Has anyone ever had a dish so delicious, they were seized with an intense desire to know what made it so good? What if the waiter told you it was the chef’s secret recipe? What if you convinced the waiter to get it for you and he returned, reporting he furtively copied it down from the kitchen. What if you asked him to sign it, in his own handwriting? What if you knew what I know? What if you had the opportunity to make the same key lime aioli that so touched my tastebuds?

Special: Calamari & a key lime aioli for 14.95 at A & B Lobster House, Key West, FL

http://www.aandblobsterhouse.com/pdf/ANB_menu.pdf

Would you?

Are there any recipes handed down through your family, generation after generation? We have one, that has been passed through 5 children and their spouses and about 30  grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The actual ingredients and proportions are not such a secret. The secret is learning how to follow the recipe or acquiring the knack of perfect timing and temperature control for the icing, so you can share a true version of the grandparent’s chocolate layer cake- still the top request at every holiday gathering. At present, the elderly grandparents are blessed with a large family but only two particular granddaughters have learned the art of creating the original cake, from this family recipe.

Have you heard the late breaking news report on the “Food Network” hostess and Savannah’s famed celebrity cook? I read an article in the Washington Post on 1/17/12 and looked at “a recipe for disaster” on the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine site. Excerpts are posted below:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/all-we-can-eat/post/diabetes-wont-change-paula-deens-cooking/2012/01/17/gIQAkhXk5P_blog.html

Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible, chock-full of high-fat recipes that can raise your risk for obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, has been named one of the five worst cookbooks of 2011, in a report released by the nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). Deen’s cookbook includes nutrition bombs such as Hot Buffalo Wings: A single serving of three wings contains 910 calories and 85 grams of fat.

Also on PCRM’s list this year are cookbooks by Food Network chefs Jamie Oliver, Guy Fieri, and Patrick and Gina Neely, plus a compendium of recipes from Cook’s Illustrated magazine.

“The high-fat meals in these cookbooks are real recipes for disaster,” says Susan Levin, M.S., R.D., PCRM’s nutrition education director. “It’s scary that despite all that we know about the close link between high-fat foods and obesity and diabetes, cooks like Paula Deen continue to tout unhealthy meals. The real key to healthful eating is moving away from high-fat, meaty meals that increase the risk of these diseases.”

http://pcrm.org/

“I’m here today to let the world know it is not a death sentence,” Deen said. She has undertaken a new role with Diabetes in a New Light. The web page portrays Paula’s image and her signature, with recipes, a video and a message ” Live a Life that’s Delicious”.

 Novo Nordisk is a pharmaceutical company and maker of Victoza. Most of the web page is devoted to the medication.

Victoza^® is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar (glucose) in adults with type 2 diabetes when used along with diet and exercise.

http://www.diabetesinanewlight.com/

Diet here is usually synonymous with American Diabetic Association’s recommendations. http://www.diabetes.org/

It is one of the most expensive options. It is not clear what the longterm effects are. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0015919/

Liraglutide injection ( Victoza- brand name) is used with a diet and exercise program to control blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes (condition in which the body does not use insulin normally and therefore cannot control the amount of sugar in the blood) when other medications did not control levels well enough. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004962/#

Notice Paula’s new venture, includes her family, her business identity and her endorsement. When you enter her portal, there is an open invitation from Novo Nordisk. They can solicit personal health information for a sample population to participate in a drug sponsored program that markets the product and provides additional benefit to the manufacturer. If a patient or Paula Deen fan signs up, their information becomes part of the company data base. The health professionals are directed to another site for prescribing and patient insurance coverage. This is where some of the benefit is seen for choosing a drug reserved for Type II diabetics who have tried other options. This team approach could be a colorful and highly palatable strategy to study a new medication with potentially serious consequences.

A Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) is a strategy to manage known or potential serious risks associated with a drug product and is required by the Food and Drug Administration to ensure that the benefits of the drug outweigh its risks. http://www.victozapro.com/

Is there any connection between secret recipes and recipes for disaster? Its no secret that a little of grandmother’s chocolate cake on a holiday or some special key lime dipping sauce on a vacation is not going to undo a lot of tried and tested nutrition, sensible eating habits mixed in with a healthy dose of exercise. Everyone wants to share their diets and recipes; from family and friends, to TV networks and health experts, even strangers enjoying an impromptu exchange.  http://pcrm.org/kickstarthome/

What’s the big secret? We all can look at a dish and decide if there’s a reasonable amount of food, if it’s calorie dense, if its colorful, if it represents all food groups and is likely to taste good and be good for us. Bon Appetit`- enjoy your meal!!!