Paula Deen a Spokesperson for a Diabetes Drug???

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Novo Nordisk HQ

Oh, for the love of Moses and all that's holy, what have we done with our collective intelligence!  I read an article by Dr. Andrew Weil calling it a "shame" that Paula Deen has been made a spokesperson for a diabetes drug, Novo Nordisk.  A "shame"?  How about an outrage!  The message seems to be, Go ahead and eat whatever you want, as much as you want; don't worry about your arteries or cholesterol; don't worry about anything, cuz' we got Novo Nordisk to save your ass!  In fact, it might seem as if the Novo Nordisk makers would actually encourage people to watch the Paula Deen show and eat exactly what she prepares! Better to foster diabetes so that you have to take our drug!  Are we THAT stupid?

I ask you, what makes Paula Deen so darn popular? Is it that draggy Texas drawl, with "y'all" peppered all over her descriptions?  Or is it her unabashed use of butter (several sticks at a time, accompanied by much joking mirth) added to gallons of sour cream, then mixed in with some mayonnaise, all prepared into what she might call a potato souffle?  Why are we so enamored with her and her cooking style?  How did we, as a nation, fall so madly in love with FAT? 

Oh, don't get me wrong.  I love that unctuous taste on my tongue, the smooth, creamy richness of real whipped cream that's whipped out of heavy cream with confectioners sugar -- (not that ersatz stuff that comes out of a can, or Cool Whip, or some version of it).  But that rich taste can become a bit nauseating after a while.  In the last 60 years or so, our taste buds seem to have abandoned their natural desire for natural foods.  So much of what we eat nowadays is processed, that we seem to have completely forgotten what a real orange tastes like.  And all our food needs to be doctored in some way.  And how did Southern cooking get to be so heavy in lard, bacon, fat, butter and cream?

As Dr. Drew said, people have the right to watch her show and eat whatever they want.  But we are not discussing constitutional rights, here; we are discussing common sense.  We are discussing trying to improve the health of America, reduce our healthcare costs, and live within our means (health means, in this case); do what is right for our bodies, for our selves, and by extension, for our society at large. 

Think about it!