathering without even tasting it. The “proof is in the puddin’”, as they say. When I needed a recipe for Santa cookies, I made Paula’s “Double Chocolate Chip Christmas Cookies.”
Paula Deen is being roasted by fans complaining she is a “hypocrite” for sharing her appetizing, high carbohydrate, sugary meals even though she has known she has diabetes. People love Paula Deen for the food she cooks and the Southern hospitality she exudes. She shouldn’t have to change the way she and people in the South have cooked for hundreds of years. She has given me many recipes that have become family staples: “Pumpkin Gooey Butter bars” for Thanksgiving, “Paula’s recipe for “Deviled Eggs,” and her “Garden Full of Goodness Lasagna,” which is so yummy, you can’t even taste that there is no meat in it.
When I read that Paula has Type 2 diabetes, I wasn’t upset that she was “hiding her diabetes” as Jo Piazza reports, I was saddened that she had a health issue. I called my father-in-law, Normand Millette, who also has Type 2 diabetes and who also is a big fan. Normand has had Type 2 diabetes for more than 18 years. He quit smoking when he was 45 and gained 54 pounds quickly. When his doctor told him he had diabetes, for seven years he didn’t take care to maintain it except for his insulin shots. In his fifties, he was tired of the shots and took control by exercising and losing 30 pounds. He also cut back on his carbohydrates. Now, he takes diabetic pills twice daily; if he has oatmeal for breakfast, he’ll have a salad without bread for lunch. If he is having pasta for supper, he told me he won’t eat any other carbs all day.
I asked Normand if he was still a fan of Paula Deen. “Are you kidding?” he said, “I’m watching her show right now.” The fact that she is now a representative for Novo Nordisk is great! As a big celebrity, she can draw attention to the issues that affect people with Type 2 diabetes. She has already talked about how she “cut out sweet tea from her diet.” This has already influenced me, I got to thinking about my three cups of coffee in the morning and how I might want to cut back to at least two definitely. Since talking with Normand, my advice for Paula would be hit the gym, cut back on carbs, and most importantly, don’t cook and write — my pork chops just caught on fire!