The News Of …

Paula Deen (the Southern belle of butter and heavy cream) is making no apologies for waiting three years to disclose she has Type 2 diabetes while continuing to dish up deep-fried cheesecake and other high-calorie, high-fat recipes on TV.
She said she isn’t changing the comfort cooking that made her a star, though it isn’t clear how much of it she’ll continue to eat while she promotes health-conscious recipes along with a diabetes drug she’s endorsing for a Danish company.
“I’ve always said: ‘Practice moderation, y’all.’ I’ll probably say that a little louder now” – Deen said Tuesday after revealing her diagnosis on NBC’s Today show. “You can have diabetes and have a piece of cake. You cannot have diabetes and eat a whole cake.”
Health activists and one fellow chef called her a hypocrite for promoting an unhealthy diet along with a drug to treat its likely effects. Deen added her support of the Novo Nordisk company to a collection of lucrative endorsements that include Smithfield ham and Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
Deen, who will turn 65 on Thursday, said she kept her diagnosis private as she and her family figured out what to do, presumably about her health and a career built solidly on Southern cooking. Among her recipes: deep-fried cheesecake covered in chocolate and powdered sugar, and a quiche that calls for a pound of bacon.
“I really sat on this information for a few years because I said: ‘Oh, my gosh, what am I going to do about this? Is my life fixing to change? Am I no longer going to like my life?’ ” she asked. “I had to have time to adjust and soak it all in and get up all the information that I could.”

Paula Deen.

Queen of comfort cuisine Paula Deen confirmed to Al Roker Tuesday that she has type-2 diabetes.
In her first broadcast interview discussing the disease, Deen said she intentionally kept the diagnosis secret after discovering she had it during a routine physical three years ago. “I came home, I told my children, I told my husband, I said: ‘I’m gonna keep this close to my chest for the time being’ because I had to figure out things in my own head” – she told Roker on TODAY.
Rumors that the 64-year-old Southern cook suffers from the disease have been persistent. The National Enquirer first reported the diagnosis in April 2010. Deen neither confirmed nor denied the reports – until now.
“I’m here today to let the world know that it is not a death sentence” – said the Food Network star, who is now being paid as a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that supplies her diabetes medication. Coinciding with her announcement, Deen and her family are appearing in a new ad campaign for the company this month.
The news puts a spotlight on Deen, who has been criticized for promoting the type of high-fat, high-sugar diet that leads to weight gain – a major factor believed to cause type-2 diabetes. Deen said her reputation wasn’t the reason she kept the diagnosis under wraps. “I wanted to bring something to the table when I came forward” – she explained.
When asked about whether she will make a change in how she cooks on her show, “Paula’s Best Dishes,” Deen didn’t give a direct answer, instead encouraging viewers to practice moderation.
“Here’s the thing, you know, I’ve always encouraged moderation” – she said. “On my show, you know, I share with you all these yummy, fattening recipes, but I tell people ‘in moderation… You can have that little piece of pie …’”

When asked if the high-fat, high-caloric recipes she champions can lead to diabetes, she hedged.
“That is part of the puzzle” – she said, but mentioned other factors: genetics, lifestyle, stress and age.
“On my show I share with you all these yummy, fattening recipes, but I tell people, ‘in moderation’ ” – she added. “I’ve always eaten in moderation.”
Government doctors say that being overweight, over 45 and inactive increase the risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. Growth of the disease in the U.S. has been closely tied to escalating obesity rates. Roughly 23 million Americans are believed to have Type 2 diabetes, according to federal estimates.
Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes. The body either does not produce enough insulin or does not use it efficiently, allowing excess sugar, or glucose, to accumulate in the blood.
Deen has Type 2 diabetes and takes Victoza, a once-daily noninsulin injection. The website links to promotional materials for the drug.
The 64-year-old Deen, known as “the Queen of Southern cuisine” – appears on Food Network.