Paula Deen Ditching Butter For 'Hope?'

Paula Deen's cooking is often associated with high levels of fat, sodium, sugar, and especially butter; and since announcing her Type II diabetes condition, she's had to deal with a constant stream of criticism.

Dean announced her diabetes condition in January 2012, three years after she had been diagnosed, and now many question why Deen continued to promote rich, fatty foods after her diagnosis. Critics such as Anthony Bourdain, Barbara Walters, and chef José Andrés have all voiced their adverse opinions on Deen's contradictory actions. Andres has stated, "I don't think what Paula Deen did is the right thing," and instead of being unapologetic as Deen had been, he "would go forward and tell people maybe what we did over the last 10 years was not the right thing".

Understandably, Deen wants all this negativity to come to an end. When television personality and former Miss South Carolina, Nancy O'Dell featured Paula Deen on the latest installment of Celebrities at Home, Deen made it clear that she no longer wanted to be associated with the high risk ingredient. "When you hear the name Paula Deen, I want you to think of the word 'hope,'" said Deen.

While there's no guarantee that "hope" will be the first word people think of as they hear Deen's name; perhaps ditching the butter will help.