Last week on The Today Show, Paula Deen announced she has Type 2 diabetes, having been diagnosed around 3 years ago. In the food world Paula Deen is well known for her Southern cooking which does tend to lean toward higher fat and sugar content. And for those of us who have her books, watched her shows and tried the recipes, we know it tastes pretty good. Does that come at a cost, and is Paula paying the price for that? Reaction to her announcement has been, to say the least, mixed. Especially after it was also noted that she is also a paid spokesperson for a diabetes drug. Fox News had asked for a quote from The Food Network, and never received a comment. But Fox quoted "inside sources" that said they didn’t know about the diabetes until a week or so before this all started. Personally I like Paula, and wish her nothing but the best. But, if you want to understand what diabetes is and how it impacts your diet and lifestyle, please take the time to talk with your doctor, a nutritionist,and the American Diabetes Association first for the best information. Paula has now pledged to donate a portion of her earnings from the deal to the Diabetes Association.

   The first quote I saw after Paula made her announcement came from someone who’s no angel himself (check out his memoir Kitchen Confidential). Anthony Bourdain tweeted "Thinking of getting into the leg breaking business so I can profitably sell crutches later." Just slightly brutal. He’s never been what you’d call a big fan of hers, but was it fair? Look at the explosion of celebrity chefs, cooking shows and cooking channels. They are creating bigger than life personalities that cover a wide range of tastes and topics. Many of them do offer what we’d consider a healthier approach to cooking, and some are so over the top we know we’d never ever remotely consider trying the recipes. But we might go to their restaurants, buy things they endorse such as cookware, food products, numerous books, and more. It’s showbiz, and it’s big bucks for many people. Paul Campos had a good column on The Daily Beast website, which I thought had probably the most realistic approach to the whole affair. We are our own best friend, and our own worst enemy at times when it comes to our health, and Ann Kelly is no exception.

   Many of you know that I have a form of arthritis called Systemic Lupus. I’ve spoken with my doctors, with the staff of the Arthritis Foundation, and others who deal with SLE and asked how I can adjust my diet to better deal with it. I’ve tried going more gluten-free, which does help, but I’ve also found that I’m not really able to tolerate a completely gluten-free lifestyle. Just making the effort on a daily basis to eat healthier, get exercise and plenty of rest can be a struggle at times. I’ve also told everyone that perfect has never been on my resume, which of course is no excuse for indulging. So I’ll take a note from all of this, and just reinforce that promise to myself, and to all my fellow food fans; I’ll just do the best I can, and remember that this is a pretty good life. And in Kelly’s Kitchen that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the delicious side of life, it means we’ll be more responsible. How’s that work for you?!

   And a side note to my amazing co-workers here at Magic 94.9 and Cox Media Group; in the first week of our personal biggest losercompetitin to regain our health and lose weight, it’s a total group weight loss of 85 pounds! I am humbled by your success and motivated by your efforts. I’m always interested in hearing from all of you, and how you work around health issues and your diet. You’re welcome to send me your story and recipes that work for you to ann.kelly@coxmg.com.

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM KELLY’S KITCHEN

The greatest wealth is health.– Virgil