Paula Deen represents everything that is wrong with America

engineman312

what is wrong with america? we cant take responsiblity for ourselves.

...And we place blame on everyone else like Paula Deen when she didn't put a gun to our heads and scream "eat my recipes or I shoot!!!"

i would watch that episode

snookumss

I really don't think this is a good article. Check out my food cart:

http://www.pdxsausageshack.com/Menu.html

At my food cart I frequently sell Bacon Wrapped Chicken Wings, big monster burgers with extra sausage in them... even some of my sausages fit into my macros perfectly. Since learning more from my friends on MFP and researching more I frequently ADD fats to my diet because I wasn't eating enough. Moderation is key and I have plenty of amazingly healthy fit friends on MFP that could probably eat half those foods and nicely fit them into their macros each day.

If Paula Deen is the worst, what happened to Epic Meal Time on youtube! Have you not seen that before?

Its okay... this is my favorite. I just found this!

http://www.youtube.com/user/sixpackshortcuts?v=Pvz5w7Dofaw&feature=pyv&ad=10100341927&kw=epic meal time

kepete

There are Americans who think she is "the bomb." if she can motivate change for them i say all the power to her! Everyone is motivated by something different. The more people out there encouraginging a healthy lifestyle the better!

TheBakerGirl

let's bring out our favorite examples, the French. They eat butter, cream, animal fats, you name it, but they don't have anywhere near our levels of obesity and heart disease. Why? Because they eat small portions.

I agree. All in moderation….even the good stuff. It IS possible to eat too much of the healthy stuff as well. We just tend to be a nation of overindulgence. I'm sad for Paula. I don't want to see anyone suffer from diabetes, even it it was the choices she made that led her there. I don't agree with any of the "I told you so" comments people in the media and elsewhere are making. She knew what she was doing to her health. Everyone else in America does too, but that doesn't stop them. Paula has the disadvantage of being in the spotlight while going down that road. I sincerely hope she learns how to manage her disease, and that others might learn from her mistakes. End of story!

RILEYRED

BLAH- BLAH- BLAH, LEAVE THE POOR WOMAN ALONE, THE ONLY MISTAKE SHE MADE WAS TELLING PEOPLE SHE'S DIABETIC,CAUSE PEOPLE ARE TOO SELFISH TO CARE.

kammy92

I've watched her shows before, have to be on the elliptical when I do watch!!!!

cygnetpro

let's bring out our favorite examples, the French. They eat butter, cream, animal fats, you name it, but they don't have anywhere near our levels of obesity and heart disease. Why? Because they eat small portions.

What she said.

BellydanceBliss

Seriously? Everyone needs to get off this paula deen hate thing. She is not whats wrong with america...Taking God out of everything is whats wrong with america. She is a human being I actually greatly respect. She was agoraphobic...and went through a terrible divorce and poverty. Look what shes done with her life!??? Good for her! Shes learned to love life and if she is overweight so what. There are plenty of other cooking shows I find way more repulsive...you know the ones that if you eat this 20 lb. burger its free and you go on the wall like you have fought the war? Gawd. Get off Paulas *kitten*. If you dont want to get fat dont eat the the foods that make you that way. The responsibility is not hers its ours.

vingogly

I watched the late Justin Wilson a few times (he died at 87, BTW) and was amazed at the junk he put into his food ... including enormous quantities of fat and salt. Same with Man vs. Food, featuring America's current favorite glutton. Same with all the other people on the Food Network and other cable channels who show how to cook food that, if eaten daily in large quantities, will likely be bad for your health.

You don't have to eat it, if you do you don't have to choose to eat large amounts of it, and you don't have to watch the show if you find it offensive. I think the moral outrage over Paula Deen is the fruit of a culture that expects the TV networks and the government to take responsibility for keeping them safe from their own bad choices. It's your life to manage, people, not someone else's ... quit looking for someone else to keep you safe from yourselves, and shifting the blame to a woman who's chosen to cynically profit from her illness.

It's our collective failure to take responsibility for our actions and blame someone else that's the problem with America today. I've struggled with weight most of my life because of my own choices, not because of Paula Deen, or because my parents taught me bad lessons about food. It's time we all woke up and smelled the coffee.

TheBakerGirl

Seriously for me (I'm not from US haven't heard about her before) It's hard to believe one would even consider eating this, even PREPARING this. I couldn't without gaging. Donut with bacon? Really?

You say everything in moderation? Sorry but NO. NOT everything. NOT deep fried cake, NOT deep fried lasagna...

haha, don't knock deep-fried pasta til you've tried it! AMAZING. But…I've had it maybe twice in my life. It's not something I'd eat every day.

ilookthetype

Shocked or whatever? .... because she is now taking money to become a spokesperson for treatment of a devastating disease that is caused by behaviors she's been promoting. Shocked or whatever? .... because she has led people over a cliff for years and now she gets to get paid for what? Shocked or whatever? .... because "moderation" when it comes to her style of cooking is a cynical joke.

Um, she doesn't tell people to eat her recipes for every meal. People are responsible for their actions, for their choices, and for their future, no matter what a person on TV tells them to eat.

What's really wrong with America is that people think a cook on the food network should be responsible for other people's health, do you really think we Americans are too stupid to think for ourselves?

camille45

don't forget they walk a lot as well, we are the laziest country around. Most places don't rely on transportation like we do

summertime_girl

I LOVED Anthony Bourdain's tweet re Paula Deen: ""Thinking of getting into the leg-breaking business, so I can profitably sell crutches later." Totally cracked me up.

That said, people can't seriously buy that Paula Deen made them fat. I've never watched her show, but I doubt she was hawking her food as healthy. Her diabetes comes as a surprise to no one.

And she's a businesswoman. Why not make money where she can?

CharityPearce

we are all ultimately responsible for what we do or put in our bodies. there are many other factors besides paula deen that has caused america to be fat.

she has never said she was a healthy cook. she cooks what tastes good, what is apart of a culture (southern). and she certainly has never said, 'you need to eat this all the time'.

what is wrong with america? we cant take responsiblity for ourselves. the education is out there, we all know what is healthy and what isnt. so its up to us, its up to the rest of america to choose health. its just that most of america is so resistance to health and eating healthy.

^ This.

rml_16

Shocked or whatever? .... because she is now taking money to become a spokesperson for treatment of a devastating disease that is caused by behaviors she's been promoting. Shocked or whatever? .... because she has led people over a cliff for years and now she gets to get paid for what? Shocked or whatever? .... because "moderation" when it comes to her style of cooking is a cynical joke.

Does she hypnotize people? Or does she just have minions hold them down and stuff the food down their throats?

sullivann

Sorry to troll, but she really annoys the crap out of me - even before her 'diabetes' fame.

Suziq2you

Here's a novel idea. Take responsibility for yourself. I ate too much and moved too little. THAT'S why I got fat. Not because of a cooking show and not because McDonald's is down the street. The "finger pointing" mentality makes me wanna scream.

tigersword

Again with this topic?

First of all, people posting recipe examples, if you really think Paula Deen invented Doughnut Cheeseburgers or Fried Cheesecake, then you have absolutely nothing to add to this conversation, as both of those have been restaurant fare for decades in this country.

Paula Deen does not eat like she cooks on her show on a daily basis. She never claimed she did. It's special occasion southern food. Also, I watched her on The Chew, and she didn't say anything that wasn't true about Diabetes, nor did she even mention drugs. She talked about giving up sweet tea as the first change she made, and they spent the entire show talking about diabetes friendly food choices.

And, she didn't say anything publicly when she was diagnosed because she didn't know anything about Diabetes to tell. She needed time to teach herself and assimilate it into her life. And frankly, her private life is nobody's business but her own. It's not her responsibility to tell anybody who watches her about her medical history.

Articeluvsmemphis

not seeing the problem. I'm with a recent poster, she cooks food, and people watch. she has always made southern food the way she knows how, she's never pretended to be health conscious. I didn't watch the interview, but I do hope she changes her habits, that's the best thing for her, not hatred

sloneczka

let's bring out our favorite examples, the French. They eat butter, cream, animal fats, you name it, but they don't have anywhere near our levels of obesity and heart disease. Why? Because they eat small portions.

This is sadly, changing even in France... With working families and fast food popularity on the rise, The French are now gaining inches and experiencing an increase in obesity-related diseases. I wrote a term paper on the dietary changes in France last year; their market for McDonalds is now only second to the US. The lack of home food preparation, change in eating patterns (more quick, on-the-go meals, etc.), more saturated fats, processed foods, etc. is deconstructing the myth that the "French don't get fat".

Dave198lbs

if Paula signed on as a member here under ButterisBetter and cried about how she was a porker....and some guy said quit with the butter baby....most of you would run screaming to her defense. Hypocrisy anyone?

LethaSue

I am not ready to e-hang Paula Deen for her style of cooking. Every case of diabetes is not caused by fat, just the way that every case of anything else medical is not caused by fat. There are some skinny people with diabetes and high blood pressure.
On the subject with McDonalds being sued over coffee. I too laughed at and made fun of that situation until I got the skin burned the crap off my whole leg and thigh from McDonalds coffee. Did I sue them no. Should I of? Proabley. It was a bloody skinless big area on the outside of my thigh. Coffee is HOT and is best hot, but this was more than hot. It was rolling boiling. I had it on the seat and when I turned out of the parking lot onto the street it tipped over and the lid came off. I did read at the time about the lawsuit of the woman that got burned and sued. She was an eldery lady, and had put the coffee between her legs, when it spilled it burned her genital area. I went to the dr. for my burn, I had to, it was serious. I can't imagine how horrid that burn must of been for that woman that sued. I went back to McDonalds and pulled the women manager in the bathroom and showed her my burned leg. I wanted them to realize how damn hot their coffee really was.

nothingisred

Being British I've only seen half of a Paula Deen show and had to switch it off because she irritated me so much, so I can't really give an informed opinion about her personally.

I felt the need to post though because....deep fried lasagna?! Deep fried cake?! Seriously?! Of COURSE you will get diabetes if your daily diet consists of this sort of crap. If someone doesn't have the intelligence to look at those recipes and realise that putting vast quanities of that sort of stuff into their body will make them obese and ill then of course they will get fat.

I enjoy looking through recipe books/magazines and watching cooking shows that feature decadent foods, but I think "wouldn't that be nice to make for a special occasion?" not "wow that looks good, I must make that for dinner tonight."

So I do believe that it is down to the person, and that no one else is to blame. I only had myself to blame for ending up on here, and I only have myself to thank for changing my life around.

Having said that though, there are a lot of stupid people in the world who are susceptable to marketing and the media. It boils down to a kind of survival of the fittest situation. There are plenty of people who cannot and will not take responsibilty for their decisions and try to blame other people for them and those are the people that will end up like Paula Deen, just without all her money. It's finding the balance between trying not to influence them further into bad lifestyle choices whilst realising that it's only them that can help themselves.




Okay I did actually just want to post because of the sheer ridiculousness of her recipes but I ended up adding my two cents too.

zbmb30

My two cents. . .: Everyone is free to eat what they want, whether or not you agree with it. She doesn't make people cook her recipes, buy her food and other products, or watch her show. People do that at their own free will. So I don't see why people bash her.

I think people can eat what they want in moderation. Usually if you don't eat something in moderation, you will eventually over indulge in that craving. Indulging and over eating is worse than moderation.

People should take responsibilities for their own actions. It's like we have become a nation that wants to just point fingers and blame everyone but our ownselves. I live in the south. I was born and raised in the south. I like the biscuits, the fried chicken. . .all the southern cuisine. My family and I have eaten that IN MODERATION all my life. . .not every day, not every week. My family is in pretty good health. We've never had our doctors tell us we are unhealthy. We workout, we eat in moderation. Simple as that. When I see the scale go up, I don't blame my parents, or the person at the fastfood joint. . .it's myself. I either bought or made what went in my mouth, my choice and decision, no one elses.

WisdomRose_wechanged

This single mother raised her two sons alone doing what she knew best, good homestyle cooking. She started a restaurant and made a great success with it then went on to give us, the public what we love, great entertainment with her cooking show. Now she is paying the price of her own lifestyle choices as are so many of us; she had developed Type 2 acquired diabetes because of her eating habits as have so very many people in the United States. I see no reason to crucify her just because she is a celebrity.

laughingdani

I think there's a lot of things wrong with America. None of them have anything to do with Paula Deen.

Btw, if you knew her story and her background you would know why she cooks the way she does. Also, if diabetes is a common disease in her family, there's a slim chance she could still have gotten it even if she didn't cook/eat that way.

trudemeanor

Paula Deen is not to blame for the country problem with obesity. Now if you watched her cooking shows and then cooked all her recipes and ate them all the time that is your problem. Yes it is upseting that she waited three years to reveal her diagnosis, but that it her personal issue that she has to deal with for the rest of her life. Ive watcher her shows over the years and she never says hey go cook this and pigout. If she chooses to be a spokeperson for a medication for diabetes then so beit. I am happy that she is now offering modified recipes. I just really hate when we as Americans are so quick to blame someone else for our problem with obesity. No one forces you to eat unhealthy and not excercise.

FearAnLoathing

Shocked or whatever? .... because she is now taking money to become a spokesperson for treatment of a devastating disease that is caused by behaviors she's been promoting. Shocked or whatever? .... because she has led people over a cliff for years and now she gets to get paid for what? Shocked or whatever? .... because "moderation" when it comes to her style of cooking is a cynical joke.

Really did she hold a gun to peoples heads and force them to eat doughnut burgers? You know the big problem whats really "wrong" with this country is lack of personsanal responsibility, Insted every wants to place the blame on scape goats like McDonalds Paula Dean ect

FearAnLoathing

My 2 cents is that "you" can continue "eat everything in moderation" and get the same results as the rest of America: Heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and more,

Really thats funny,because I practice moderation.I drink, eat fast food a couple times a week,sugar carbs all that. I also just had my physical I have compleatly reveresed my high cholesterol its gone my numbers there are excellent. My heart is as strong as someone 10 years younger than me who never abused their body the way I did (words straight from my DRs mouth) My blood sugar numbers were great,my blood pressure was great,the only negitive thing I have going on with me is i need to quit smoking

Yanicka1

I never watch her show because she annoye me. That being said, I watch many many cooking show, I love it.....but I do not make 99.9% of what I see because it is not what I want to put in my body. Same thing with fast food, I have to go by many fast food place everyday.....but I do not stop.