I knew something was up when I saw Paula Deen on the Today Show teaching us how to cook healthy.
Now the news that Paula Deen has Type-2 diabetes has hit the press, conveniently at the same time that she launches a new batch of lightened-up recipes and an advertising campaign for the diabetes medication Novo Nordisk. I'm always skeptical when someone makes a sudden about-face in philosophy, in this case going from "you know I love my butter, y'all," to explaining the basics of nutrition, portion control, and healthy cooking. It didn't take long to figure out that either a) her sons sat her down for a heart-to-heart that convinced her she was part of the nation's obesity problem, or b) she had landed a new endorsement deal. Turns out it was the second one.
Paula Deen is being blasted for not revealing her medical condition to the public, but why should she? It's a personal issue and she doesn't owe us an update on her health status. As a fan of Southern cooking, I'm glad to see her embrace a healthier lifestyle and shift to a message of moderation and portion control. There is no way I would step foot in her restaurant because as an ambassador of health, I can't personally condone a lifestyle of food excess and worship. But if her recipes truly do reflect a lighter interpretation of the decadent meals that have made her famous, then I hope it is a true shift in priorities and not just one for self-promotion.
Southern cooking is often assumed to be unhealthy, probably because we immediately envision ourselves tucking a napkin under our chins to dig into a meal piled high with buttered biscuits, cheese grits, fried chicken, sausage, and of course, decadent desserts. But it doesn't have to be. I'm a Southerner, and I cook healthy every day. Just check out these healthified Mardi Gras recipes for proof! Almost every single meal that anyone could want can be "healthified." Almost. I still cannot get my mom's buckeye cookies, peanut butter balls rolled in powdered sugar and dipped in chocolate, under 100 calories each!
Are Paula Deen's new ways going to stick or will her recipes slide backwards in the name of "moderation?" Time will tell. In the meantime, I hope her medical condition raises awareness of the dangers of high-fat eating and helps a few people wake up and stop eating like they're at the state fair every day.
Don't get diabetes. Stop eating fair food and get out there and get healthy!
I went out of town for a weekend with friends and family with every intention of being uber-healthy and writing a fabulous blog post today about all the ways I thwarted unhealthy vacation food and pioneered my own path of virtuous nutrition the whole time, keeping my body clean and healthy and fueled for vitality. And I so very much wish I could tell you that story today. But I can't, because I didn't do any of those things. But, it's cool.
I didn't realize it until last night, but when I thought back on my nutritional choices over the weekend and tried to feel all bad about them, I realized I didn't have that much to feel bad about. Yeah, I ate a bunch of sugar and fatty foods that I don't usually eat and I felt the physical impact (translation: like crap) but when I really sat down and itemized my nutrition, it just wasn't that bad overall.
Practicing what I preach is really important to me, but the whole, "all things in moderation" thing is a hard one for me to practice. My brain just doesn't work that way. I am either on or off, all or nothing, in or out. In the spirit of not being a hypocrite, I have been working hard at moderation, and living in the middle is weird and uncomfortable and I don't like it.
But I am always telling people that change happens when things get weird, so hopefully the amount of time I spent in the middle this weekend means that change is happening for me, too.
After I realized that my scandalous nutrition wasn't exactly front-page news, I sat down to figure out what I had done differently this time to get such a happy result. Here's what I decided, and what may also help anyone else out there struggling with living in the middle:
1. I didn't drink. We all know that alcohol lowers our inhibitions, and not having a mind-altering substance flowing through my veins really made a huge difference.
2. I kept moving. While I didn't work out or run this weekend, I did stay really busy. There wasn't a lot of down time for munching, which helped me stick to actual meals instead of vacation grazing on high-sodium stuff.
3. I drank a ton of water. I was almost always full because I kept the water flowing. I always feel healthier when I am well-hydrated, and apparently I make better decisions, too.
Coming home to such a happy realization was like a whole new vacation. I hope my little epiphany awakens something new in your health today, too. Go find out! Get weird!
