How does Oprah's new cookbook speak to me?

Weight Watchers stock surged by 300% in 2016 when Oprah Winfrey took a high-profile role in their company. Having purchased 10% of their stock, Oprah became the company's second-biggest shareholder. She captured the world's attention with her premiere commercial, asking the question, "If not now, when?" This was followed by a rapturous video tweet where she says repeatedly, "I LOVE BREAD!"

Kevin Fallon, from Daily Beast, is indicative of those who adulate Oprah Winfrey. On February 11, 2016, he wrote:

"And here is Oprah Winfrey, our most trusted confidante, telling us that not only is eating bread OK, but that, with the help of Weight Watchers, she managed to lose weight without sacrificing it. Glory be to God. Glory be to O."

Kevin is not alone. Oprah's following clamored to hear more, feeling as if a revelatory word had loosed the shackles of poundage. Oprah was giving people a mandate by basically saying, "Are you with me or not?" And the bread thing? It was a prod at the paleo and low-carb community.

Oprah Winfrey and I have 3 significant things in common: we share the same birthday, we love bread, and we have battled weight gain for most of our lives. I'm sure she, like me, desires a satisfying relationship with food without deprivation. I have watched her score incredible weight loss victories, often through arduous means, only to plummet backward. I can certainly relate.

Oprah has published a cookbook titled, Food, Health and Happiness. The website, Prima, wrote an article highlighting the book's "10 best weight-loss cooking tips". So, I was curious. What new cutting edge information does Oprah's cookbook have to offer?

THE 10-TIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Her cookbook features a soup recipe with "white wine, bay leaves, and cashew cream". 
• She carries truffle zest in her purse.
• Oprah is not enamored with mashed cauliflower, so she adds "two boiled Yukon gold potatoes".
• She loves turkey and pulses whole white or dark turkey pieces in a food processor.
• Fatty salmon has been replaced with lower calorie monkfish.
• Butter lettuce is used instead of tortillas.
• She recommends quinoa, using mango chutney for flavor, and disses cheese sauce.

MY TAKEAWAYS

• I will definitely be checking out her soup recipe (which might be low-carb) and experimenting with truffle zest. 
• We just had mashed cauliflower with lemon butter and herbs. It was amazing! If I was to add high carb potatoes, I might as well skip the cauliflower.
• I do prefer whole, shredded turkey over ground turkey.
• Butter lettuce is nothing new. Low-carbers and dieters alike have been replacing bread and tortillas with lettuce leaves for decades.
• Oprah counts calories or points, not carbs. So, fat—something that adds much flavor to food—is naturally omitted. Salmon does not need to be sacrificed on a low-carb diet.
• Quinoa is very high in carbs and I have never found it filling.
• Mango chutney is flavorful but can add substantial carbs.
• Cheese sauce is quite beneficial in a low-carb lifestyle—as long as it does not contain grains or unhealthy additives.
• As for bread... I have explored many low-carb bread recipes that are incredibly satisfying, contain the texture I love, and have a healthy fat content that fills me up.

Overall, the cookbook is not written for low-carb individuals, although I'm sure there are recipes that can be adapted. I wish Oprah the best, but I am sticking with my Everlovin' Low-Carb.

To watch Oprah's "I Love Bread" Video, click HERE.

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