Ka-Ching! Paula Deen Encourages the American public to make life threatening food choices and just take a pill for it. A pill she will make millions of dollars from.
Today Paula Deen announced she has type 2 diabetes. I genuinely feel sympathy for her, but she also announced a multi-million dollar deal to be a spokeswoman for a pharmaceutical company to push a type 2 diabetes medication. For the 18.8 million people who suffer from this harmful condition, you don't need statistics about the disease from me, but the ones who are not affected by it, you need to know a few facts.
Type 2 diabetes is caused by a problem in the way your body makes or uses insulin. Insulin is needed to move blood sugar (glucose) into cells, where it is stored and later used for energy.
Early symptoms for type 2 diabetes may include:
Bladder or kidney infections that are frequent or heal slowly
Fatigue
Hunger
Increased thirst
Increased urination
Blurred vision
Erectile dysfunction
Pain or numbness in the feet or hands
Basic management skills for diabetes include testing and recording your blood glucose, what to eat and when, taking medications if needed and insulin injections.
Longterm complications could include eye disease, kidney disease, foot or leg disease resulting in amputation, heart attack and stroke.
Any way you look at it – this is serious stuff. What I find most disturbing about Paula Deen's announcement is… she has made a enormous amount of money peddling high-fat, deep-fried and butter-soaked food to the American public and now she has worked out a multimillion-dollar contract to be the spokesperson for a pharmaceutical company pushing a type 2 diabetes medication. By the way, I am no doctor but much like high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes is a disease you can possibly avoid through diet. To see her advocate and endorse unhealthy food choices with reckless abandon and now push diabetes medication is beyond despicable. Truthfully, what she is doing is marketing diabetes type 2 and I pray the American public pushes back and doesn't buy it.
The great news is type 2 diabetes is highly preventable. Keeping weight in check, being physically active and choosing a diet rich in whole grains and healthy fats can protect you. The main treatment for type 2 diabetes is exercise, diet and weight management. In October 2011, an Adventist health study found that vegans have a 60% less chance of developing diabetes type 2. Yet, another reason to eat a plant rich diet even part of the time.
I pray for Paula Deen and her disease, but I also pray she re-thinks her decision to push unhealthy food and stops encouraging the American public to make bad food choices and just take a pill for it.
Hi Nancy,
Just found you on Twitter, then on FB. Great article. I feel so strongly about people who take their health for granted, & then moan & complain how difficult it is to buy meds & deal with their side~effects…. Our Health truly is Everything, & with people like us, I hope we can help!
T