I read an interesting article in the NY Times the other day that mentioned the dirty secret of high end gourmet restaurants is all the butter and salt they put in their dishes. The writer suggested that it is snobbish and elitist for foodies to criticize Paula's food for being unhealthy and in the next breath praise gourmet dishes that have similar calorie and fat content.

I am shocked to hear the news about Charla Krupp. How very sad!

Uh, yeah, isn't that the truth about the ED pills? I want to see George Clooney in one of those ads! Like you said, you couldn't pay enough!

It's okay if Sally Field has decaying bones & Jamie Lee Curtis has poor, I don't know, is it digestion (Activia)? But this would be the new frontier. LOL! Very keen observation, Hhireno.

Bob Dole was a spokesman for an ED pill.

Wow, I didn't recognize the name but I read and appreciated Charla's book on how not to look old. It gave some really useful pointers. How sad to hear of her death.

And I agree that restaurant food in general is packed sky high with salt, fat, butter etc...Anthony Bourdain himself made that point in Kitchen Confidential!

Ann

Here's a thought. So Paula came down with diabetes 3 years ago, according to her. And now she'll be "advertising" a drug to help others.

WELL....if that drug has been helping her sooo much that she just has to advertise it, then why hasn't she told viewers she has her diabetes under control? She's been on a talkfest ever since with nary a word about this.

Something's fishy.

Well, aren't we all over the map with this discussion? Don't know whether to laugh or cry. Usually, when in doubt, I eat something...wonder what Paula would recommend.

Stinky,
hee, hee, hee...She'd probably recommend something deep fried with extra butter and salt. You can just pretend you're at a gourmet restaurant and slather it on.

graywings,
Aah, I didn't know that Bob Dole had been a spokesman for that. Maybe it's a product that doesn't need that much of a push from a celebrity (no offense to Mr. Dole)? They do advertise heavily during golf tournaments but usually with attractively non-threatening, generic couples in their late 50's. My DH watches golf and when I'm in the room I notice the ads (and usually make fun of them).

oakleyok,
I haven't seen her on any of the shows to hear her story, but maybe she just started on the drug? Or it is keeping her condition from exacerbating?

There is no denying that some celebrities are role models to some people. The celeb may not want to be, but they are. It's just the way it is.

That said, I do not think that means the celeb has to take that into account in the way they live their life. That's completely up to them. And, it's up the person that considers them a role model to decide if what they are doing is worthy of role model-ness. Not a word, I'm sure, but I think you know what I mean :-)

If Paula Deen sees an opportunity to make a dollar from her condition, she can do that. As long as it's not illegal, of course. Not sure why we care. It always bugs me when people try to tell others how to live their life.

Of course, it would be nice if she would make some lifestyle changes too so that perhaps those that consider her a role model might consider that as well. But, she is under no obligation to do that. Her life.

The only time I feel differently about the role model thing and the person doing the "right" thing is when it comes to sports' role models because it's kids that are looking up to them. I'm not sure I even have a right to feel this way about them since one can make the same argument about it being their life. But, when the person looking up to them and emulating them is a child, I think it's different because they are not always capable of seeing the big picture. Having a son that plays sports seriously, it's an issue for me. And, yes, of course DH and I are or should be his role model and we do everything in our power to do that. We constantly explain why drugs are bad for your body and should not be taken even if they enhance your ability to hit a baseball far in the short run. We hope he is still listening when he gets to high school, but some things are out of our control.

Rant over :-)

But aren't healthier people and consciencious people who control their systemic diseases to the best of their ability through proper lifestyle and proper use of their medication Subsidizing the healthcare costs of people who Choose Freely to Not adapt to the changes that would keep their diseases under control?

Simply taking more meds for NIDDM or more insulin for IDDM (just for example) because you don't follow proper dietary restrictions does Not eliminate the sequelae of diabetes that is not well controlled (the negative effects of glycolization end products)

If she just started the drug and she is not in the normal range, then she had best not tell me to use it. This is a serious med, not fluff like mascara.

Of course the meds may be working but I find it odd while defending herself she never said her numbers are good.

Like I said, she was asked numerous times about the money factor and she kept changing the subject. She should have said it's a great med that worked for her and that's why she is their spokesperson. She needs to fire her publicist. lol

Hey Ya'll!

Stinky your a wonderful writer, and I love to read your comments.

Paula's laugh can send a chill up my spine. My cousin was just saying "I hope they don't think all southern women are like that". Meaning silly, I suppose.

I don't have a comment about her diabetes or her pill. Although, all that butter and wooie gooie cakes were bound to get her, I guess.

Wonder why her baby boys don't tell her to take off those big diamond rings she cooks with?

Just to be fair, I have eaten at her restaurant and loved her mac and cheese. Also, her "Hey Ya'll" apron hangs in my kitchen, so there.

....Jane

I love watching her cook her unhealthy dishes, but I never make any of them. I think I did try her pecan pie muffins one time. They were normal muffins, nothing off the wall.

As I watch her I think to myself, she's one meal away from a heart attack. I wasn't surprised to hear about the diabetes but was hoping to hear more of how she's trying to control it with diet and exercise (for her sake.)

If she wants to make money that's her business. I don't get personally invovled in what celebrities do with their lives or careers. I strictly watch their show, get from it what I want and when I turn off the TV, so goes any thought of what they may be doing other than that show. I'll still watch her and her son's new show. I can relate better to his recipe's.

I decided to look up her interview to see for myself what she had to say. If anyone's interested, here's the link:

Tish - I get what you are saying about increasing your daughter's insulin when she has the occasional treat. However, my friend does this daily, in order to not change her diet. This is against her doctor's orders. She does not have Type 1 - she has Type 2. She already has had some numbness in her feet and lately has been having trouble getting over infections. I'm not trying to put her down - there are several who are concerned for her health.

tina

Here is a link that might be useful: paula's interview

tina, thanks for posting the link, I hadn't seen it yet. I was pleasantly surprised and I didn't think she tried to dodge the question about if she has changed her eating. She answered it and she seemed to be honest, IMO.

I'm gonna go off-topic here just for a moment, because somebody brought the concept up!

I recall Bob Dole advertising Vi-ag-ra. (had to do the hyphens cuz GW doesn't like that word here.)
But even since then, TV and radio ads just cannot say the words! It's always "E.D."(and what's the other men's health issue they pair it with? I can't recall...)

OK, back to our regularly scheduled Paula Deen discussion!

I am surprised at how many do not understand the job of a celebrity is to make money. She found a drug company willing to pay her to sell their product. Selling is her JOB. It makes perfect sense she would jump on the chance. Once upon a time a "serious" actor/actress would not be caught dead hawking products. That is so old school. Today the watch word is get as much money from anybody that will sign you up!!
This is the world we live in and frankly what Paula Dean does or doesn't do couldn't affect me less. Why would you let it bother you?

Arcy, selling make-up is one thing, but since I'm a diabetic (with normal numbers, thanks to many factors), I don't want any famous person telling me to take a certain drug unless it worked for them a 100%.

That's the ONLY problem I'm having with her. Bottom line though, it will be up to our doctors, not Paula, on determining which meds we should take. lol.

For those who think they know all about diabetes who do not have the disease, it's a tricky illness. My dh came down with Type 2. He's slim, athletic, and the only sweets he ate were pies, which he'd have a slice of maybe 4 times a year. I could have cake in the house and he wouldn't touch it. He mostly ate meat and veggies, and his glucose levels have to be constantly monitored.

So everybody's different. We could all eat perfectly for a diabetic, and some will still have high numbers, no matter what we do.

I just want to know if the medicine Paula will be selling to the public is working for her.

If it's not (and she didn't say it was), then IMO, she did it for the money. Which is wrong because it is a serious medicine, not make-up.

The thing is that Paula does a lot of things that are inconsistent to good health (at least for many people) and for her to be a spokesman for a medication sends the message:

"take this med for your type-II diabetes and you can eat however you want"

NIDDM is primarily caused by an auto-immune destruction of cells in the pancreas that produce insulin or by a lack of response to insulin by other cells but it has at least been partly linked to obesity. Body fat is one of the reasons for the lack of response by cells to the insulin.

So having a spokesman who is technically borderline obese, who supposedly smokes, and cooks individual dishes that have the number of calories that some people are probably supposed to eat in an entire day sends a poor message from a company that is supposed to be promoting health.

The company wants to make money; Paula wants to make money. I don't blame Paula for making the money, but I think the company showed poor judgement.

She has a high celebrity trust index rating and this board is not really indicative of the masses either.
Now if the drug companies wanted to promote a healthier lifestyle, it would be different, but all they want is to sell pills.

She'll probably do well for them.

"I don't want any famous person telling me to take a certain drug unless it worked for them a 100%" I think the point made by several here is we should not be focusing on what the "famous person" says, but listening to our doctors/nutritionists, etc. Are the ads out? Has she been "telling" people to take the drug?

Oakley you're exactly right - diabetes is a difficult disease and different for everyone. My sister is a diabetes educator for a company that sells the insulin pumps (she's also a nurse). I have gone to some of her classes. I am particularly interested lately because our 81 year old dad was having high sugar numbers. Thankfully, since he cut out his mello-yellows, fruit juices and is following my sister's advice on his diet - he has lost 11 pounds and his numbers have stayed in the normal range. So far his doctor has not put him on any type meds, although he is closely monitoring him.

Oakley, you are able to eat things that amaze me and have your numbers go down. I think you've also mentioned you don't exercise, which is also very important in controlling diabetes. So count your lucky stars!!! Don't worry about Paula, just be thankful you are doing so well.

*RANDOMTHOUGHTSCROSSING*RANDOMTHOUGHTSCROSSING*

"Crazy people can be very talented & become quite successful in their chosen fields."

Steve Jobs comes to mind, most likely because I'm reading his bio ;-) It's "insanely great" BTW.

I just have to interject here and state that PD is really PD, Inc. She IS a business and should be run as such. No different than any other celebrity mentioned above, or many, many more who haven't. From a marketing stand point, this actually makes sense. But her mainstay should still be Southern Cooking, and Southern Cooking is done with tons o' butter, bacon grease, oil (pick your flavor), white flour and sugar. That's what makes it southern cooking.

What's the difference between PD and all those celeb cooks describing their faves and a brief description on how it's made on the "Best Thing I Ever Tasted" show, where the ingredients can be as "bad" or "worse" than a PD recipe? It isn't the food. It's. Several. Million. Dollars. PD can talk the talk, and walk the walk. And gain the market share. Done.

What I took from Anthony Bourdain in Restaurant Confidential was that shallots are the reason why our homemade dishes don't taste as good as the savory you find in restaurants. So, I've been trying to use more shallots when I don't add too much garlic or other onion family flavor ;-), huh, guess not that much...

Some of PD's recipes are fabulous! But not *everyday* fabulous, and I hope that the vast majority of us (collectively) know that.

I luv/hte her. She reminds me somewhat of my great grandmother but my GG was much more authentic and convincing ;-) oh, and she was from Jackson, MS, so different accent and slightly different food, but she was the real thing.

I currently work with "a PD wannabe", or maybe she's the Texas version of PD. Anyway, on Wednesday, "T", my co-worker, offered a taste of chicken & fettucini alfredo she had made from scratch. Me? I'm on a diet... Not just "yes", but "HE[[ YES!" Just. One. Bite. And, yes, not taking another was agony!

Get a load of this (after wearing her down with questions, omg):

Recipe called for 8 oz. of cream cheese, she doubled it.
Recipe called for a couple of tablespoons of butter, she doubled it.
Recipe called for milk, she used half & half.
Recipe did NOT call for Parmesan, she added 1/4 cup.

Hellooo Yum!

Remind you of anyone?

pal- but, there's a good part of the population with diabetes who are just like paula!! i assume they are the people the drug company are targeting! they can at least relate to someone like paula...

it would be responsible if altering her show to healthier ways of cooking the same kinds of food she always has a part of her contract...i hope they do/she does!!
but, still, med noncompliance and healthy lifestyle noncompliance is often a huge problem with diabetes and if paula reaches some of that population to at least take their meds and monitor their levels, that's a step in the right direction...

New Dawn, Thanks so much! I love reading YOUR posts...you have great humor, wit & wisdom.

All very, very well said, Tina!

Greenthumb, the book about SJ sounds riveting, & that fettucine sounds AMAZING! Lucky you to get a taste!
So shallots should be substituted for oninons. Good to know. Thanks for sharing.

busybee, I suppose you are right,

But the first thing that I thought was that it was like having Kim Kardashian be a spokesperson for the sanctity of marriage.

Tina, I have never said I don't exercise so I don 't know how you came up with that. I have stated numerous times that I walk a lot which helped me lose weight.

Maybe the new ads will say the meds helped Paula but she didn't say that in her interview which I found odd.

Have you all seen and read the latest? It was all over the news yesterday and online. Paula is on a cruise with her fans and one of the passengers took a picture of her eating a huge hamburger and fries! lol.

She supposedly said last week she can't believe how mean people are regarding her diabetes. Well gee, maybe if she stopped giving the impression she's coming clean because of money, people would be more understanding.

I love her but I think she thinks we all ought to buy her story. And she can have the occasional burger and super high carb fries, but this is NOT the time to eat in public.

arcy, I agree completely. People in the US want to be free thinkers yet we hold others liable. Let's use common sense. Only we need labels like "Contents may be hot" on coffee cups!

WHY would anyone let a celebrity or pharm co. influence their decisions? They are both after the same thing . . .money! Who cares if she lies? Are you really going to entrust her to your health decisions? Does anyone believe PD has the public's best interests in mind?

So now you're saying she should hide what she's doing? Oakley, I really think you are making too much of it.

Re the exercise it was some time ago I believe one of the threads on not having energy. Good for you on the walking - I'm loving our temps here - am able to get out and walk much more. My pup loves it too! (At least when we are not getting rain!)

Arcy, Anele & Tina, right on!

There's my business, other people's business & God's business. It's a full time job keeping my own stuff straight. Who am I delve into the other two categories?

Live and let live.

Oakley, instead of looking to "role models," you could simply take pride in how you live your life & take care of yourself. You have your own standards & you're a smart cookie! Do you really need a role model, celebrity or otherwise? If other people choose to worship at the feet of Paula Deen & examine & emulate her every morsel-eating move...that's THEIR business!

Stinky, never did I say Paula was a role model for me or anyone else, you must have me confused with another poster.

I admire her, I like her, and I like her show. But I stand by what I said, as someone "famous" she shouldn't be telling people to take a VERY serious medication unless it has helped her, along with exercise and moderation of the foods she eats.

Tina, the point I'm trying to makes is, if Paula is upset about the backlash from her colleagues and fans, then she shouldn't be eating burgers and fries in front of hundreds of people! ESPECIALLY since it's only been a week since she "came out."

She's in the middle of a public relations disaster. Even the people at The Food Network had no idea she was diabetic.

So why on earth would she do something like that and not expect more bad publicity? Not a diss, but I think she's ignorant on what she's doing. Along with her publicist.

As far as Paula changing the foods on her show, I disagree. I think she should keep cooking the southern fare she does so well. She's not telling people to eat like this every day. She's merely showing us different recipes for when we want to have a certain dish.

I'd be very disappointed if Paula changed her show.

My opinions are harsh on this because I have the disease and I'm living it. She's sending an awful message at the moment.

Oak, re:" So why on earth would she do something like that and not expect more bad publicity? Not a diss, but I think she's ignorant on what she's doing. Along with her publicist."

I am guessing she is in denial. Her whole life (inc. income) revolve around food/eating . . .she is having her life played out in front of everyone. She's eating compulsively and everyone knows it!

Quote: "She found a drug company willing to pay her to sell their product."

I don't know if it matters, but it was my understanding that the company heard that she was taking the drug and approached her to work with them, not the otter way around.

There's no way the drug company could have "heard" that she was taking the drug without her ultimately being the source of information. She either told them herself directly or she told the people who told them. That's HIPAA at work--her healthcare people and health insurance people could not have legally told the drug company without her approval. And since the diagnosis was kept so private until she chose to make the announcement, it's my opinion that her health people probably didn't violate HIPAA. Otherwise we would have heard about it long ago.

It's inevitable that all that butter would finally catch up, but she may also have a genetic predisposition, which is a double whammy.

LOL, Patty. More than likely she's on a Statin. Even if you have good cholesterol numbers, Dr.'s usually put patients on Statins anyway.

Sovra, you make a good point. How did the drug company know she was taking that med? Also, I can't remember the name of the med, but I had never heard of it. Anyone remember the name of it? For some reason I think it's a new med, which raises more eyebrows.

Anele, she could be having an "I don't give a flying fig" attitude over the backlash. I've done that. I'd get so sick of not eating fun stuff, I didn't give a fig and just pigged out! lol

Different studies have projected different trends in numbers of people with type II diabetes and in the future costs to society of this disease. One group has projected numbers on the order of 50% of American with diabetes or prediabetes by 2020, and with (direct + indirect) costs of $500 billion - and with projected costs over the preceding decade of over $3 trillion. Other studies project other numbers, for example, almost 45 million with diabetes over a somewhat different timeframe and spending (in then-current dollars) of something like $170 billion.

I'm sure more searches would find other studies projecting other numbers, but the point remains: diabetes has the potential to cost this society an enormous amount of money. Suppose some researchers' conclusions about projected costs to the U.S. healthcare system and to Medicare are even somewhat accurate?

OK, I have a few thoughts on this topic. As someone who has been Prediabetic for the past 3 years I bring a different viewpoint. Prediabetes is the gray zone between normal fasting blood sugars (less than 100) and diabetes (FBS greater than 126)

I have had this diagnosis and been in the great state of denial. I did have 2 risk factors for diabetes--overweight, not obese and I had a large baby (over 10#, week and a half overdue, 22 1/2 long). Even knowing this, I couldn't really have prediabetes could I? My MD didn't really give me much direction other than to watch what I eat. Random blood sugar checks were still just barely over 100. I cut out some sweets but didn't really change much else.

Has Miss Paula been living like this for a few years? She has lost a fairly significant amount of weight--like 30 pounds by walking. You can tell it in her clothes and face, but she needs to stop wearing those large over-blouses to really look slimmer.

She may have finally accepted that she had the disease and needs to come out with it. She came out about the smoking in December.
SHe has lost weight, says she walks, and still has high blood sugars. Ok, now I need to do something about it.

Just because she was seen eating a burger and fries doesn't mean she is not eating properly. Did we see the plate licked clean afterwards? Perhaps she was eating part of it, removing the bun at some point, only eating a few fries, planning on walking more later. All of this would have been okay and maybe kept her from a piece of cake or something worse diet wise.

I have only seen her on one talk show and the $$ issue was asked on it.

As for me, my numbers jumped really close to the diabetes line this year. A Nurse Practitioner got in my face and made me whimper. I got serious, had diabetes education, lost some weight, and more importantly stopped a migraine medicine that was started last year. Now my fastings are in the low 90's! I believe that the medicine was responsible for the big jump in my blood sugar this past year as it is a med known to do that. Stopping the med prob brought me back to where I had been running, and my small weight loss made things even better.

Totally OT ... rnmomof2, is that registered nurse or maybe Roanoke? Just curious.

I'm so good. Paula Deen's publicist quit last week!

Oh wow, I'm on a roll. Remember how I asked if the med was even helping Paula so she could convince other diabetics it works? Check out the link below. It was JUST aproved.

It's also a daily shot. Maybe she was in a study or something, but unless she wasn't, I'm not going to believe a word she says about the drug.

Rnmom, it's not the fact that Paula is eating burgers and fries. It's that once again her timing was completely off. Paula ate this AFTER her announcement and the large backlash against her, the backlash which is also upsetting to her.

And three years is more than enough to come to grips with knowing you're diabetic, especially Type 2.

Now I need to look up stress and diabetes, that was one of her excuses for having it. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Article

I was at the doctor's office yesterday and there was a Diabetic magazine on the chair next to me so I picked it up to read. They repeatedly said in article after article that Statin's can cause Diabetes.

Natal, it is for RN and we can live in denial just as long as anyone else!

Oakley, we don't know the details of her disease. Has she been pre-diabetic, what were her fastings, has she tried other meds, did she comment about eating the burger or not eat all of it, etc ?

A co-worker has fastings just over 126 and hasn't accepted it yet. Another RN has elevated BS's due to medicine she is on for a type of cancer she has. Unfortunately she can't stop her meds and states that she has fake diabetes. Neither one of these gals are stupid but they are just not there yet in terms of fully accepting the diagnosis.

The fight or flight response when one is under stress would cause a release of epinephrine and cortisol and they would increase your blood sugar to help give a person fuel while under stress. So yes, Miss Paula is right about that.

Looks like Miss Deen is losing weight by exercising and reducing her food intake. Good for her!

Here is a link that might be useful: Embracing a healthier lifestyle

Oakley - I meant to ask if you saw her interview last week on Today - with Al. He was to ask her what she thought about all the ruckus over her coming out with her diabetes.

Tina, here you go.

Here is a link that might be useful: Paula on The Today Show

I hadn't really thought much about her situation. I think there are lines we should draw when it comes to celebrity. Someone's health, celebrity or not, is personal and should be private until they choose to share it, if they choose to at all; and the reasons why they may decide to share are irrelevant as well.

I don't cook her food ever or see her interviews much but it's not because I avoid her. Whenever I hear about her being on tv, I remember when she was on Oprah and she dropped the spoon in the mixer by accident. Food when flying everywhere and she and Oprah were cracking up. It was a fun and hilarious show to watch.

I agree with Lynn, she is probably someone I would enjoy being friends with.

Oakley, don't know if you saw the latest about Ms Deen losing weight. I know this was a subject you felt passionate about.

Also thought you might be interested in her upcoming appearance on Oprah's Next Chapter.

Here is a link that might be useful: Oprah & Gayle King visit Paula in Savannah

Sorry, I just saw this topic, I didn't know it had been resurrected again.

Natal, Paula lost weight eons ago. Old news. Do you work for Google? :)

Lukk, Paula is the one who made her health public. She's had the disease for a few years now and she is going to make money from advertising a new medication for diabetes. Since she kept it a secret for so long while cooking high carb and DELICIOUS food, lol, speculation is she only "came out" because of the money. Which rubbed a LOT of people the wrong way, even others on the Food Network.

Tina, I did see the interview, she's in denial when she said there's only a "few" people who were mean. Once more she hedged and said how much her family loves her. But I guess I'd do the same. It's not going to die down unless she stops those interviews with Al.

I'll still watch her show unless she starts cooking "light." Everybody with a brain knows it's all about moderation.

It's like telling an Italian cook with Diabetes to can the pasta. lol

I have to wonder though, will the drug company still use her now that she's had such bad publicity, so bad that her own, long-time publicist quit on her because of how Paula handled it?

Stay tuned! I still like her though, she just made a questionable choice.

Eons? I guess that's how you define a couple months?

And the rest of your comments don't even deserve a response.

Yeah, but the question was, what do we think about it so that's what I answered. Am I missing something? How many cups of coffee is that Oak? LOL