Why Paula Deen Has Diabetes

The Lady's Brunch Burger (also known as a Luther)

I do have some healthy eating posts waiting to be written.  For now, I want to talk about Paula Deen.  She's trending on Twitter right now because she's announced she has diabetes.  I for one am shocked!  I mean she created such dishes as these:

Ham Fried Rice, Pineapple and Fried Egg

Krispy Kreme Doughnut Bread Pudding

Sausage Pancake Egg Sandwich

Twinkie Pie

Cheese Fudge (this fudge actually has Velveeta in it)

How can the woman that created Twinkie Pie have diabetes? Ok, seriously, the bigger shock to me is that people didn't think she already had diabetes.

I do believe her when she says that she doesn't eat this way everyday. She has always said on her shows that people should eat her dishes in moderation (and yes, I watch.  I point to that Krispy Kreme Bread pudding every time someone mentions Paula Deen).   Obviously, "moderation" isn't working.  That being said, I don't think the problem is that she literally shovels butter into her face 24/7 and is literally always chomping down on sugar coated pancakes topped in fried eggs.  I think the problem, as it is with most of us, is those sinister sneaky calories that we tell ourselves don't count or don't even think about.

I know it's hard for southerners, like myself, to eat healthy foods even when we try.  My mom is vegetarian and she has never eaten large portion sizes, but she still has coronary artery disease.  It's because we eat bread with every meal here.  We like our sweet tea, and we like our desserts with every meal.  We add a few extra dashes of oil here and there. Even individual portion sizes add up, especially as we age.  We loose some of our basal metabolic rate every year.  As we continue to eat the same (and often move less), those extra 200 calories a day add up (and some southern women drink way more than 200 calories of sweet tea every day).

The dirty little secret about moderation is that most of us, apparently Deen included, don't understand what moderation is.  Moderation isn't having fried chicken once a week, having dessert with just one meal or having Krispy Kreme bread pudding, well, ever.  Those once a weeks add up.  They don't add much if they are just 100 or 200 calories above what you normally eat, but I know most people's "only in moderation" meals are more like 1000 or 2000 calories above what they normally eat.  Eating out one meal a week can easily add 1000-2000 calories to your weekly calorie intake.   I've heard dietitians say just 100 extra calories a day will add 10 lbs of weight to most people in one year.  So, 1000 calories a week?  You're looking at bad news, and most of us who get diabetes won't be sponsored by Novo Nordisk.

Okra: Delicious and Mucilaginous

Okra, an important part of traditional southern cuisine.

It's farmer's market season, so it's tough to buy things I don't like.  There are actually a few things I do like and they're all fresh and in season.  Okra is something I like.  Well, kind of.  I only like okra one way.  The traditional southern way: pan-fried.  It's not healthy at all, so I'm not even going to quote nutritional facts to pretend that it is.  Okra is generally low in calories and a good source of fiber and some vitamins, but deep frying it ruins almost all of that.

I've read in some, unsubstantiated, sources that since okra contains mucilage, it binds cholesterol and coats your colon enhancing colon health and lowing cholesterol better than other vegetables. I haven't found anything scientific to even halfway back that up, so I say bullocks.  Fiber, which okra does contain, of any kind is good for colon health and can help lower cholesterol.  It's not a special property of okra, it's a property of fiber.  Livestrong says eating okra may lower cholesterol.  Their reasoning is that if you eat okra, which contains no cholesterol or fat, you may be less likely to eat something that does have cholesterol.  Again, that's not a special property of okra.  We might as well say apples lower cholesterol.  We're pan frying it here, so let's not delude ourselves by saying, "At least by pan-frying okra, we're not eating all the carbs and fat in French fries."  Fried okra is not a health food.

I grow my own okra every year.  It's an easy vegetable to grow.  It withstands, even loves, hot Arkansas weather, grows easy from a seed and produces a ton.  Summer is the only time I eat fried okra, because I only eat it fresh.

Home grown okra.  This guy is too little to pick.

When you pick okra, either from the store or the bush, it needs to be bright green and pliable. If the pod doesn't have any give to it when you flex it, it's going to taste woody.  If you let okra grow too long or sit too long before prepping, the mucilage dries out and it gets fibrous.  It's not at all tasty at that point.  If you cut a piece of okra and it's black inside, it wasn't harvested soon enough and will be fibrous and woody.  The okra in the top photo is perfectly ripe.  Compare it to the photo below of over-ripe okra.  Notice that the over-ripe okra looks more fibrous and dryer than the top photo.  The good news is that you can save those black seeds and plant okra again next year, so the pod isn't a complete waste.

Bad okra.  May be ok for gumbo, but I probably wouldn't chance it.

Deep frying okra is like deep drying anything else.

Deep Fried Okra

Oil to cover about 3 inches of the bottom of a pan

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 cup flour

salt and pepper to taste

Okra, sliced thin at moment of prep

Like any breading for frying, you want to mix the cornmeal and flour together with the salt and pepper (you can kick it up with some garlic powder, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or whatever spices you want).  I mix it all in a plastic bowl that is big enough to shake my okra around in too.  After the dry ingredients are well mixed, I toss the okra in and shake it up.  If you slice the okra right before you want to coat and fry it, it's moist enough to hold the breading and you don't have to worry about dipping it in egg or buttermilk.  Okra's mucilage is kind of sticky anyway.  Add the floured okra to hot oil and fry until you desired level of browness. I like mine well done and crunchy.

It's important not to mess with it too much in the pan or it gets mushy.  I let mine cook completely on one side, then turn it (as best as I can).  I try to only touch it once or twice during cooking.

Yum.

Nutrition Facts

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Are you kidding me? There are none.  It's deep fried okra. Just enjoy it.

Purple Hull Peas: Southern Peasant Food

Purple Hull Peas

So far, I've been discussing things I don't like.  Today, I want to talk about something I do like.  Purple hull peas are a traditional southern food.  They're one of my favorite soul foods.  I found some some today at a roadside stand.  They were freshly hulled and bagged for just $3.  I was so excited I couldn't wait to get home and cook them.  I love purple hull pea season.

Purple hull peas are a field pea, and a cousin to the black-eyed pea.  Southern rich raised these guys for livestock back in pre-civil war times, but they would throw leftovers to the slaves (or poor whites).  They became soul food.  The poor would spice them up with leftover pork scraps and make them delicious.  Most traditional southern food is about making do with what you have, and these peas are no different.

There is legend that says when Sherman's Union troops raided Confederates food supplies, they took everything except the peas and salted pork.  Those were peasant foods, and not fit for the Union troops.  Their loss.  Purple hull peas are delicious and nutritious.

Purple hull peas are an excellent source dietary fiber and a pretty decent source of protein (about 13 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber per cup).  They also have folate.  If you're low carb, they have about 36 grams of carbs per cup (they are a pea afterall), so depending on what diet you're following they may or may not be appropriate. 

I think purple hull peas are creamier and smoother than black-eyed peas.  They have a fresher, earthier flavor than black-eyed peas, but they taste similar.  If you like black-eyed peas, you need to visit the south and try some purple hull peas.  You'll like them even better.

Traditionally, you flavor purple hull peas with salt pork or a few strips of bacon.  You can avoid the pork fat if you're vegetarian.  I always add onions to mine, but you can cut that out too.

Cooking peas (keep the lid on while they cook.  I just took it off for the photo)

There is a Purple Hull Pea Festival and World Championship Tiller Race in Arkansas, where I'm from.  I've been a few times. The tiller races are a sight.  They have a grand championship purple hull pea recipe.  I'll post it here, because I can't make up a better recipe than a championship recipe from a pea festival:

Purple Hull Peas from Emerson

5-6 cups shelled purple hull peas
6 oz. centercut smokey bacon (use a good brand)
Salt to taste

Cut bacon into inch size pieces and lightly brown in a dutch oven or deep saucepan.  Do not drain bacon grease.  Add washed peas and enough water to cover plus one inch.  Add 2 teaspoons salt.  Boil over medium heat until tender (about 45 minutes).  Taste and add more salt if needed.  Serve with hot, buttered cornbread.

Here is what I do.  As I mentioned, I add onions, omit the pork and use half water and half vegetable stock to cover the peas. I like to chop my onions big so I can pick them out. I don't like onions, but I like the flavor they impart.  If you like onions, a finer chop than you see above would be good so you can bits in your peas.  I also add pepper and a few pinches of red pepper flakes to mine.

Peasant food? No way,  these are fit for royalty.

You want to make sure the peas are tender, but don't cook them for too long.  If you cook them for too long, they turn into mush.  You want them to have about the same consistency as al dente pasta.  Don't be afraid to taste one or two to see if they've got the right bite.  Alternatively, you can smash them between your fingers to see if they're done, but why waste them?

Nutrition Facts

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Amount Per Serving (makes 5-6)

Calories: 198
Total fat: 1 g
Protein: 13 g
Total carbohydrate: 36 g

• Dietary Fiber: 11.1 g
• Sugar: 5.64 g