Tuesday, January 24, 2012

On decisions and Paula Deen

From my comment on care2.com.

I am never happy to hear of anyone getting bad news, especially about their health.  I truly am sorry for Ms. Deen.  I'm also sorry about her choices as a very public figure.

As far as I know there is no drug that doesn't have some degree of toxicity.  If that's her choice, to take drugs for her diabetes, it's her choice.  I personally think it's lazy if she hadn't tried to cure her disease with diet.  There are several doctors, which at her income level for sure, that she would have had unfettered access to, who have success with reversing diabetes and heart disease.  Ornish, MacDougal, Essylsten, Fuhrman, to name a few.  All have cookbooks and plans to take care of yourself with food.  Ms. Deen could have made a fortune tweaking recipes of that ilk.  If it doesn't work, well, drugs are your last resort, not a first choice.  (Just my opinion of course).

Ms. Deen lost a tremendous opportunity to take care of her country, its people, and one of it's major ills.  Instead she proved it's all about the money and not doing what's right.  The undermining of America comes in many forms. Encouraging personal choices which are not good for anyone except big agriculture and big food manufacturing companies.  Something should have clicked after one comes down with the very disease those on the health side of the equation have been shouting warnings about from the mountain tops for years.  When it didn't it just goes to bolster a claim of narcissism and denial.

To say it's not possible to change I point to Tyler Florence who although doesn't cook in a healthy manner, seems to be fit and trim and Alton Brown who redesigned his entire diet and made life changes to bring his weight under control.  ( http://www.foodnetwork.com/good-eats/its-not-a-diet/index.html ).  No, sorry Ms. Dean, this is a big swing and a miss.

I met Ms. Deen at a NYC book signing.  In our brief exchange I told her although I don't cook like her or eat like her I did enjoy her spirit.  She said it wasn't about the food but about bringing family together around the table.  Unfortunately, with a diagnosis of this magnitude, Ms. Deen's time at her family table will in all likelihood be cut short.

Marty from Marty's Flying Vegan Review
www.martysflyingveganreview.com
@veganpilotmarty

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