Paula Deen at the Crossroads: Punch Line or Role Model?

America's foremost peddler of excessive butter, cream, salt and sugar, chef Paula Deen, has finally confirmed rumors that she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes three years ago. Her timing for this announcement was clearly no accident as she also revealed that she is now a paid spokesperson for the Novo-Nordisk diabetes drug, Victoza.

Ms. Deen, whose high-calorie recipes and super-sized portions have made her both a Food Network favorite and a public health nightmare, appears appallingly opportunistic for simultaneously revealing both her diagnosis and a deal with a pharmaceutical company. But could this announcement by one of America's most high-profile chefs actually be a blessing in disguise, particularly for her devoted fan base? Could her diagnosis act as a wake up call to those in denial about the relationship between what you eat and your health? It certainly could, if Ms. Deen chooses the right path.

In a rocky start, Ms. Deen demonstrated a healthy dose of both denial and damage control on the Today Show when she refused to acknowledge that her weight and/or eating habits contributed to her illness. "On my show I share all these yummy, fattening recipes but I tell people (to eat) in moderation," Ms. Deen said. She claimed she's always eaten in moderation and reminded Americans that, "I'm your cook, not your doctor."

No one I know would go to Ms. Deen for medical advice. However, on the cooking front, this charming and up-from-the-bootstraps southern chef is an inspiration to many. And that's why her diagnosis with a serious, chronic disease that is heavily related to unhealthy food choices may actually resonate with Americans.

For those unfamiliar with why diabetes is such a devastating ailment, here's a brief primer. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), Type 2 diabetes is a major cause of heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, amputation, and blindness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points out that diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates in 2007. And if current trends continue, 1 of 3 U.S. adults will have diabetes by 2050. The good news? More than 85 percent of people with Type 2 diabetes are overweight and weight reduction can prevent onset.

No question that there's been a collective haze of denial hovering over America for decades as waistlines increased dramatically along with hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol counts. With Big Food refusing to play a meaningful role in the overhaul of our disease-producing food system, and federal legislators unable to pass important policies that would help reshape the nation's food environment, Americans have been lulled into a sense of complacency about what we eat. Enter Ms. Deen, America's most visible cheerleader for unhealthy eating habits, who even after her diagnosis said diabetes won't change how she cooks. Imagine the impact she could have if she renounced her old lifestyle and began publicly modeling a healthier one.

As it stands, Ms. Deen is at a crossroads. Her fame and diagnosis have presented her with a unique opportunity, which can create a legacy as either a role model or a punch line. So far she's hurtling down the punch line path -- encouraging Americans to pop a pill for their diabetes while she continues to hawk fare like deep-fried cheesecake, deep-fried lasagna, deep-fried stuffing on a stick (are you sensing a pattern here?) and her notorious Lady's Brunch Burger which consists of a burger topped with bacon and fried egg on a sliced glazed donut.

But it's not too late for her to toss out the deep fryer, modify her recipes and admit she was wrong. A reinvented Paula Deen, cooking wholesome, tasty, healthier food and modeling a physically active lifestyle would be an inspiration to her legion of trusting fans. Everyone loves a celebrity resurrection, and Ms. Deen sure could use one right now.

So if Ms. Deen is reading this, let me sum up my advice. Ditch the Novo-Nordisk gig, admit you've seen the light and become America's dietary savior. You'll save lives. You'll earn new respect. You won't even miss those Twinkie Pies or Fried Butter Balls as you bask in your newfound role of Dietary Role Model in Chief. And as an added bonus, you'll increase the likelihood that you'll live to see your grandchildren grow up.

Could this be the true meaning behind the expression, "the South will rise again?"

 

Follow Nancy Huehnergarth on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nyshepa

Comments

[mjodim]

11:36 AM on 01/23/2012

Butter doesn't cause diabetes. It may not be as good for you as olive oil, but it is way better for you than margerine, which were pushed by ignorant media types who are now slamming Paula Dean. Type II diabetes is a complex metabolic disorder that has a strong genetic component. It also has a strong age factor. Paula Dean was at a higher risk for developing diabetes because of her age, but none of the commentators ripping into her are mentioning that. A sedentary lifestyle is also a strong component, but active, skinny people do get diabetes - Ask Halle Berry! Weight may contribute to developing diabetes, or the same factors that give a person a higher risk for diabetes may also make them more susceptible to weight gain, and resistant to weight loss. A number of diabetic medications lead to weight gain. Quit pushing stereotypes and blaming diabetics for their disease. People can do all the "right" things according to the latest health fads - yet they still get cancer, heart attacks, etc. You don't know what caused Paula Deans diabetes. You don't know how to cure it. Health conditions are suppose to be a protected privacy. She's a celebrity not a candidate for President. She was under no obligation to reveal. She's a celebrity, she got a deal to promote the medication she uses. You don't have to buy it.

[jenirow]

10:30 PM on 01/21/2012

This is a woman who overcame agoraphobia to build a huge empire. That kind of determination is fueled by something and now we realize what that is...money.

I agree with those that say that she is under no obligation to disclose the fact that she has a serious health problem caused in part by the rich, unhealthy food she cooks up for the (paying) masses. That being said, the fact that she thought her fans and supporters didn't need to know that what she was selling was ruining her health and ours shows us what she cares about...money.

She didn't care about anyone but herself when she got her diagnosis and if she didn't get this offer from the drug company she may never have told the truth at all. Luckily for some, she found a reason to be honest about her condition; that's right...money!

We all need to grow up and realize most of these celebrities are concerned with their fame and money and the kindness and interest they show in their fans is only part of the game. Interesting that one of her son's has a show where he cooks lighter versions of his mother's fare...too bad his mother was so selfish she didn't do that herself.

[Riva Greenberg]

02:21 PM on 01/21/2012

I couldn't agree with you more. If Deen were to use this moment to say, "OK, I realize it's time for me and you to eat healthier. My recipes are fun to watch and maybe cook up as a very occasional indulgence, but let's all make sure we get our greens and beans 80% of the time," Then she'd become an inspiration and the health leader she's now poised to be. But if she sticks to peddling her usual fare, and injection treatment for it, she either doesn't get it or doesn't want to.

[ashleymorris02]

11:51 PM on 01/19/2012

Paula Deen is quoted as saying, “I’m your cook, not your doctor.” People are responsible for making their own decisions. I agree that no one is forced to either make her southern, home-style meals, or buy from her line of products. To me, however, it seems unethical to promote something that is potentially harmful. Although, I do understand that the matter of ethics is almost strictly subjective. There are always shades of grey when discussing what is right and wrong. However, if I were a fan of Paula’s, I would most likely feel a little betrayed by (what could be construed as) dishonesty. I would also question why she waited three years to tell her audience that the very lifestyle she was promoting was actually giving her diabetes. It seems like maybe she was waiting to break the news until she could spin it in a positive way. No matter what her motivation may have been, Novo Nordisk (the pharmaceutical company she is partnering with) seems very excited to work with the Deen Family: “Paula Deen, through her work with Diabetes in a New Light™, is likely to inspire many people living with type 2 diabetes to take a more positive approach to their diabetes care”(http://press.novonordiskus.com/index.php?s=43&item=314).

[Vendeen]

11:20 AM on 01/20/2012

Or, more likely to keep up their terrible eating habits and just popping a "magic pill" because that's the easy way out and the example PD is setting for them.

[pegreads]

11:27 PM on 01/22/2012

Let's make a correction from the article/blog, supposedly she's to sell victoza and victoza is an injection not a pill. I get the point, medicine over lifestyle changes.

I've been reading these articles about her and replied to a few. I'm curious why no one I've seen so far has recalled how Graham Kerr (Galloping Gourmet) had to face the music and change his and his wife's diet for health reasons and that led to him reversing his past love of most of the same things she did. He changed his cooking on his shows to match that. In doing that he raised awareness and also sold more cookbooks, etc...

[stevi]

11:40 PM on 01/19/2012

I have never been a big fan of Paula's style of cooking and now I find her a sad lady who fails viewers and herself.

[archarabia]

10:59 PM on 01/19/2012

Now that I think of it, I'm wondering why Novo Nordisk has hired a spokesperson who isn't modeling a healthy lifestyle, just popping a pill. Is that better for their bottom line, for people to stay sick longer and be more dependent on medicine? Where's the corporate responsibility? Bad choice, Novo.

[FitzT]

09:26 PM on 01/19/2012

I agree 100% about these diabetes drugs. The consequences are dire and they will continue to be pulled from the market as we learn about those consequences.

[FitzT]

09:24 PM on 01/19/2012

OK, it's the carbohydrates, aka the complex sugars that tax the system and cause it to break down. They also store directly as FAT. Fat we eat however is easily utilized. Simple sugars are pretty easily utilized and don't cause the insulin tolerance that is behind type 2 diabetes. Funny, all of these grains that the natural foods folks are more the problem than butter and sugar ever was. Lose the margarine, lose most of the grains and watch the pounds disappear. Fruit, meat, dairy, and green and leafy-that's the diet for the primates.

[shelagh63]

02:10 PM on 01/22/2012

So true

[pegreads]

11:31 PM on 01/22/2012

FitzT - Boy do you need a better education on how this all works. You eat a lot of malarky on your diet I see.

[wisstein]

09:11 PM on 01/19/2012

Now consider this question - who had more degenerative diseases??? Is it our modern culture -or- was it people eating these traditional diets. I have 24 g.grandparents and g.g.grandparents. I have birth and death dates on all of them. They were born in the 1830 and the last died in the 1960s. Mostly they lived without antibiotics, modern dentistry, going to the hospital to have babies, freezers or refridgerators. These 24 people lived an average of 73.5 years, averaged 6.25 children per woman, and 4 of the 12 couples celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Do anything think our modern culture - with all our ideas of health - could do this without medical care???

Eat butter instead of margarine, whole milk instead of skim milk, and lard instead of partially hydrogenated vegatable oils. These traditional foods are GOOD for you! Drop the sugar and processed junk - that is the problem. Study history - you will find I am right.

[stevi]

11:36 PM on 01/19/2012

Your family members probably worked hard every day, didn't have assistants, house cleaners or gardeners. They probably got up early in the morning and physically worked all day and probably didn't sit around very much. We could all eat more traditional foods if we had more physical lifestyles, didn't watch tv, surf the net, or have office jobs where we sat in swivel chairs for 8 hours a day then drove to and from the job one hour each way and then collapse in front of a tv.

[frbridge]

06:05 PM on 01/19/2012

Here's the thing... the author of the article talks about a sense of complacency among Americans when it comes to what we eat.

Food labels abound. We have food pyramid teaching tools. Kids hear about nutrition in school - elementary, through high school. There are all sorts of food items from which to choose in the grocery store. There are 100 calorie packs, there are sugar free foods and fat free foods galore.

I don't see how we have been lulled into a sense of complacency. Why? Because it's not complacency, it's willful ignorance on the part of many. Ignoring the good choices and choosing that which is not always healthy. "...policies that would help reshape the nation's food environment?" I don't think so.

[pegreads]

11:41 PM on 01/22/2012

There is such a disconnect between where food comes from plus our generations are no longer teaching the next how to cook real food that contributes a lot to the epidemic too. A few years ago my sister was a little taken aback when she visited her granddaughter and moved to make breakfast getting out bowls and things to make pancakes. "No grandma, they come out of the freezer. See, I'll show you." Sad.

[accelerando]

05:51 PM on 01/19/2012

Once upon a time the South was mostly very poor. The star turns of our cuisine, things like fried chicken and lemon chess pie, were only rarely able to be enjoyed: Sunday dinner for the relatively well to do, maybe on holidays for everybody else. The problem today is that so many people can afford to eat this stuff every day; that is, when they are not eating equally bad convenience food (out or from the grocery store). Couple this lack of moderation with a food industry that makes and sells stuff it knows will kill you, add "entertainers" like Dean, and you have a recipe for disaster. The Romans did themselves in with lead water pipes; we are going down with sugar and salt. You don't have to live this way, but you'll have to pay attention.

[sonjasmom]

05:36 PM on 01/19/2012

Maybe she can be a object lesson for people who think you can regularly eat the kind of food she showcases and remain healthy. Did she ever actually use the word "moderation" on her show?
My concern is in how she works her gig with the pharmaceutical company. If her message is that you can continue to eat fatty,sugary food and stay healthy by taking a medicine, she deserves all the scorn people are offering. If she becomes an example of improved diet and lifestyle, I won't be so offended by her promotion of a diabetes drug.

[Chefrob88]

05:11 PM on 01/19/2012

This is the most hateful and judgemental feed I have read in a long time. I have had good friends who have died from complications of diabetes. Are you blaming them for their deaths too? Did they deserve loss of limb? The answer is no. No one is perfect, and everyone has vices. As far as her teaming up with Novo-Nordisk, she is a business woman, and a smart one at that. There are few in this country, that if offered the kind of money that she is offered for any given thing, would say no.

[skjn62]

06:30 PM on 01/19/2012

Well said, and she takes the drug she is promoting.

[urkiddinme]

07:02 PM on 01/19/2012

I haven't read all the comments but I personally don't think she "deserves" it or that this serves her right...I do , however, think she has been (according to reports) irresponsible in her behavior and public persona since being diagnosed three years ago (still smoking, drinking gallons of sweet tea daily, continuing to destroy food in over-the-top sugar, butter, lard and the most extreme unhealthy preparation methods) and I find it repugnant that she is using her disease as a money making opportunity rather than doing some good public service with the diabetes foundation or something similar. It makes her appear very calculating and manipulative. In her "big reveal" she went as far as to state "Diabetics can eat cake! Just not the whole cake!" -- again, giving the "eat all the crap you want, just take your pills, y'all!" backwards approach to managing this very serious yet VERY TREATABLE disease. Again, I don't think her lifestyle choices are for me to judge and I take no joy in her diagnosis, but I am disgusted by her presenting what she does to food as a way to show your family "love," and that it's "good old southern everyday home cooking for busy families" -- when there is nothing loving or nutritious about deep frying butter balls or serving a half pound cheeseburger between two donuts.

[BlueOnBlue]

05:04 PM on 01/19/2012

I'm wondering who approached whom here. Did the drug company seek out Paula Deen or did she, still keeping her diabetes a secret from the public, approach them with an offer to represent them?

I'm betting it was the latter, as why in heck would the drug company have looked to her as a spokesperson?

This is such crushing hypocrisy she is in contention to have her pic included next to the entry in the next dictionary.

[skjn62]

06:19 PM on 01/19/2012

She is taking the drug she is promoting.

[Bushman68]

03:45 PM on 01/19/2012

One thing people need to understand is that Diabetes doesn't cause hypertension, high cholestorol, heart desease, etc. All of those things are results caused by the same thing. High carb diets. Specifically carbs with high glycemic index like sugar, corn syrup, and many processed food. Carbs raise blood sugar which causes the body to release insulin to bring the blood sugar back down. Over time, insulin becomes less effective and more is needed. At some point, the body can't produce enough insulin to control blood sugar. This is diabetes. The unwanted side effects of insulin are hardening of the arteries and high cholesterol which lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, and others. Diabetes is the disease you get when you can't produce enough insulin. Thus, you need to take insulin pills or shots. The weight gain often related to diabetes is also caused by high carb diets as carbs that don't get burned as energy are transformed into fat in the body. This is why very low carb diet with high fat content work. When followed properly you can lose weight and reverse many of the problems discussed above.

[FitzT]

09:31 PM on 01/19/2012

You describe type 2 diabetes here and it's tolerance to insulin that is the problem. The system though is delicate, complex and poorly understood which makes these drugs that affect it all the more dangerous.

[pegreads]

11:56 PM on 01/22/2012

FitzT I hope you aren't a diabetic, I really do. Yes, it is delicate and there has been a lot of advances in the past decades and a lot more to go. The same drugs you are so paranoid over though in your various posts so far I've read, do help save lives, they help save health and each is a very individual deal. Every patient, famous or not, has to go through a trial and error process to find the right combination combined with how they live and what their bodies can tolerate.