Paula Deen on the Today Show - what's your opinion?

_VoV

Funny. Giata cooks for taste and not health. But because she's skinny, no one questions her. Like the size of the person cooking has anything to do with anything.

Who is that?

Jeff92se

giada

JennieAL

Funny. Giata cooks for taste and not health. But because she's skinny, no one questions her. Like the size of the person cooking has anything to do with anything.

Exactly. But the calories all go to her head.

txwildfire

I love Paula Deen. That being said, I have enough common sense to realize that what she cooks is not healthy for my body. I've seen lots of other cooking shows that are not much better than hers when it comes to unhealthy foods. We are responsible for what goes from our hands to our mouths. The fact that she now has diabetes and feels she wants to control it by meds is her business. There's always going to be some actor, artist, doctor, etc. on TV telling us where they went wrong but this is how to get better...some kind of medication. Just because they are on TV doesn't make them role models, gods, or smarter than us. It all falls back on each of us....put yourself in check.

eileen7316

I think this is really interesting because I grew up visiting my Southern relatives and eating a lot of the type of food that she makes.

In the 1800s and early to mid 1900s the South was largely agricultural. My family were farmers for many years and farmwork is some of the most difficult physical labor you can do. (Think a shred is hard? Try carrying hay bales on your back across acres of pasture all morning...) They needed the carbs, fat and calories do what they had to do their 8-12 hours on the farm - although the portions were smaller back in the day. And the food they made was what was available to them on their farms and dry goods stores - supermarkets are relatively new in terms of historical food culture. The basis for meals were butter and shortening, flour, eggs, ham or chicken (all of the parts) and whatever fruits and vegetables they grew and canned. A lot of the older generation worked heavy physical labor into their 60s and 70s on these diets and were not overweight or diabetic.

So that tradition of food is no longer relevant in most cases. And a lot of the newer Southern cooking is modified to take into account more sedentary lifestyles. But I always liked that Paula Deen's cooking was, for the most part, authentic.

Most people are aware that diets high in saturated fat and calories are linked to obesity, and that obesity is strongly associated with diabetes. If anything Paula Deen's story is typical of most of her generation - holding on to food tradition without the high labor energy needs of her parent's and grandparent's generation. Her choice to not change her lifestyle isn't surprising, nor do I think she has a responsibility as a role model to respond to her health in a certain way.

This ^^

I am from the South, too. Alot of her recipes (particularly in the earliest shows she did) were dishes my family grew up on.

Some of you all are really self righteous! It's easy to look down your nose at someone who hasn't come as far in their journey as you have. But be careful; the fall from your high horses can be painful!

gingerb85

I am on 0 medications I hate the idea of a pill fixing everything...got the hiccups? Heres a pill. Got the pre- pms blues? Heres a pill. Have a serious paper cut? Heres a pill!

HAHA, love this! I couldn't agree more! I have two kids and I used NO medications to give birth, and when I tell people this they look at me like I'm crazy...but I think "wow, you would rather be PARALYZED and medicated then undergo a day of discomfort?" Big pharma has changed the playing field so completely that people think they should never experience any discomfort. So, no, I'm not taking any advice from Paula (never had, but this reinforces that position!)

^^^This^^^

Same here. Three kids, no meds, two born at home. People think I'm nuts.

From car accidents, I'm in chronic pain in my back from the neck to the tailbone. I rarely ever take anything for it and if I do, it might be a few ibuprofen at the very most. I exercise to strengthen my core and my back to help with pain and mobility.

My children were rarely ever at the doctors (don't get me started on immunizations) and even rarer that they took antibiotics. I've always fed my children a whole foods, healthy diet and limited their intake of sugars and processed foods. I decided to be PROACTIVE two years ago and fight against a family history of high cholesterol (and mine over 200 for 20+ years) and diabetes and hypertension by going VEGAN! Paula Deen says she can't live without her butter. That's her choice, but as for me, I'll trade butter for a lower cholesterol (168), perfect blood sugars, and a better chance to be alive for my grandchildren and great grandchildren. I want to be a healthy example for my children, not give them something they'll have to fight against for their entire lives like obesity and heart disease.

Jeff92se

I have never liked Paula Deen. I cannot stand her accent and I'm from the south. Actually, if you see some of her VERY old stuff, her accent wasn't nearly as heavy. Even before I dropped meat, dairy, and eggs from my diet, I cringed when I saw her cooking. Way too high in fat. I cannot stand deep fried foods. Yuck.

Like someone else mentioned, Paula Deen has never been the picture of healthy living - she is a picture of high sugar, high fat, high calorie foods like she cooks. If you eat her cooking, you shouldn't be shocked when you develop diabetes.

Because obesity, hypertension, and diabetes are such terrible problems in this country, I do think that TV chefs and TV networks do have a responsibility to either give healthy diet information or their shows should come with a warning label...just like cigarette packages do.

TV has the resposibility for ratings. If eating healthy brought in the ratings, the networks would do it. Many KTCS 9 shows have plenty of better nutritional health shows.

A warning label??? Warning, the foods on this show might taste too good. Beware.

txwildfire

@eileen.................LOL...love your post!

_VoV

I don't see this as an indictment against southern cooking. I grew up with rich family dishes, which I still make on occasion (and log), but if my family could accept the new way I like to cook, I would retire those old recipes. It's easy to get sentimental about family/regional favorites, but we need to find ways to feed ourselves better on the 355 days that aren't holidays.

Jeff92se

Her show has nothing to do with how to get families to eat better/worse/low calorie/high calorie. It's a show about traditional southern cooking. Period.

Take from what what you will.

Jeff92se

JennieAL

I'm southern but I don't cook Paula's dishes. Paula is hugely different from going to a local meat & three. She is a cooking star on TV... expect a little tweaking!

I just don't understand how anyone can be surprised, angry, resentful, etc. And we don't even know if SHE eats how she cooks. Give me a break! She is in entertainment and she's a business mogul, she is not your friendly neighbor cooking away in the kitchen.

Who rushes out to buy Paula Deen stamped cooking equipment? I sure don't. Use your common sense when you put something into your own mouth, end of.

Paula Deen fits perfectly the image she's chosen to portray, down to the fat & resulting diabetes... it's unfortunate and probably irresponsibility on her own part. Because she chose to eat irresponsibly doesn't make me want to point my finger at her and accuse her of influencing me to do the same. I eat EXACTLY what I choose to eat and no one pressures me in any way to do so.

bcattoes

I think she is a fat-sugar-starch pusher, who should atone for her sins. She is harming people by giving everyone the idea that feast foods should be everyday foods. We have enough of that message from greedy corporations who don't care if they throw us under a bus, as long as they get our money.

Seriously? Do you honstly look at Paula Deen and think her "feast foods" should be eaten at every meal?? Does she look the picture of health to you?

_VoV

I think she is a fat-sugar-starch pusher, who should atone for her sins. She is harming people by giving everyone the idea that feast foods should be everyday foods. We have enough of that message from greedy corporations who don't care if they throw us under a bus, as long as they get our money.

Seriously? Do you honstly look at Paula Deen and think her "feast foods" should be eaten at every meal?? Does she look the picture of health to you?

Not at all, but obesity clouds your vision sometimes. And yes, I used to cook rich, fatty vegetarian foods everyday which accelerated my obesity. I absolutely did that.

madubil

CURSES you!! now I want fried chicken in the worst way!! (shakes fists at sky!!!)

Jeff92se

JennieAL

It has to have sugar in it! Else I won't touch it...

bcattoes

I think she is a fat-sugar-starch pusher, who should atone for her sins. She is harming people by giving everyone the idea that feast foods should be everyday foods. We have enough of that message from greedy corporations who don't care if they throw us under a bus, as long as they get our money.

Seriously? Do you honstly look at Paula Deen and think her "feast foods" should be eaten at every meal?? Does she look the picture of health to you?

Not at all, but obesity clouds your vision sometimes. And yes, I used to cook rich, fatty vegetarian foods everyday which accelerated my obesity. I absolutely did that.

I hear what you are saying, but I fail to see how any of that is Paula Deen's (or any other TV cook/chef's) fault. Should all high calorie, high saturated fat, high sugar, high <insert unhealthy item here> recipes be banned? Where does it end? Are we going to throw granny in the slammer for passing on that pecan pie recipe? Give Aunt Betty hard time for bringing her famous cream puffs to the family reunion?

clarkeje1

I like her son's cooking show called "Not My Mama's Meals" where he takes her recipes and shows you how to make them in a healthier way

mcdonl

Paula Deen made me fat.