HispanicBusiness

When celebrity chef Paula Deen recently announced she suffered from type 2 diabetes, no one seemed shocked. But many were frustrated, including local diabetes educators.

After all, the down-home, Savannah-based gourmet has been hawking -- and tasting -- her buttered-up, Southern-fried recipes without apology on her two Food Network shows, "Paula's Best Dishes" and "Paula's Home Cooking."

But for last three years, Deen has kept one thing out of the spotlight -- her type 2 diabetes, a chronic and sometimes deadly disease that's often brought about by the same indulgences she has promoted throughout her career.

Deen's dishes include recipes such as as Chocolate Cheese Fudge, deep-fried macaroni and cheese and donut bread that calls for, among other ingredients, 24 Krispy Kreme donuts, eggs and a stick of butter.

"I'm frustrated that a woman of her stature could be so irresponsible," said Melissa Brady, a diabetes educator in Fayetteville.

Type 2 diabetes, which also is known as adult-onset diabetes, is sometimes related to fatty diets, low-activity levels and excess weight. While genetics and family history play a big part, the number of sufferers has increased over the years, largely due to poor diets, according to diabetes experts.

"The long-term complications are not pretty," said Brady, listing off the top diabetic health concerns such as heart disease, blindness and kidney failure.

Diabetes also can lead to amputations, dialysis and an early death, Brady said.

As a result, Deen has been criticized in the national media for choosing to reveal her disease while simultaneously announcing plans to promote a diabetes drug.

Local diabetes educators said they were puzzled that Deen hadn't offered a wider variety of healthy cooking options sooner, especially as more children and adults are considered overweight or obese.

In Cumberland County, more than 60 percent of adults were considered overweight or obese in 2009, according to the state's Center for Health Statistics.

In North Carolina, the prevalence of diabetes has increased in adults by nearly 10 percent from 1995 and 2010, according to the North Carolina Diabetes Prevention and Control Branch, an organization that develops programs to reduce the harmful impact of diabetes in the state.

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the state among all races, and the fourth leading cause of death among blacks, according to the program's website.

Not everyone frustrated

But not everyone is frustrated with Deen. Cortland Cloos, a 35-year-old type 2 diabetic who lives in Fayetteville, said the diagnosis is often a matter of personal responsibility. Cloos said managing his diabetes has nothing to do with what Deen does.

"That's really on me, not on her," said Cortland, a soldier who is medically retired for reasons other than his diabetes.

Cortland, who was diagnosed about a year ago, said he takes medication for the condition and has to work to keep his diet healthy.

But it's a struggle sometimes, he said. He said he can be taught how to manage his diabetes, but taking care of himself is ultimately his job -- just like it is for Deen and all the other diabetics out there.

When Deen made the announcement, she went on the defensive, saying she always has said to eat the foods she cooks in moderation.

But the term "moderation" can be vague, said Dr. Tahmida Jahangir, a pediatrician at Well on Your Weigh, the recently opened weight-management facility for children.

Jahangir said the clinic was started in conjunction with Cape Fear Valley Pediatric Endocrinology, where more and more children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which was once largely an adult disease.

"I believe everyone should eat in moderation," Jahangir said. "But moderation is a relative term."

What's moderate for someone who is overweight or suffering from diabetes might be different from a healthy person at a healthy weight, she said.

"You have to count the calories and count the fat for the day," she said.

That means two of Deen's deep-fried biscuits for breakfast could take up an entire day's worth of calories and fat intake for some people.

Despite Brady's frustration with Deen's revelation, she said she hopes the popular chef can use her status as a "role model for Southern cooking" as a way to educate and inform -- and hopefully, reform unhealthy ways of cooking.

Already since Deen's announcement, she has made an effort at cleaning up her culinary act. Her website, which once went out of its way to promote over-the-top foods, now promotes lighter cooking by passing down the torch to the newest Deen franchise, her sons.

Called "The Deen Brothers," Jamie and Bobby Deen are part of the Novo Nordisk campaign "Diabetes in a New Light."

On the website for the campaign, Deen shares her new, lighter recipes and her story.