The food police on Paula patrol
By Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
Updated Thu January 26, 2012
"Paula Deen caught eating a cheeseburger." Oh, dear, it didn't take long for the food police to start watching Paula's eating, this time in the guise of news (if you can call TMZ a news organization). Are we going to start getting daily updates (complete with unflattering photos) every time Paula eats food deemed inappropriate?
It appears the whole, "should you be eating that?" myth is alive and well when it comes to diabetes. Is this how far we haven't come?
Let's get one thing clear: a diabetes diagnosis of any flavor doesn't mean you are condemned to a lifetime of lettuce (although I proudly eat more salad then anyone I know). Yeah, sometimes I eat a cheeseburger. With bacon. And a beer. Diabetes be damned. But, I certainly don't eat that way often. Even if I did, that's my problem.
Until Paula Deen announced she had diabetes, she didn't make headlines for what she ate. Why does the diabetes diagnosis change that? Put another way: If Paula was merely overweight, but diabetes free, would she be called out for eating the cheeseburger because only thin people should get to eat what they want?
I see people eat crap every day. I see them feed it to their kids. Does it bother me? Sometimes. I am a big proponent of nutrition. Do I say "should you be eating that?" Nope.
If you missed the in-depth reporting, TMZ also reported that, gasp, Paula had fries on her plate.
Theresa Flaherty
Type 1, 12.5 years
Comments