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

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  • jlnk
    jlnk Posts: 188 Member
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    I'm sorry, but if unless she forced people to cook and consume everything on her show, she has no responsiblity to her audience. They are responsible for what they purchase, prepare and consume.

    ^^This. Plus, anyone who follows Paula Deen for medical advice is doomed anyhow...
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
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    As someone who works for big pharma, I am here to tell you that I resent the comments. Yes, we make drugs and we make vaccines. I am a vaccine microbiologist. I can guarantee you that I do my job every day because I believe in it wholeheartedly. The vaccines I have had input into over the past 13 years have saved countless lives around the globe. This may not be visible in the US or other developed countries, but in the developing world, they make the difference btw life and death.

    As for drugs. Diabetes, cholesterol and other long-term meds are there to help people. Diet should always be your number one source of change for your health. I have had gestational diabetes 3 times (3 kids) and my doctor gave me the "you have 5 years" talk. As in, statistically, women who have gestational diabetes will develop Type 2 diabetes within 5 years. That's why I am here. I have diabetes in my family, not just type 2, but also juvenile (my niece). So, we are predisposed genetically. However, I am not going down without a fight and, doing what I do, my first thought was not to get on pre-diabetes meds, but to change my lifestyle. The meds are there to help you along, but you need to do the majority of the journey here.

    Paula Deen is in no way, shape or form educated about diabetes, although, if she wants to live a long life, she will get there eventually. However, her empire was built on fat and lard, she makes "comfort foods". I can honestly say that I have never made a single one of her dishes because even before I jumped into the healthier mindset, I knew how terrible that stuff is for you. I think she is trying to find an excuse for her cooking. But she is a cook, through and through. And she cooks the food that she loves herself. She is not a scientist or a doctor.


    I don't expect you to understand what people are saying..........

    I am sure your company does a great job of telling their employees how many lives they are saving and such. I won't even go into how dangerous most vaccines really are.

    However, these medications that are coming out on the market are ridiculous.

    Take Byetta and Victoza for examples..................... A few months ago, my doctor prescribed Byetta and after careful research of side effects of possible pancreas or Thyroid Cancer I told him no way in hell am I going to fill that script.

    So he wrote Victoza.......................Says it causes your body to release more insulin (which is counter productive of healing your body to become more inuslin sensitive) and then on top of it Pancreas or Thyroid cancers were common with those taking this drug.

    NO Thanks. I will control and reverse my Diabetes without HARMFUL, yeah I said it...............HARMFUL and outrageously EXPENSIVE drugs.

    It is nothing but a big money scam.
  • pjholcomb
    pjholcomb Posts: 55 Member
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    I love Paula Deen. Her story (from poverty to where she is today) is absolutely amazing. Her food is delicious (mostly) but it is not for eating everyday. We are personally responsible for what we eat ... bottom line there.

    As far as I am concerned about her diabetes ... she could have never told us since that is a private issue and none of our business if that would have been her decision ... and being a spokesperson for a diabetes product, no one has any issue with her face on a package of meat. Who cares? Not me. If a "famous" person promotes a product or cause, I am apt to be less interested. I don't care what they think or say ... sing, act or cook, but shut up otherwise.
  • skcornett
    skcornett Posts: 169 Member
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    Anybody else see Paula Deen on the Today Show this morning?

    I didn't have particular feelings towards her one way or another, but now I just straight up dislike her. She is basically advocating drugs (and getting compensated by a pharmaceutical company) over lifestyle changes to help type 2 diabetes. It's irresponsible. She has millions of followers who may follow her terrible advice. Plus? She waited three years to tell the public. I wouldn't care if she weren't famous, but she has a public responsibility with that damn cooking show of hers, and she's just exacerbating something that she could be helping.

    What are your thoughts?

    She is neither a doctor, nutritionist, dietitian, or trainer, and I don't know that she ever claimed to be. She's a cook. At least as a pharmaceutical spokesperson her [annoying] drawl will be followed by warnings and disclaimers regarding the drug.

    She has always said "I'm not your cardiologist, I'm your cook." Anyone that thinks that eating like that all the time is okay is not living in a real world. There aren't many cooks/chefs making meals that we should all eat on a daily basis.

    But at the end of the day, it is my responsibility to make the choices that are right for me when it comes to food and exercise.
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
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    If she is out there talking about diabetes to get people to get checked and then make decisions to get healthy their way, great. But quite personally, why does everyone need to know her personal life. Yes, she is a celebrity but I so don't care about anything other than what a celebrity is supposed to do, entertain me. They don't run or decide my life for me.

    If she is putting it out there to make money off of it, then shame for sure. Some people need meds. My son, he has seizures, is one. But there are those who can take care of things simply by taking care of themselves. You need to know which one you are.

    Type 2 Diabetes is not a condition where there needs to be so many different meds. I am sorry, it is self-induced and can be reversed with a controlled carb lifestyle where a person may need to start off on medications and then get off said medications as they lose weight and their body heals to become more insulin sensitive again.

    Most of these medications are detrimental to the body ever healing, therefore the longer you are on said medication, the more damage is being done to the body. That is where neuropathy and such comes into play.

    You can not compare a condition such as your sons seizure disorder which he did not inflict on his self to one millions of people (including myself) actually has inflicted upon themselves. Medicine and Science have their place and are positive for many conditions..........

    But it is ridiculous to fork out hundreds of dollars a month for Diabetes medication which for Type 2 Diabetics is a Lifestyle Disease.

    I have done my part to change my lifestyle from the Standard American Diet over to the Paleo Lifestyle. I am completely medication free, including Diabetes, PCOS and Thyroid medications (which was the last to go).

    I'd like to point out that Type 2 is not always "self-induced" nor a "Lifestyle" disease. Lifestyle, particularly diet and exercise, are heavy factors for most people who get diagnosed with Type 2 later in life, but there are genetic factors for many.

    Diabetes is rampant in my family, both Type 1 and 2. Those with Type 2 in my family were diagnosed when they were teenagers or young adults, just like the Type 1's in the family. All were healthy and normal-weight at the time.

    That said, it is true that healthy diet and exercise allow most Type 2's to stay (or get off) any medications for their diabetes for many years (and some permanently). Many people can control the disease through diet/exercise alone, which is a very good thing.

    I feel sorry for Paula Deen if she's only relying on medication. It'd be nice if she was promoting eating healthy and truly trying to educate people about diabetes. Based on that clip from the show, she's not. Sad, but it's not her responsibility to educate people.

    I am sorry to say this...............I don't usually rely on any government resources, but even governments around the globe say that T2 Diabetes is a LIFESTYLE DISEASE.
    Summary
    Diabetes type 2 is a lifestyle disease that is strongly associated with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and weight gain, particularly around the waist (apple shape). Type 2 diabetes may be prevented but it cannot be cured.

    Another site..........
    Lifestyle diseases, as the name suggests, refer to ailments/diseases/disorders owing to the way people live and the way they interact with their environment. Type 2 Diabetes is one of the various lifestyle diseases which has gripped the youth of today, tightly and fiercely, in their long, jagged tentacles. Considered as the Diabetes capital of the world, India has the highest number of diabetic patients in the world, a whopping figure of 30 million and still growing by leaps and bounds. Doctors and other experts claim that the average age of being diagnosed with a lifestyle disease will soon move down from 40 something to 30 something.
  • hsnider29
    hsnider29 Posts: 394 Member
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    While I don't agree with her advocating prescription drugs over lifestyle changes to manage DM, her medical history is her business and she is not required to share it with the general public just because she is a celebrity.

    As far as the cooking show goes, people should know that eating that much butter and sugar daily can't be good for your health in the long run. Let's stop blaming every product, show, celebrity, etc for our unhealthy choices. You decide what goes in your body, not Paula Deen.
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
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    I find it very interesting how many people here are watching the food network and the personalitites mentioned. I thought I was the only one torturing myself!
  • mrnls
    mrnls Posts: 95 Member
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    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.

    /\ /\ Good point!
  • _VoV
    _VoV Posts: 1,494 Member
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    As someone who works for big pharma, I am here to tell you that I resent the comments. Yes, we make drugs and we make vaccines. I am a vaccine microbiologist. I can guarantee you that I do my job every day because I believe in it wholeheartedly. The vaccines I have had input into over the past 13 years have saved countless lives around the globe. This may not be visible in the US or other developed countries, but in the developing world, they make the difference btw life and death.

    As for drugs. Diabetes, cholesterol and other long-term meds are there to help people. Diet should always be your number one source of change for your health. I have had gestational diabetes 3 times (3 kids) and my doctor gave me the "you have 5 years" talk. As in, statistically, women who have gestational diabetes will develop Type 2 diabetes within 5 years. That's why I am here. I have diabetes in my family, not just type 2, but also juvenile (my niece). So, we are predisposed genetically. However, I am not going down without a fight and, doing what I do, my first thought was not to get on pre-diabetes meds, but to change my lifestyle. The meds are there to help you along, but you need to do the majority of the journey here.

    Paula Deen is in no way, shape or form educated about diabetes, although, if she wants to live a long life, she will get there eventually. However, her empire was built on fat and lard, she makes "comfort foods". I can honestly say that I have never made a single one of her dishes because even before I jumped into the healthier mindset, I knew how terrible that stuff is for you. I think she is trying to find an excuse for her cooking. But she is a cook, through and through. And she cooks the food that she loves herself. She is not a scientist or a doctor.

    I personally have no problem with big pharm, though my preference is to deal with most discomforts/diseases in a natural way through lifestyle. Just as you do, too, from what you said here.

    I am not a professional cook, but I do have the reputation in my community for being an awesome home cook. Now, I am highly motivated to trim the fat, cut the sugar, and use whole grains. Maybe, Paula could do that too. I hope so.
  • meltygarden
    meltygarden Posts: 111 Member
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    I think she's responsible for making her own priorities in her life, whatever they may be, and in no way should we consider her a role model for anyone's life but her own. But then I tend to think that about everybody, whether or not they are a celebrity or have been put forth by the media as an example to follow. As adults, we have a responsibility to ourselves to know what's true and what's false and to arrange our own priorities accordingly.
  • mrspeavs
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    The celebrities who say, "I don't want to be a role model!" (not that I've ever heard Ms. Deen say that) are kidding themselves. In our completely celeb-obsessed world, you CAN'T be a celebrity and not have an effect on someone's life. To think that people WOULDN'T be Dean-heads enough to cook everything she churns out is sadly naiive in this culture. As a result, I think she DOES have a responsibility to her fans to be honest with them. Before I started paying attention to everything I shoved in my yap, I didn't really think about the consequences of what I was doing. Cooking shows like hers that neglect to tell fans just what the consequences of making practically ANYTHING she does are being incredibly irrisponsible. NO, it's not their responsibility to teach you how to eat well and to tell you how to live your life. But the lack of knowledge and surpless of terrible food options in this country add up to 50% of American women wearing pants bigger than a size 14.

    She doesn't necessarily have to tell us that SHE has diabetes, but she made the choice to do that when she decided to become a PAID celebrity endorser. I don't think that she should change the format of her show to make it "Paula Deen's Skinny on Diabetes," but I think she (and all chefs - on-air or in-kitchen) should be obligated to educate her fan base about the food she makes.

    It's gotta start somewhere, and celebrities seem to be on the frontlines for a lot of people (I say, noting the Jillian Michaels ad to the left of this typing space...).
  • _VoV
    _VoV Posts: 1,494 Member
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    The celebrities who say, "I don't want to be a role model!" (not that I've ever heard Ms. Deen say that) are kidding themselves. In our completely celeb-obsessed world, you CAN'T be a celebrity and not have an effect on someone's life. To think that people WOULDN'T be Dean-heads enough to cook everything she churns out is sadly naiive in this culture. As a result, I think she DOES have a responsibility to her fans to be honest with them. Before I started paying attention to everything I shoved in my yap, I didn't really think about the consequences of what I was doing. Cooking shows like hers that neglect to tell fans just what the consequences of making practically ANYTHING she does are being incredibly irrisponsible. NO, it's not their responsibility to teach you how to eat well and to tell you how to live your life. But the lack of knowledge and surpless of terrible food options in this country add up to 50% of American women wearing pants bigger than a size 14.

    She doesn't necessarily have to tell us that SHE has diabetes, but she made the choice to do that when she decided to become a PAID celebrity endorser. I don't think that she should change the format of her show to make it "Paula Deen's Skinny on Diabetes," but I think she (and all chefs - on-air or in-kitchen) should be obligated to educate her fan base about the food she makes.

    It's gotta start somewhere, and celebrities seem to be on the frontlines for a lot of people (I say, noting the Jillian Michaels ad to the left of this typing space...).

    ^^THIS. Very well-said. I agree with you totally.
  • mrspeavs
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    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.

    /\ /\ Good point!

    She did used to be heavier though - and I've heard her say before on the show something along the lines of "I don't want to overdo it, so just a little bite." She, too, could definitely use to be more forth-coming about what's in her food! Her fan base likely has a tendency to say "well, she eats it and she's tiny, so I can too" which is obviously not right for most of us... :)
  • Jeff92se
    Jeff92se Posts: 3,369 Member
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    Blame TV. Yeah, that approach has been working.
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
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    If she is out there talking about diabetes to get people to get checked and then make decisions to get healthy their way, great. But quite personally, why does everyone need to know her personal life. Yes, she is a celebrity but I so don't care about anything other than what a celebrity is supposed to do, entertain me. They don't run or decide my life for me.

    If she is putting it out there to make money off of it, then shame for sure. Some people need meds. My son, he has seizures, is one. But there are those who can take care of things simply by taking care of themselves. You need to know which one you are.

    Type 2 Diabetes is not a condition where there needs to be so many different meds. I am sorry, it is self-induced and can be reversed with a controlled carb lifestyle where a person may need to start off on medications and then get off said medications as they lose weight and their body heals to become more insulin sensitive again.

    Most of these medications are detrimental to the body ever healing, therefore the longer you are on said medication, the more damage is being done to the body. That is where neuropathy and such comes into play.

    You can not compare a condition such as your sons seizure disorder which he did not inflict on his self to one millions of people (including myself) actually has inflicted upon themselves. Medicine and Science have their place and are positive for many conditions..........

    But it is ridiculous to fork out hundreds of dollars a month for Diabetes medication which for Type 2 Diabetics is a Lifestyle Disease.

    I have done my part to change my lifestyle from the Standard American Diet over to the Paleo Lifestyle. I am completely medication free, including Diabetes, PCOS and Thyroid medications (which was the last to go).

    I'd like to point out that Type 2 is not always "self-induced" nor a "Lifestyle" disease. Lifestyle, particularly diet and exercise, are heavy factors for most people who get diagnosed with Type 2 later in life, but there are genetic factors for many.

    Diabetes is rampant in my family, both Type 1 and 2. Those with Type 2 in my family were diagnosed when they were teenagers or young adults, just like the Type 1's in the family. All were healthy and normal-weight at the time.

    That said, it is true that healthy diet and exercise allow most Type 2's to stay (or get off) any medications for their diabetes for many years (and some permanently). Many people can control the disease through diet/exercise alone, which is a very good thing.

    I feel sorry for Paula Deen if she's only relying on medication. It'd be nice if she was promoting eating healthy and truly trying to educate people about diabetes. Based on that clip from the show, she's not. Sad, but it's not her responsibility to educate people.

    I am sorry to say this...............I don't usually rely on any government resources, but even governments around the globe say that T2 Diabetes is a LIFESTYLE DISEASE.
    Summary
    Diabetes type 2 is a lifestyle disease that is strongly associated with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and weight gain, particularly around the waist (apple shape). Type 2 diabetes may be prevented but it cannot be cured.

    Another site..........
    Lifestyle diseases, as the name suggests, refer to ailments/diseases/disorders owing to the way people live and the way they interact with their environment. Type 2 Diabetes is one of the various lifestyle diseases which has gripped the youth of today, tightly and fiercely, in their long, jagged tentacles. Considered as the Diabetes capital of the world, India has the highest number of diabetic patients in the world, a whopping figure of 30 million and still growing by leaps and bounds. Doctors and other experts claim that the average age of being diagnosed with a lifestyle disease will soon move down from 40 something to 30 something.


    Not interested in a back and forth argument with you. If you'd read my post closely, I stated "lifestyle" is known to be a heavy factor for most people who develop it later in life. It is not the only cause, though, and I was bothered by others posts stating it as the only cause. Obviously, there is a major problem with the exploding rates of Type 2 diagnosis in the US, and much of it does seem to be due to long-term unhealthy lifestyles by people.

    No matter how people get diabetes, they have to eat properly and exercise to control it. I already stated that as well.

    http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/genetics-of-diabetes.html
  • almondgirl00
    Options
    I don't expect you to understand what people are saying..........

    I am sure your company does a great job of telling their employees how many lives they are saving and such. I won't even go into how dangerous most vaccines really are.

    However, these medications that are coming out on the market are ridiculous.

    Take Byetta and Victoza for examples..................... A few months ago, my doctor prescribed Byetta and after careful research of side effects of possible pancreas or Thyroid Cancer I told him no way in hell am I going to fill that script.

    So he wrote Victoza.......................Says it causes your body to release more insulin (which is counter productive of healing your body to become more inuslin sensitive) and then on top of it Pancreas or Thyroid cancers were common with those taking this drug.

    NO Thanks. I will control and reverse my Diabetes without HARMFUL, yeah I said it...............HARMFUL and outrageously EXPENSIVE drugs.

    It is nothing but a big money scam.

    Are you serious? You don't expect a scientist to understand the incredibly obscure education you've acquired via Google U.? Vaccines are not a conspiracy and they're now all fetus-free, which should reduce the calorie count.
  • SKHaz1
    SKHaz1 Posts: 145 Member
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    WOW...this is getting heated!

    I saw her on the Today show today and did not get upset at all! I didnt exactly see the part about the medications (probably because it didn't have my full attention) BUT she was modifying her cooking to make it healthier.

    Think about all the negative attention she's gotten because of the way she cooks her food. It must have taken a lot of guts to go on national television and tell her story. Its gotta be tough to do that in front of all the "I told you so's" I say, GOOD FOR HER! If part of her story included medication than thats her choice for dealing with her type 2 diabetes. If you don't like it you don't have to listen to it!

    With that being said, her recent diagnosis is just that...a recent change in her life. Cut her some slack!
  • Jeff92se
    Jeff92se Posts: 3,369 Member
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    I wonder if the people that watch Paula Deen and think she eats this way all the time, think Indy 500 drivers drive 200mph on the way home from work?
  • _VoV
    _VoV Posts: 1,494 Member
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    Unintentional post. Sorry.
  • kateroot
    kateroot Posts: 435
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    I wonder if the people that watch Paula Deen and think she eats this way all the time, think Indy 500 drivers drive 200mph on the way home from work?

    THIS.

    She's doing a job. She's not trying to single-handedly make everyone in America fat.
    We're doing a fine job of that all by ourselves.