Me: I know that you are an advocate for healthy living and eating, what has motivated you to pursue that path?
Daphne: Through developing my own healthy lifestyle, I came to understand how valuable an education in health can be, especially if learned at a young age. As children and young adults, we haven’t yet formed our permanent habits, and are much more flexible when it comes to turning new information into action. Even better, we are great at taking this information and spreading it to our families and communities so that everyone gets to benefit.
But I also realize it’s not just about the information—it’s also about how you receive it and whether it’s presented in a way that makes sense in your daily life.Even though I had access to plenty of health knowledge growing up, I struggled with my weight throughout adolescence, and was only able to permanently shed thirty pounds (without ever going on another diet!) once I gave the hard facts emotional meaning and application in my every day life.
I wanted to share the tips and tools I developed with my peers, which is why I wrote “The Dorm Room Diet.” Now that I’m out of school, my goal is to have students groups on campus take ownership of the book and it’s material and make it a dynamic resource for those of you still on campus and beyond. (PS. The same tips and tricks have served me well now that I’m out in the “real world!”)
I am all about figuring out how to make health a priority and not an obsession—I want you to get to enjoy all your favorite foods while cutting corners on fat and calories where possible, which is why you will never see me serving up “rabbit food” on ABC’s The Chew. Healthy eating has to be delicious if I want you to stick with it long term, so my goal is to show plenty of taste bud-tantalizing meals for you to try. Of course, it’s also about embracing smart choices and figuring out those areas where you can choose the healthy option so that you can feel good about indulging in something truly worthwhile down the line.
Most importantly, I want you to have FUN being happy and healthy, and it’s my job to make it easy for you to create a healthy lifestyle plan that works for you.
Me: What was your childhood like and how do you think that has influenced your professional choices?
Daphne: I was very lucky to grow up in a huge family, so I learned how to be heard and always felt included. It was wonderful to have this organic support system. The fact that they could set a healthy example for me, and help me to feel good about myself, made all the difference in my being able to achieve health for myself. I also learned a ton just bit sitting around our family dinner tables where total body wellness—physical, mental, spiritual, emotional—were always topics of conversation. Growing up in this atmosphere certainly influenced me to want to keep learning, and to help those interested in finding out more about how to improve their lives with practical, easy-going advice.
Me: What does a day in the life of Daphne Oz consist of today?
Daphne: These days, I get up at 5:15am, stumble blindly into the shower, and then rush uptown to our studio to sit in hair and makeup while we do our morning meeting and rehearsal. We tape a show or two, and then I like to walk the 2.5 miles home, especially since we’ve been having such beautiful weather here in NYC! It’s a solid 45 minutes of personal time to decompress, brainstorm new segments, plan out the rest of my day and daydream. Then I’m usually catching up on emails, making phone calls and working on my next book, which is coming out next year—so excited! I try to workout in the afternoon at least 5 days a week—either a run, a spin class or yoga. By then, it’s time to figure out dinner with my husband and read scripts for the next day’s show before crashing into bed with a good book (or The Good Wife!).
Me: Working on The Chew, what are some new things that you have learned about yourself, healthy living and cooking?
Daphne: I’ve learned how important it is to remind myself—and our viewers—how delicious healthy cooking can be! So often, people fall into the rut of repeating menus, and we get bored. It’s easy to get scared by unfamiliar ingredients or flavor combinations. The hurdle to healthy living is learning how to make it easy and indulgent—something that’s simple to work into every day life, given all the stresses and time pressures we all face, but still provides the sensory “wow” we all want. On The Chew, each one of the hosts is focused on providing fun, simple inspirations that give our audience a foundation to build their own habits on.
Me: With all that you have accomplished how do you still manage to find time to take care of yourself and put your health first?
Daphne: We will always be battling the clock for more hours in the day, but we make time for the things that matter. If it means I don’t have a chance to respond to every tweet (as much as I would love to!) or run all the errands I need to so that I can make it to the gym, then that’s what has to happen. Moreover, if I can’t make it to the gym so I can have a real conversation and sit down for dinner with my husband, then that’s worth it to me.
When it comes to my health and eating well, pre-planning makes all the difference! I make a large batch of healthy essentials every Sunday night so that it’s easy to make healthy choices throughout the week because the food is right there waiting to be eaten…the worst is when you’re forced to eat junk out of convenience because it’s your only option.
Me: What do you think is the most prevalent health concern during the holidays?
Daphne: Year round, I think the most prevalent health concern is: “How do I take care of my health and still enjoy my life??” My answer to this is that health has to be a priority and NOT an obsession. Don’t treat making a commitment to being healthy feel like a death sentence for all the food you love to enjoy because guess what? You’re still going to get to have them! All that’s going to change is the thought process that goes into making your eating choices. So, instead of mindlessly gobbling a stale, store-bought cookie lying on the counter simply because it is there, you are going to give yourself a few seconds (count to your age) to decide whether this is an indulgence that is really going to satisfy your craving and help resolve your will to eat well the rest of the time. If it’s not, then the urge to indulge has probably already passed. If it is, then go ahead and enjoy guilt-free! And then get back on the wagon and realize that this is part of a permanent journey and not a sprint to the finish line of a fad diet that has you constantly feeling deprived. What makes a healthy lifestyle plan work is remembering that indulging—on occasion, in moderation, and for the right things—will be why you success long-term. I like to think of it as having your cake and eating it, too.
Me: Aside from that if you have any advice for me, a student studying dietetics, I would love to hear what you have to say.
Daphne: Hi Jessica—thrilled you are pursuing a career in public education through dietetics! We need more professionals like you who are committed to making sure everyone has the facts they need to be healthy and who are willing to help them figure out an individualized plan that will work! As I mentioned above, the vehicle for information is often more important than the information itself—if you can approach the client with compassion and understanding, and give them tips and tools that will help make it easy for them to transition to a healthy lifestyle plan, they will have the best shot at long-term success. Thrilled you are enjoying The Chew!
**Special thanks to Harry Burton for help making this happen and of course Daphne Oz for taking the time out to do the interview, it was greatly appreciated!!!
Tune into The Chew to check out some of Daphne's great recipes weekdays at 1pm on ABC
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