That’s more than a little misleading. Sure processed and white starches and sugar are not good however a diet of nothing but meat and dairy (say a daily pound of bacon smothered with a stick of butter and a ½ pound of full fat cheddar cheese) would kill you quicker than the occasional Twinkie.
It’s really all about balance. And you really need carbs and fiber in your diet, even diabetics, but they are better found in fresh vegetables, whole grains and legumes than in white flour. OTOH, even the lowly white potato isn’t all that bad for you, especially with the skin, but rather it’s all the stuff we add to it, butter cheese, etc. And there is a difference in meats depending on the cut, i.e. a lean center cut pork chop is not the same as fattier cuts like “country spare ribs” and chicken thighs are much fattier than skinless chicken breasts, etc. Proteins and essential oils and nutrients found in lean meats are not the problem but it’s the fat and all the crap we add to them. But a lot of people don’t realize that vegetables contain protein too.
I have a subscription to “Cooking Light” magazine. The recipes are great and some even call for using butter (never margarine with is much, much worse) but a little bit goes a long way. You don’t have to smother everything in butter and cheese to make it taste good. And you don’t have to have meat and dairy with every meal - probably shouldn’t. I eat a meatless dinner one to a couple of times a week, like some whole wheat pasta with fresh chopped tomatoes and olive oil and garlic and fresh herbs and just a dash of freshly grated parm - yummy. Add a plate of some lightly steamed broccoli and that’s a great healthy and filling meal.
Eat a diet with more emphasis on fresh vegetables and fruits and whole grains and leaner proteins and add some daily exercise and some occasional bacon and butter isn’t going to hurt you. And don’t forget some dark chocolate (in moderation).
BTW, I know a lot of Southerners who think Paula Deen is an awful cook and not representative of real Southern cooking. A friend of mine from South Carolina calls her not a Southern cook but a Trailer Park (Double Wide) cook. If I want real “Southern” cooking, I’d much rather go to Natalie Dupree.
LOL...”Cooking LIght” magazine packed on more pounds in 6 months...
It was quite the crazy thing at the time. The husband lost weight and I gained using the same recipes!!!
I wasn't laying out my entire diet, simply mentioning that, for me, cutting out the wheat flour and sugar caused me to drop weight effortlessly with a concurrenct drop in cholesterol. I still indulge in the occasional slice of pizza and I love meat pies -- with crust.
But they're intentional deviations, not staples.
“I’d much rather go to Natalie Dupree. “
I just checked her out on line, and I think I’m going to buy “Southern Memories.”
Thanks for mentioning her in your post!
The problem with Natalie Dupree is she had NO personality as a food presenter. Paula Deen became a star directly after 9/11 when the Food Network realized that people wanted homey, over-the-top American comfort food instead of shows devoted to wine and nouvelle cuisine. And with her engaging personality (not to my taste but to a lot of people), she became a superstar and a multimillionaire. Hats off to her! She started out as a single mother on food stamps!
I, personally, believe they are trying to get rid of her because of her enormous success. The media probably doesn’t even know that she’s pretty much a liberal Democrat.