Paula Deen represents everything that is wrong with America

eve7166

OK i havent read all the comments on here but if anyone out there with any knowledge of diet at all would know that adding "more butter" to everything and tons of sugar and fried food is NOT good for you. I bet a 6 year old could figure it out. Was she your role modle and now you feel cheated??? come on guys shes a chef not a nutrition advisor. Not promoting Healthy food. IF you go to a resturant everyday how do you think you will come out? FAT right? OK thats what shes cooking fat foods... get over it!

savage22hp

I'm not really interested it going into her food habits, but the title of this thread bugs me. Paula Deen is more than just butter.
How can a single mother who raised two kids, used what she knew to feed her family and ultimately bring them out of poverty be what is wrong with America? How can a woman who helps charities, cares for and nurtures her home town, embodies the American ideal that you can make something of yourself, be what is wrong with America?

Great , thanks for that perspective !

IMYarnCraz33

Paula Deen has never promoted eating piggy quantities of her recipes.

^THIS^

Yes, she may be known as the QUEEN OF BUTTER.... but tbh who the HELL are any of YOU to judge her?!
NO ONE is perfect and she is NOT condoning eating like a pig like MOST American's do.
No one puts a fork in your hand & a gun to your head and forces you to eat until you look like a freaking elephant!
YOU MAKE YOUR OWN CHOICES.
Let he who is WITHOUT SIN, cast the first stone!
Talk about a bunch of whiny @ss critical ppl on here. geez. get a grip!

Jeanetta10

That sandwich with french fries looks disgusting to me! LOL I get a kick out of Paula Deen. She's hilarious with her fatty foods. She makes me laugh and I like her, but seriously I wouldn't eat some of those recipes. I did make a dessert bar that is simily to her five layer bar over Christmas. It was very good, but in moderation and as a once in a great while treat. I agree with everyone on "moderation" is the key. Making good choices is up to the individual. I don't care for the nasty American comments on this thread. I am American. There's nothing wrong with choices or America.

bcattoes

What Paula Deen REPRESENTS to me is the typical American who has eaten a high fat diet, lacked exercise, and now when faced with this illness, absolves herself of all guilt and takes a pill, yet will not change what she has done before that got her into this position.

How the heck could she change the past? She could only change the future, and you can't possibly know what she will do in the future.

Once again, you are not reading. I didn't say Paula Deen anything. I said what she represents.... I work in the medical industry. People come in all the time who are diagnosed with heart disease or diabetes. They do not want to change their behavior - they want a quick fix. Same with every aspect of life. We want a quick fix rather than to actually WORK to fix the problem. I would imagine that if you are on MFP and active on this board, that you are different from mainstream America - that you are working to reverse obesity or high cholesterol or diabetes or whatever. Most people in this country do not do that.

I think the healthcare industry is as much to blame for people wanting a quick fix (pill) to solve their problems as the patients are. If you have a high LDL count, most doctors will offer you a statin, hopefully along with diet and exercise recommendations. But I think you'll find more offering the drug than the lifestyle change.

kiesh82

A lot of people are disgusted with Paula because she's had diabetes for THREE YEARS yet continued to promote cooking crap that a type II diabetic shouldn't even be eating. Then she decides to come out with her disease ONLY because she has been paid by a drug company to do so. Type II diabetes can be managed with exercise and diet but of course that wouldn't make money for the drug companies...

tamheath

Paula Deen has never promoted eating piggy quantities of her recipes.

^THIS^

Yes, she may be known as the QUEEN OF BUTTER.... but tbh who the HELL are any of YOU to judge her?!

Let he who is WITHOUT SIN, cast the first stone!
Talk about a bunch of whiny @ss critical ppl on here. geez. get a grip!

Hilarious. This poster is against judging people.... then she calls us all a bunch of whiny @ss critical people.

I love irony.

shalinimunjal

I don't have any opinion of her show. Yes, she cooks very unhealthy food but I can tell that much from watching her cook. I don't need to know whether or not she has diabetes or heart disease or is obese. I know that by her recipes. I know what effect that kind of eating would have on ME and my family. Type 2 runs in my family. My father and uncle have it.

Paula Deen as a person, however? Knowing for many years that she has a disease that can be easily controlled by food, something that she loves to do and yet continuing that habit? That disgusts me. Taking a pill because you want to continue eating the food that is slowly killing your own body? Absolutely disgusting.

When I was pregnant with my firstborn, I had a smooth sailing pregnancy until the 28 week sugar test. Lo and behold, I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. I was not aware of my increased risk because of Type2 running in my family and my heritage. I was devastated when they put me on insulin to control it. The doctors thinking was that it's a disease and it will increase as the pregnancy goes on and we can control it with the injections. I hated it and somehow got through the rest of the pregnancy. I wasn't even given the option of trying a diet and exercise regimen with the help of a dietitian.

Second time around, I was very much aware. I was certain I will get GD again and I made my new OBGYN aware from the beginning (I didn't go back to the old one) that I don't want to be on the medicine until I've tried the diet and exercise route and proven it doesn't work. I exercised and ate wisely through out the pregnancy. I passed the 13 week test. They tested again at 26 weeks and I was borderline. I went to the dietitian and checked my sugars the rest of the pregnancy and *easily* controlled it with diet, exercise regimen. It never progressed and I was declared free of GD my second pregnancy. I realize that's not the norm, and not the case with everyone. I do think my being aware helped me control the onset of GD greatly.

I wish my old doctors from the first pregnancy had been more open about my risk from the beginning. They had my family history from the very first appointment. They also never gave me a chance to control it without medication. I felt like I was disabled, diseased. My body was malfunctioning and I couldn't give the baby a healthy environment to grow. It was very hard to get over but I have now, mostly.

I just can't get over the fact that someone who knows they have the disease that can be controlled just choose to let their body fail. Oh and a pill will resolve everything. I hate that attitude.

ETA: I have nothing against the people who must take insulin to control their diabetes. But try diet and exercise along with it. That's my viewpoint.

tamheath

Could've been an interesting discussion, but this thread has lots it's mind! :ohwell:

gingerb85

I think the healthcare industry is as much to blame for people wanting a quick fix (pill) to solve their problems as the patients are. If you have a high LDL count, most doctors will offer you a statin, hopefully along with diet and exercise recommendations. But I think you'll find more offering the drug than the lifestyle change.

The health care industry can only do so much when they recommend lifestyle changes and people refuse to make the changes that are recommended.

rml_16

I just want to point out that no matter what you eat or how much, no matter if you smoke, drink or do drugs, you're still going to die someday.

You may be able to avoid many diseases with a healthy lifestyle and maybe have a better quality of life -- MAYBE -- but you're still going to die. And you're probably going to get sick before you die.

A lot of people are disgusted with Paula because she's had diabetes for THREE YEARS yet continued to promote cooking crap that a type II diabetic shouldn't even be eating.

If a person has type 2 diabetes and chooses to eat those foods on a regular basis, that is not Paula Dean's fault.

And, for the record, a diabetic (1 or 2) CAN eat those things in moderation.

ushkii

Paula Deen has never promoted eating piggy quantities of her recipes.

^THIS^

Yes, she may be known as the QUEEN OF BUTTER.... but tbh who the HELL are any of YOU to judge her?!

Let he who is WITHOUT SIN, cast the first stone!
Talk about a bunch of whiny @ss critical ppl on here. geez. get a grip!

Hilarious. This poster is against judging people.... then she calls us all a bunch of whiny @ss critical people.

I love irony.

That is funny, like my new picture!

Rhea30

Let's all blame Paula Dean for obesity in America. Of course they are unhealthy meals, but if we cook those meals and eat them why does that makes it her fault when we become overweight? I personally think it's a problem when we as a society are negatively affected by our own actions and decide to shift the blame on somebody else.

I completely agree, no one wants to take responsibility for their own actions and its more then just eating, its activity as well. People aren't active and that has alot to do with obesity. My husband is able to eat alot of those type of foods, fast food, Paula Dean type of foods and stays in shape. Two things he does, he eats in moderation and he is active. My mom is in good health as well and doesn't eat 'diet', but she is active everyday. She is always walking somewhere.

bcattoes

I think the healthcare industry is as much to blame for people wanting a quick fix (pill) to solve their problems as the patients are. If you have a high LDL count, most doctors will offer you a statin, hopefully along with diet and exercise recommendations. But I think you'll find more offering the drug than the lifestyle change.

The health care industry can only do so much when they recommend lifestyle changes and people refuse to make the changes that are recommended.

The healthcare industry pushes drug use. There are even measures from governing agencies such as the Joint Commision, HEDIS, and CMS that require medications be at least offered, regardless of whether or not lifestyle changes are offered or implemented.

kiesh82

I just want to point out that no matter what you eat or how much, no matter if you smoke, drink or do drugs, you're still going to die someday.

You may be able to avoid many diseases with a healthy lifestyle and maybe have a better quality of life -- MAYBE -- but you're still going to die. And you're probably going to get sick before you die.

A lot of people are disgusted with Paula because she's had diabetes for THREE YEARS yet continued to promote cooking crap that a type II diabetic shouldn't even be eating.

If a person has type 2 diabetes and chooses to eat those foods on a regular basis, that is not Paula Dean's fault.

And, for the record, a diabetic (1 or 2) CAN eat those things in moderation.

When/where did I say it was Paula Deen's fault? Good job ignoring the rest of the post about the drug - which was actually the point.

Btw there's nothing "moderate" about the food that she cooks.

bllowry

I don't think you can just blame diet/unhealthy eating habits. Mum was 5'1", weighted about 105 pounds and led jazzercise classes 4 times a week. She was in 'perfect' health per her annual check ups, yet still died from Schleraderma at age 60, less than a year after the diagnosis was made. We have no family history of diabetes on either side of the family, yet I developed type II. The first words out of the RD's mouth was 'wow, you eat pretty healthy' when I saw her. Yes, I was overweight (still am, but getting there) but I've not really changed my diet drastically, simply the portions. In fact I still eat butter once in a while and I'm certainly not going to turn away my sis's homemade cheesecake. I took metformin for 2 months and used Victoza for 5 months to get the glucose levels back top where they should be while I worked on dropping the weight my doctor wanted me to lose. I've decided to lose more than he told me I needed to get the blood sugars under control. I no longer take any meds and I'm no longer considered diabetic.

We have become a culture of 'more is better' and I think that has done far more harm than the ingredients, though there are certainly a lot more 'convenience' foods on offer than were available when I was growing up. Portion sizes have steadily increased as well in an effort to offer a bargain. The bottom line is we are all responsible for what we put in our bodies, be it food, drugs or tobacco and to blame someone on the telly is just ridiculous, IMO.

Jeanetta10

I just want to point out that no matter what you eat or how much, no matter if you smoke, drink or do drugs, you're still going to die someday.

You may be able to avoid many diseases with a healthy lifestyle and maybe have a better quality of life -- MAYBE -- but you're still going to die. And you're probably going to get sick before you die.

A lot of people are disgusted with Paula because she's had diabetes for THREE YEARS yet continued to promote cooking crap that a type II diabetic shouldn't even be eating.

If a person has type 2 diabetes and chooses to eat those foods on a regular basis, that is not Paula Dean's fault.

And, for the record, a diabetic (1 or 2) CAN eat those things in moderation.

When/where did I say it was Paula Deen's fault? Good job ignoring the rest of the post about the drug - which was actually the point.

Btw there's nothing "moderate" about the food that she cooks.

rml_16

I just want to point out that no matter what you eat or how much, no matter if you smoke, drink or do drugs, you're still going to die someday.

You may be able to avoid many diseases with a healthy lifestyle and maybe have a better quality of life -- MAYBE -- but you're still going to die. And you're probably going to get sick before you die.

A lot of people are disgusted with Paula because she's had diabetes for THREE YEARS yet continued to promote cooking crap that a type II diabetic shouldn't even be eating.

If a person has type 2 diabetes and chooses to eat those foods on a regular basis, that is not Paula Dean's fault.

And, for the record, a diabetic (1 or 2) CAN eat those things in moderation.

When/where did I say it was Paula Deen's fault? Good job ignoring the rest of the post about the drug - which was actually the point.

Btw there's nothing "moderate" about the food that she cooks.

You're angry that she didn't disclose her condition and that she continued her show as-is, as though that has something to do with other people who have diabetes not eating right. Because, of course, if not for Paula Dean, all those people would be eating perfectly. BAER

Her food is high in fat and high in carbs. Fine. But you can still eat a moderate amount of it as a special occassion treat. Even diabetics can.

slayerdan

I'm not sure why people care so much about any recent news about Paula Deen. The woman cooks food...that's it. She's not pretended to be a health and diet guru. I'm not sure why people feel she has any real impact on anything. Didn't read the link...I'm mostly just commenting on how much conversation has been generated by her diabetes announcement. I'm just wondering why people are shocked or whatever.

THIS. People see it on tv and live by it. These people are not trying to take care of you--she got a rep for making amazingly high fat, calorie dense food. Dont hate on paula Deen---hate on yourself for being dumb enough to follow her.

Barbaralucas

You are 100 percent correct!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!