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I have enjoyed cooking since I was in my teens. I still remember preparing my specialty at that time which was baked chicken, cream of mushroom soup, poured over egg noodles with a sprinkle of parsley for color and presentation. I’m not sure if health and wellness was being discussed the way it is today. But I can tell you, I didn’t remove the skin from the chicken, I didn’t buy low sodium soup or make my own, and I didn’t even know they had whole wheat whole grain egg noodles. My only focus was that I considered this my own special creation and every chance I got to serve on the “good china,” I just knew I had it going on.

Today, I wouldn’t think of not removing the skin off of the chicken, using canned soup because of the sodium, possible BPA in the can’s, or any type of noodle that wasn’t low on the glycemic index and loaded with whole grain and whole wheat.

Recently while attending a gathering, I could not believe all the chatter around Paula Deen’s announcement that she has been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Interestingly enough, several people were just in shock that such a thing would happen to PAULA DEEN. It was like they had knighted her super-human and something like this could never happen to her. My logic told me whenever I had occasion to watch her cooking shows on the Food Network, or on the Oprah Show, that the recipes could have benefitted from more careful ingredient evaluation.

John 5:21, warns us against idolizing things or people, yet it has become quite common place. The issue of celebrity, and what is going on in their lives good, bad or ugly seem to consume our conversations, Facebook pages, tweets and the list goes on. This week it is Paula Deen’s diabetes, last week it was Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s baby.

It is unfortunate that Deen is now faced with Type 2 Diabetes and feels the need to come out to “let the world know it is not a death sentence!” What about the death sentence that was being cooked and served week after week helping to build her empire? Don’t get me wrong, I pray Deen’s recovery and I have visited her restaurant in Savannah, but we as a people have to begin to understand the real lack of value that any of this has on our day to day lives.

With obesity and diabetes and heart disease on the rise, we all must use discernment and follow what we know to be true and beneficial for ourselves and our families. John 7:24 is so apropos, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

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