Celebrity chef Paula Deen revealed this week that she has type two diabetes, a fact she kept secret from the public for three years. But now that she’s revealed her health condition, the 65-year-old queen of comfort food has no intention of apologizing for the high-calorie, high-fat recipes that made her famous.
While disclosing her diagnosis on NBC’s “Today” show, Deen told viewers that portion size is an important part of diet and that she didn’t plan to change her on-air lineup despite her health condition and her diabetes drug endorsement deal with a Danish company.
“I’ve always said, ‘Practice moderation, y’all,’” Deen said Tuesday. “I’ll probably say that a little louder now.”
But health activists and fellow television chefs have called her a hypocrite for adding Novo Nordisk to a lineup of endorsements that also include Smithfield ham and Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
“When your signature dish is hamburger in between a doughnut, and you’ve been cheerfully selling this stuff knowing all along that you’ve got Type 2 diabetes…it’s in bad taste if nothing else,” said celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain.
Deen disagrees, telling the “Today” show that diabetes meant stricter diet control, not the elimination of her Southern-style cooking altogether.
“You can have diabetes and have a piece of cake,” she said. “You cannot have diabetes and eat a whole cake.”
Deen added that she has made some important lifestyle changes, such as cutting out sweet tea and increasing her time on the treadmill.
