My favorite part of this process has always been getting to explore all the easy ways we can learn to prioritize–but not obsess over–healthy living. I like to keep it simple, inexpensive, and above all, fun! Watch as I raid the pantries of the co-hosts of Good Morning America Weekend, and grade how well they do on stocking their fridges and cupboards. Then read my latest Food for Life column on how to improvise a healthy lifestyle on the go!

Marking this special occasion, I took time to answer some of the questions that readers of Dormify – a fantastic site for all of you dorm room decorators looking for some fresh inspiration– sent in about healthy living and eating on campus, juggling studies and proper exercise, and the challenges posed by parties and dining halls.

For many of you, it’s back-to-school time (so jealous!), so revisit the Five Principles of Healthy Eating on this site, and delve back into your copy of The Dorm Room Diet for renewed inspiration and advice! (Oh, and remember that the book is now available for your iPad, Kindle, Nook, or other e-reading device!)

Finally, if you’ve been curious about going vegan, check out the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart program online. It’s free, and includes meal plans, nutrition webcasts, and a lot more… Look for my guest coach tips late next week!

Here’s to a very happy and healthy start to the Fall! And for those of you keeping track…only 20 more days until the premiere of The Chew on ABC!

xx

Daphne

I had a great time yesterday returning to Good Morning America and sharing my tips for great snacks under 150 calories with Robin Roberts and the rest of the GMA team, with everyone joining in to taste test! (Watch the video above.) You can check out the GMA website for these great, easy-to-prep recipes: Healthy Herbal Popcorn, Spicy Fruit Popsicles, Banana Whip, Baked Pizza Pita Chips, and Broiled Dates.

Robin Roberts, Josh Elliott, Daphne Oz and Sam Champion on "Good Morning America" (Photo courtesy of ABC)

Earlier this summer, I traveled to Turkey to visit my paternal grandparents at their home in Istanbul. Visit the Creators.com syndicate website to read my columns on this memorable trip, sharing time and tradition in the kitchen, and bargaining in the Turkish bazaar!

I’ll be traveling again this weekend, heading to Los Angeles for the ABC presentation of The Chew to the Television Critics Association and hopefully get them as excited about the show as we are! I can’t wait to share our hard work for the show with you all very soon: The Chew will premiere on Monday, September 26 – mark your calendars!

Happy summer, everyone!

xx

Daphne

One way to keep in shape and take advantage of the warmer weather is to exercise outside! A morning jog is a great way to wake up and be ready to take on the day. Or, you can get some friends together to go play a game of soccer or shoot some hoops at the park. If it’s too hot to run around outside, head to the local pool for a dip! Swimming laps burns tons of calories and is gentle on your joints, which take a pounding during running. Plus, you’ll get to show off your swimsuit-ready physique!

Some of my favorite perks of summer are the yummy berries that come into season. Fruits and veggies are an important part of your diet, and are great for snacking on between meals. A smoothie done right can be a the snack to help you keep cool, or a light breakfast to start the morning. Blend together some of your favorite raw or frozen fruits with ice and some real fruit juice and/or plain yogurt for a delicious summer snack! It’s a yummy way to get lots of vitamins and minerals, just be careful to use 100% real fruit juice if you decide to go the smoothie route; the other stuff from concentrate is loaded with extra sugars, preservatives, and possibly chemicals and dyes that you want to avoid. Juice cocktails can contain nearly as much sugar as a can of soda!

One more thing: Now that it can get pretty hot out there, be extra careful to keep up with drinking lots and lots of water–I’m talking 50 to 80 ounces a day (at least half your body weight in ounces of water is a good rule of thumb). It’s really important to stay hydrated throughout the day, especially when the hot weather can leave you sweating more than usual, which drains water from your body. For an easy way to keep your water intake up, try having a tall glass of water before, during, and after each meal. As an added perk, having plenty of water in your diet will make sure that you can differentiate between when you’re hungry versus when you are thirsty, and leaves you feeling full with less food so you can avoid overeating. So drink up!

Happy Summer!

Daphne x

Nate’s website has a slideshow of us preparing the brownies–we taste tested along the way, as any good baker should! Check out the photos, with complete recipes and information on substituting in healthy ingredients without losing any of the great flavor.

The show website also has a backstage video interview with me discussing the Five Principles of Healthy Eating for an easy refresher on how to enjoy your happy, healthy life!

Thanks for checking in. Will be back with more updates soon!

Daphne

Come September, I will be one of five co-hosts for the new ABC Daytime talk show, The Chew, which will be be an hour-long show every weekday, all about food. It’s going to be such an incredible adventure, I can’t wait to get started! We’ll have an amazing ensemble cast of great chefs, fashion, decorating and lifestyle experts, and a healthy dose of practical tips and fun food adventures from yours truly… Hopefully, you’ll tune in for the party!

In the meantime, starting in June, Creators Syndicate will launch my weekly newspaper column, in which I’ll write about health, relationships, lifestyle, food, and a lot more! I’ll be posting a list of the papers where it will be appearing soon.

And finally, if you are in New York this week, you can come hear me and my mom, Lisa Oz (New York Times bestselling author of Us: Transforming Ourselves and the Relationships That Matter Most), as the featured guest speakers for the CBS Radio Working Women’s Luncheon, being held at the Plaza Hotel on Thursday, April 28 from 12-2pm. Hope to see you there!

I’ll keep you posted as the show and newspaper column develop, and will send those summer preparation tips asap! In the meantime, drink your water and have an awesome next couple weeks!

xx
Daphne

A couple of weeks ago, I had a chance to hang out with the incredibly cool Claudia Chan who runs Shecky’s, an amazing website that gathers together thousands of young women just like us at shopping events all over the country, bringing the best new products to our doorsteps!

Claudia was very kind to invite me to do a segment on The Dorm Room Diet for her girlfriends, and we got to chatting about tips and tricks from the dorm that are great for use in every day life — I live in an apartment now, and I’m still pulling from the knowledge and healthy habits I developed while living on campus.

Claudia also took a quick tour of my kitchen as part of her “Claudia’s Closet” web show. Check out what I’m hiding in my pantry–everyone has a favorite treat!

Recent studies done at The University of California, San Francisco, School of Nursing have shown that dark chocolate (70% cocoa content or more) can actually be health-promoting! Check out this article on WebMD for a full explanation of how the flavonoids in dark chocolate actually help to protect your arteries and body cells, perhaps even better than similar antioxidants found in fruits and veggies (though, we all know chocolate is no substitute for these nutritional powerhouses on most bases). But it’s important to keep in mind that, while a little dark chocolate is great, a lot is not better. All you need is about 1.5 ounces a day to get the full antioxidant benefits. After that point, the calorie content outweighs the health benefits.

Aside from the great news about chocolate—which I know we are all very happy about—don’t forget that all special occasions are an opportunity to indulge for a good cause. With any celebration, whether it is a holiday, birthday, or other event, you should enjoy the full experience! If you’ve struggled to reach your ideal weight, depriving yourself of enjoying a treat is not, in my opinion, the best way to get food to relinquish its hold over your life. If anything, that deprivation makes whatever food you are avoiding taboo, which makes it more alluring and throws the power relationship between eater and eaten out of balance. You should be in total control at all times, which means you can allow yourself to indulge. So long as you keep your indulgence moderate, you can enjoy these foods whenever you want. But this is what I mean by indulging for a good cause: when you eat foods that you know aren’t really health-promoting, you should enjoy and savor them without any guilt, knowing that you have the freedom to eat what you like and that indulging (on occasion) will fuel your resolve to eat healthily for the rest of the day, week, or month.

Start by reminding yourself about your commitment to your health, and the reasons why now is a good time for change. Write down your list of reasons and a simple, short-term goal you can achieve that will help boost your confidence. Then tape your list to your fridge or wherever it will help inspire you to stay on track!

Another good reminder: the Five Principles of Healthy Eating. They’re meant to help you avoid eating too much, at the wrong times, or for the wrong reasons. With a few quick and easy tips, you can maximize your college experience without risking the pesky Freshman 15.

“What about counting calories?” is a question I hear all the time. The number of calories to consume daily varies greatly from person to person, depending on how fast your metabolism works and how much exercise you get.

Start by calculating your BMR (basal metabolic rate) which will give you a good idea of how many calories your body burns daily just to function, without your having to do anything (you can use this online calculator). You can then adjust your food intake accordingly: if you think you need more calories, try to get them from complex carbohydrates, proteins, and small amounts of good fats (like those found in olive and coconut oil and fatty fish like salmon); if you think you need fewer calories, eliminate one serving of complex carbs and/or one from fat or dairy. And of course, loading up on fruits and veggies is always a good idea! Making sure to keep your diet (naturally) colorful helps to ensure you’re getting all the basic vitamins and minerals your body needs to function optimally and look great, inside and out.

So as you hit the books again and reunite with friends and roommates, keep in mind that 2011 represents a clean slate for you to recommit to your health goals all over again. Remember, The Dorm Room Diet is a healthy lifestyle change, not a quick fix diet, and I want you in it with me for the long run. Good luck! And don’t forget to write me with any questions or comments, I always love to hear from you.

xx
Daphne

1. GIRL PUSH-UPS: With your knees on the floor and your ankles lifted and crossed, do 10 push-ups. Repeat 2 times.
2. HUMAN CHAIR: Press your back against a wall with your legs bent at a 90-degree angle, as if you were sitting in a chair. Hold this position for 1 minute. Make sure your knees stay directly above your ankles.
3. BUTT LIFT: Sit down, extend your legs in front of you, and place your palms facedown at your sides. Lift your body up and hold for 1 minute. Rest for 15 seconds, and repeat twice.
4. CROSSED LEG LIFT: Turn to your side and lift your torso up with your arms while you extend your legs above the floor. Scissor your legs in the air at an angle 20 times. Switch sides and repeat.
5. PLANK HOLD: Lie on your stomach and raise your straightened body off the floor onto your toes and forearms. Pull your stomach in. Use your oblique muscles to pull your belly button in to support your lower back. Hold for 1 minute.

These moves will help get you started with your new workout routines. Whatever you choose, your new challenge is to just get moving!

• Carry treats that aren’t filled with sugar, such as nuts, granola, and sunflower seeds to help you resist the candy your classmates may bring to class 
• Eat crunchy vegetables or fruit before attending a Halloween party. If you aren’t hungry, you will be less likely to gorge on candy and other goodies
• Walk with your friends. Allow the fact that you will indulge on this holiday to motivate you to exercise more than usual. Walking from party to party with your friends will allow you to burn off those calories (and to showcase your costume as well!)

Remember, the DRD is about moderation, as this is not another restrictive fad diet. It is important you learn how to eat right and make conscious decisions on your own. Enjoy the holiday and eat your favorite candy bar if you desire. But if you do, be sure to make healthy decisions for the rest of the week. Happy Halloween, everyone!