Report: Paula Deen to reveal she has diabetes
Paula Deen posed for this photo with Dantanna's Chef Tim Mastalski during her October visit to Atlanta.
Food Network personality and cookbook author Paula Deen has type II diabetes and will soon go public with her condition, according to a report on The Daily website.
The butter-loving Savannah chef is not responding to questions about the report. Her most recent tweets include a links to a ham and bean soup recipe and question asking followers about their favorite Super Bowl recipes, although one recent tweet mentions a workout and includes a link to a photo of her on the treadmill.
(The Food Network’s most recent tweet, by the way: “Get the best price of the season on @Paula_Deen’s Everything Pan http://ow.ly/8sQyl.”)
The Daily report quotes an anonymous source saying Deen is “going to have to start cooking healthier recipes,” and will soon become the celebrity endorser for a pharmaceutical company. (The company also did not respond to questions.) Sources also muse about whether Deen’s Savannah restaurant will axe Paula’s Brunch Burger – a fried egg and bacon on a burger served on donuts instead of a bun – from the menu.
Deen’s affinity for rich ingredients has drawn the ire of some foodies, notably celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, who once told TV Guide Deen was “the worst, most dangerous person to America.” His most recent comment regarding Deen came via Twitter on Thursday, in response to another tweeter who evidently asked about Bourdain’s criticism of Deen: “Making fun of Paula Deen has nothing to do with ‘macho’ and everything to do with common sense,” Bourdain tweeted. (It seemed like a par-for-the-course comment from him, not a joke about her illness).
Deen’s 2011 cookbook, “Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible,” which she called her “proudest achievement so far,” made it to the list of Five Worst Cookbooks of 2011 by the nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
“Deen’s cookbook includes such nutrition bombs as Hot Buffalo Wings. A single serving of three wings contain 910 calories and 85 grams of fat,” the organization said in a statement.
A spokesperson for the PCRM noted that Deen “is the only chef who has made it into the list twice over the last three years with her high-fat recipes that raise the risk for obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.”
Deen’s supposed diabetes is burning up Twitter right now. “Paula Deen” is a top trending topic. We’ll keep an eye out for any response directly from her.
Deen comes to Atlanta pretty regularly for promotional events. She was here in October for a book signing at the BJ’s wholesale club in Woodstock, and showed up at the Dantanna’s in Buckhead during her visit. She ordered the “Buffalo Trace Bourbon BBQ Giant Beef Rib” menu item, along with potato salad and chicken wings. She apparently raved about the potato salad, saying only her own recipe is better, and had the Krispy Kreme bread pudding for dessert.
- Jennifer Brett/The Buzz/jbrett@ajc.com
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153 comments Add your comment
Loopy Lupus guy!
January 13th, 2012
1:20 pm
.
@Gwinette Chick; good point RE Halle Berry. Curious, I read that Ms. Berry’s diagnosis was initially unclear as to type 1 or 2. Initially she was diagnosed type 1, then later type 2; leading some to joke she has type1.5. But still medical research indicates that 90% percent of type 2 diabetes patients are obese. So, some type 2 folks maybe aren’t obese -or even overweight. Just like 90% of all Lupus patients are women; yet, here I am: a dude with Lupus. So any medical diagnoses is possible; But no one would argue that being overweight increases the risk of type 2 diabetes just like no one would argue that smoking increases the risk of lung cancer. Nor would most people argue that Ms Dean looks overweight – if not obese.
tim
January 13th, 2012
1:23 pm
Maybe the Dean of Fat will finally “get it”
Time to end her dumb southern stiick…………
Sherry
January 13th, 2012
1:24 pm
You people are so rude………..Yes Paula might be overweight, but hell who isn’t. Anyway I have type
2 . Hally Barry is Type 2, what’s wrong with that figure(not a damn thing). This is inherited, just like a
lot of things. So before you go picking on someone else, clean up your own back yard………………….May you all be cursed with being FAT!!!!!!!!. you most likely are already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sher Lock
January 13th, 2012
1:31 pm
I have diabetes and am not obese. It’s hereditary.
TT
January 13th, 2012
1:35 pm
Wow .. I did not see it coming……….NOT lol . Have you seen the kind of greasy crap she cooks on that show. Fried this Fried that, Greasy this Greasy that with lots of butter. Yep eating that everyday will give you diabetes and kill you for sure
LCDawg
January 13th, 2012
1:37 pm
Shocking!!!!!!
Hetch Hetchy
January 13th, 2012
1:41 pm
I guess the good news is she’ll have to change her diet, and maybe avoid an early heart attack.
Jane Mason
January 13th, 2012
1:46 pm
Anthony Bourdain has no right to criticize Paula Deen. His diet is just as bad. It seems to be mostly meat-based restaurant food with lots of fat. Power to the new vegetarian revolution!
Linda
January 13th, 2012
1:55 pm
Loopy—- you are telling a person who works in the medical field and has so for well over 40 years the difference in type 1 and 2? I did not say Mary Tyler Moore was type 1 or 2 but I do know what type she is. Now stating that, again I will say type 2 runs in families and you do not have to be obese to have type 2- case in point is my SIL who is probably about a size 5, very slim.
Roekest
January 13th, 2012
1:59 pm
And in other news…gunshots hurt!
2012
January 13th, 2012
1:59 pm
where are you Jennifer? this is just a hate-fest.
Jerry
January 13th, 2012
2:01 pm
There’s apparently more to this story. Paula will also announce that she’s inked a deal with Norvatis to endorse their new Diabetes drug. That’s my girl, never miss an opportunity to make money. And she has been hiding her condition for sometime fearing a loss of endorsements or her television show. Just because her mouth drips with sugar doesn’t mean she’s a nice person. She has exploited you if you are a fan and follow her recipes and she plans on exploiting her illness too. Just an all around lovely person.
Chief Knock a da homer
January 13th, 2012
2:05 pm
Paula Dean will make teh best of this,imo………………She will start making thing good for diabetics to eat now!! It is a manageble disease party people
Globeflyer
January 13th, 2012
2:06 pm
Mr. Bourdain is a pompous ass who I would not cross the street to see, nor eat his “offerings”. Paula is a classic case of overweight, no-exercise, rich diet, Southern lady. This, sadly, should surprise no one; I hope she can get it under control. When her detractors can show me that they have as much tenacity and ingenuity as she had to exhibit (to get where she is now), I will be impressed, and not until.
sherry
January 13th, 2012
2:06 pm
you people are pathetic. @steve… bless your heart! you are a yankee, ain’t ya? i’m not sure what you’re talking about when you say ‘yaw’. only thing i can tell you, my friend… if you don’t like it down south, take I75 north & do us all a favor. jerk!
OtistheDrunk
January 13th, 2012
2:09 pm
Sad to read this and sure glad to see that Bobby Deen has launched a new TV show on the Cooking Channel called “Not My Mama’s Meals” where he takes Paula’s southern recipes and redoes them in a healthy way (like “fried” chicken that he bakes using corn flakes as the coating etc). Wouldn’t surprise me if she publicly reveals her disease on Bobby’s new show..in fact, that may be a great idea!
Hopefully she will let Bobby do all the cooking from now on with his healthier recipes! Best wishes Paula to a speedy weight loss and recovery from this diabetes. You CAN return to normal health!
AJC Negative Blogger
January 13th, 2012
2:15 pm
Seriously people, “southern cooking” is not Paula’s food. Her recipes have been handed down for generations with the exception of any new age cooking using modern food items not found long ago. Even those recipes were derived from more traditional recipes. Y’all will shoot the messenger all day long.
I love how a side of mac & cheese with meat and veggies is considered unhealthy in the South but up North it’s ok to eat a plate of mac & cheese for a dinner entree.
katl
January 13th, 2012
2:18 pm
I am sad to here that Paula Dean has diabetes, I like her shows and I love watching her cook. Diabetes is nothing to play with, but it can be controlled. Now to all the disrepectful,ignorant people that are making fun of her and don’t have anything good to say about her or anybody else..”WE ARE ALL GOING TO LEAVE HERE WITH SOMETHING YOU ARE NOT IMMUNE TO ANYTHING AND JUST BECAUSE YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING NOW DON’T MEAN THEY YOU WANT LATER IN LIFE MY SUGGESTIONS TOO YOU, KEEP LIVING!”
CL
January 13th, 2012
2:22 pm
We all make our own choices. I’m glad to see she’s trying to quit her pack and a half a day smoking habit and wish her well with her diabetes diagnosis.
lisa
January 13th, 2012
2:29 pm
I wish Paula the best as she gets used to life with diabetes. I would take Paula over Anthony Bourdain any day. She brings a smile to my heart; Bourdain, a lot of cuss words to my eyes and ears.
mamaj
January 13th, 2012
2:45 pm
I love Paula Deen, and like she always says, “I’m your cook, not your doctor”, the choice is always yours. Just because she has a show that produces southern cuisine, she is by no means the inventor of southern foods, because some were cooking just like that, before she came on the scene. I hope and believe she will be okay, because she is surrounded by people who love her, and her son’s show was probably born from her recent diagnosis.
To Each His Own
January 13th, 2012
2:50 pm
Yea, but that hagard old cook is laughing all the way to the bank!
Cardiac Physician Assistant
January 13th, 2012
2:51 pm
TO DONNA P.:
Paula Deen IS Obese by ‘ALL’ medical standards…Period! I’ve seen her in person. Type II Diabetes is something that can certainly be side tracked/prevented by a healthy liestyle and has NOT been helped by her PRESUMED eating habits.
Cardiac Physician Assistant
January 13th, 2012
2:52 pm
But…Damn she can cook!!!
Karma to joeybitten
January 13th, 2012
2:57 pm
Thanks. I try hard every day to be disgusting. Truth hurts doesn’t it?
Wendell
January 13th, 2012
2:58 pm
It ain’t the butter, it’s the bread…and the sugar. There’s too much info from the last 10 years, open your minds and research it.
Type 1 Mama
January 13th, 2012
2:58 pm
First off – I am sorry to read of Paula’s diagnosis. It is very possible her Type 2 diabetes is hereditary and that her lifestyle “set it off”. However, if she ate everything she cooked, she would be morbidly obese. I hope that she will make some lifestyle changes and prevent any complications that diabetes can cause.
Onto my soapbox. My very thin, healthy 5-year old has had TYPE 1 diabetes since he was 2 years old. It is autoimmune – cannot prevent it. Cannot cure it. VERY hard to control it. It is a slap in the face to read all of your comments when I work my butt off night and day to keep him healthy and ALIVE!!! Please educate yourselves before shooting off your ignorant mouths (or typing fingers).
@ Linda – just because you work in the medical field doesn’t mean you know anything about diabetes. My son’s former pediatrician didn’t know a thing and darn near killed him.
Harold
January 13th, 2012
3:01 pm
She insults and disrespects the First Lady for promoting healthy eating habits and then has to announce that he has had Type II Diabetes for sometime. There is a God after all.
HENRY
January 13th, 2012
3:10 pm
IT’S OK TO EAT CRAP AND LOTS OF IT IF YOU EXERCISE ALONG WITH IT……I GUESS THE EXERCISE IS SOMETHING NEW FOR HER.
Used to love Paula Deen
January 13th, 2012
3:12 pm
I was once a big Paula Deen fan. I bought 3 of her cookbooks, and have been to her Savannah restaurant on a couple of occasions. However, in February 2011, my husband and I went to Savannah to celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary. We knew there was no way to get in there Saturday evening as you have to be in line around 3 p.m. to get a table. So, we decided to go for Sunday brunch. We got there around the time they opened and there were about 300 people waiting. Now, they don’t take reservations and they are open on Sunday until 5 p.m. We were prepared to wait an hour or two. My husband went to the hostess and was rudely told that “you aren’t getting in here today”. She didn’t apologize or anything. How in the world would she know if we would or would not get in? It’s 11 a.m. and you are open until 5 and there are 300 people? I know the restaurant isn’t that big, but it’s buffett. Unless 90% of those 300 people are going to stay there all day, you can’t turn people away at opening! I went on Paula’s website and informed her of the rudeness of her employee. Got no response. This told me she really doesn’t care about her customers. I still use her cookbooks, because some of the stuff is really good. But I won’t be giving her any more of my money.
mary h
January 13th, 2012
3:16 pm
no one loves to eat more than I do, but alas, I got the diabetes diagnoses last year! Gave up unhealthy living and started walking. Blood sugar is in great control. A1C was 5 at last draw….So good luck to Paula. You are an awesome woman and you can do this….I do love to watch your programs…can’t eat much of your recipes, but love to watch you cook your food!!
Linda
January 13th, 2012
3:18 pm
Type 1 mama- I would hope working as a nurse practitioner in an endocrine group specializing in the treatment of diabetes I have learned some over the years- not only in the early years but we are required to have ongoing studies.
Type 1 Mama
January 13th, 2012
3:19 pm
mary h – good for you for taking control of your health! Keep up the fantastic A1C!! Hope Paula takes a page from your book.
Type 1 Mama
January 13th, 2012
3:21 pm
Linda – you were not specific regarding your background in endocrinology. But with that background, you should know that my statement is sadly true, even if it doesn’t apply to you. Thank you for what you do.
Mythbuster
January 13th, 2012
3:23 pm
Breaking News: Food DOES NOT cause diabetes. Lifestyle and heredity does, as well as yet-to-be discovered metabolic and infectious triggers that are not fully understood.
Muscles burn blood-sugar (glucose) without the use of insulin, so excerise and activity are important. (Sloth is one of the seven deadly sins, after all.)
Since insulin is a hormone, who knows, one day we may learn that certain viruses can cause the body’s immmune response to attack our own endocrine system.
hmmmm
January 13th, 2012
3:23 pm
In other news the sky is blue and grass is green.
Cheryl
January 13th, 2012
3:24 pm
Paula will be fine. She will just have to use portion control and stay away from white bread, white rice, and white pasta, etc. There are ways of making them taste good and keep up with your diab numbers.
Love you Paula
Cheryl
January 13th, 2012
3:26 pm
oh, i forgot exercise
Kevin
January 13th, 2012
3:34 pm
A woman finds out she has diabetes, and you bunch of losers spew vile comments like she deserves it, etc.
You’re a miserable lot and you deserve the miserable lives I’m sure many of you live.
Cold hearts, cold lives.
Loopy Lupus guy!
January 13th, 2012
3:35 pm
@Linda -sorry no offense. my wife is a PA and I would think that as a medical professional, you would make the distinction between type 1 and type 2 which I dont believe you did in your argument for MaryTyler Moore’s diabetes diagnosis. But point still taken.
happy MLK day!
carla roqs
January 13th, 2012
3:38 pm
Enter your comments here
carla roqs
January 13th, 2012
3:41 pm
nasty nasty comments here.
david
January 13th, 2012
3:42 pm
Well there is a shocker. You cannot go through life eating and cooking like she does and not expect problems. Sweetest lady ever, but her food epitomizes what is wrong with American habits.
Linda
January 13th, 2012
3:49 pm
Loopy, did not know I HAD to distinguish between anything, just talking diabetes and stated a fact of Mary Tyler Moore having diabetes, not argument for her having 1 or 2, not on trial here, just saying…..
Kyle
January 13th, 2012
3:52 pm
I am so stunned you could knock me over with a Bazooka.
Get it.
Fatty Patty
January 13th, 2012
3:58 pm
Butter has no carbs so its ok for diabetes. It’s all about the sugar consumption, no exercise, age, and mostly STRESS. Sugar is easy to give up when you have to and anybody can walk but STRESS is not easy to avoid.
joyce
January 13th, 2012
3:58 pm
Shaggy that was priceless. My heart did the same thing. Are you kidding me. Who eats like that?
mitzymy
January 13th, 2012
3:59 pm
It’s not the butter that she cooks with. Doctors have said through research that our bodies don’t recognize margarine. Her food is not meant to be eaten every day and every meal, and she probably does not eat like this herself. Weight gain is something that happens naturally. When a person passes 25 the metabolism starts to slow down, but we don’t recognize it then because we are still active. I wore a size 5 at high school graduation, and now I am a 14. I eat right and exercise regularly, but if I don’t step up the exercise a notch, I gain weight. Paula cooks like that because she has an audience for it. Savannah is a tourist town and her resturant is part of the attraction to visiting that city. She will be fine.
Peter
January 13th, 2012
4:19 pm
If she does have diabetes then it is a testament about the food she makes and eats.
“Deen’s cookbook includes such nutrition bombs as Hot Buffalo Wings. A single serving of three wings contain 910 calories and 85 grams of fat,”
Mostly crap for your body, and lands you over weight as she is !
Yawn
January 13th, 2012
4:30 pm
And this announcement is meaningful to me or any other ajc.com reader because…?
Slow news day???