paula deen cheezburgerWelcome to your new life, Paula Deen. You'll never be able to eat a cheeseburger in public again without being harassed! Ever since Paula revealed that she's had diabetes for the past three years -- and has signed an endorsement deal for controversial, $500-a-day diabetes med Victoza -- people have been watching everything she eats. And giving her hell for it.

This week she was caught on video eating a cheeseburger while on a cruise. I can haz cheezburger? Not if you're Paula Deen, bitchez! But is that really fair?

Full disclosure: I ate a cheeseburger for lunch today. But I don't have diabetes. And I don't eat that way every day.

That aside, I feel like some of these attacks are misguided. Losing weight and exercising are among a diabetic's best line of defense (for Type 2). And consuming fewer calories in general will definitely help! But it's not JUST fatty food that's the problem. In fact, a growing number of nutritionists are pointing to carbs as the biggest culprit. (Yeah, I know, Gary Taubes = super controversial.) It's also the muffins, and the cookies, and the juice. Food is complicated.

On the other hand, I think the sticking point for a lot of people is the implicit message Paula may or may not be sending that you can eat whatever the hell you want, and the magic diabetes meds will take care of everything. I don't think that's really what Paula's saying. But she's been pretty stubborn about insisting she won't make radical changes to her diet. And I can see why that makes people squirm. It makes me squirm.

Still, I think if anything, getting hounded by the food police just makes Paula Deen dig in her heels more. The more health advocates (and Anthony Bourdain) criticize her, the more obstinate she becomes -- just like everybody else. Paula represents the soul of American eaters. The information is out there, but we're getting sick anyway. Informing and shaming doesn't seem to work. I think Paula, like a lot of people, is on a long journey in figuring this all out.

Do you think all the criticism and scrutiny affects Paula Deen at all?

 

Image via Huffington Post