Celebrity Chef Hides Diabetes Condition
By Julia Loggins
Paula Deen, the celebrity chef, is not the only one contributing to her disease with her cooking! In a recent story on Today’s Health about Paula Deen, readers wondered if her own cooking created her own disease.
The truth is, we have all done it! According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 9% of the American population has Type 2 diabetes, and nearly 80 million have pre-diabetic conditions. My dad had it, and everyone in my family is sensitive to sugar, high fat and processed foods. How about your family? Who out there doe not have someone close to them suffering from and struggling with diabetes, hypoglycemia, heart disease, colon disease — like diverticulitis or IBS—or colon cancer? And yet, most of us know what it’s like to be very attached to the foods, the recipes and the rituals that we associate with family, with comfort and “feeling good.” It is heartbreaking when those we love put their lives and their quality of life on the line because they cannot change their lifestyle and their diet. Sometimes we feel “weak” when we discover we can no longer shovel down the deep fried doughnuts or cheeseburgers like we see folks doing on TV, and it is always a big “aha!” moment when we discover that, neither can they.
Celebrating with Food the Healthful Way
In my book, “DARE TO DETOXIFY!” I write about this in the chapter, “Say Good-bye to Normal.” It is time for us to embrace a new way of celebrating the joy of sharing and preparing food! We can re-invent the foods we associate with traditional celebrations: Pumpkin pie is just as delicious made with agave or stevia, and fresh sweet potatoes rather than bland, canned pumpkin. And we have an incredible opportunity right now, at the beginning of a new year, to commit to a diet and lifestyle that is not only delicious, but will heal, detoxify and re-vitalize us. Paula Deen, you can do it! We’ve always loved your down-home, “family first” enthusiasm in the kitchen. Take those fried shortcakes and transform them into light, fluffy puffs of sugar-free treats. None of us can afford the denial that says it won’t happen to us. And we’re all in this together.
Let’s all change one thing about our diets and lifestyles this week. My daughter loves hot chocolate, and last night we found dairy-free, sugar-free cocoa to add to steaming hot rice milk. We made gluten free snickerdoodle cookies and she had her movie night treat. Today, instead of French fries, we baked organic, frozen french fries and seasoned them with sea salt and cayenne, so they were salty and spicy. There’s no need to suffer just because we want to be healthy and full of energy! We can nurture our digestion and desire for connection and comraderie around the dinner table, all at the same time. Paula Deen — and the rest of us — it’s time to get clean!!
Sincerely,
Julia Loggins
