A Conversation with Daphne Oz
Why did you write THE DORM ROOM DIET?
I have a father and two grandfathers who are heart surgeons and
a grandma who is a specialist in complementary medicine. With all
these medical people in my family, I grew up hearing about what
I should be eating and how I should be exercising to maintain
ideal health, but from the time I was seven until I was seventeen
I was overweight. At my heaviest, I was 5’8’ and 175
pounds. I was only able to lose—and keep off—the 30
extra pounds I was lugging around once I stopped treating food as
an emotional crutch and put it back into perspective as the fuel
that it is.
When I was accepted to college, I realized that this represented an entirely new stage in my life. If I didn’t seize the opportunity to change now, when would I? So I began the process of changing my lifestyle, and I haven’t looked back since. My friends, who knew that I was on a quest to learn as much as I could about what I should be eating, started coming to me with questions. I realized that I was not the only one interested in this stuff. I decided to put together a book so that anyone who wanted the information could get it easily.
Why do college students gain the Freshman 15?
College is hugely different from home, and this change in environment
can (and probably will) have a profound effect on your eating habits,
in ways you may never have imagined. You eat on your own or
with friends; you have autonomy over what goes in your mouth; you
eat at irregular times and often based on convenience or budget,
rather than hunger or nutrition. Food helps you socialize,
kill boredom, and cope with stress, not to mention replace the comforts
of home. The good news is that, even if you have less-than-perfect
eating habits, college provides a fresh start and is a great place
to take control of your health.
What should a student following the THE DORM ROOM DIET look
for in the cafeteria?
The cafeteria is a lifesaver. You have a huge variety of food
to choose from. Look for grilled lean meat and fish, fresh
fruits and veggies, whole grains, and low-fat cheese and milk.
Avoid fried foods, cheesy or creamy sauces, sugary cereals, high-sugar
fruit juices and sodas, full-fat cheese and milk. And remember,
half portions of bad-for-you foods are better than full portions.
College students can have unusual schedules, running from
class to class and staying up late. What are some tips for
eating healthfully all day long?
The first step, of course, is to determine your class schedule. After you’ve established when your windows of time are for meals, you can plan ahead to be sure you get something quick and healthful. “Not having enough time” is never a valid excuse for not eating breakfast. If you know you have a tendency to hit the snooze button a few times before rolling out of bed, put an apple in your bag the night before. It’s easy to keep yourself on track by filling out the journal section of THE DORM ROOM DIET PLANNER. When you record what you eat, drink and how much you exercise, you will find yourself motivated to keep going.
Late-night eating is one of our chief foes, since there are few options to choose from if you haven’t planned ahead and your body doesn’t have the time to use up the calories you consumed before climbing into bed. Try sparkling water with fruit juice as a sweet fix before you eat anything. The bubbles will fill you up and won’t leave you feeling bloated from having carbs right before bed. If you do succumb, make sure you know exactly how much unhealthy stuff you’re eating by measuring it into a bowl. By all means avoid eating ice cream out of the box, as spoonfuls quickly add up to pints, especially if you’re sharing with friends.
When it’s time to write papers and study for finals,
students are notorious for eating junk food late into the night.
What should they do instead?
Give yourself scheduled breaks during which you’ve already
planned to eat. You’ll be more productive during your
study time because there’s a reward at the end of each interval.
Baby carrots are great because they fulfill that desire for crunch
that would otherwise come from pretzels or another crisp, salty
snack. Grapefruit is a natural appetite suppressant and the
vitamin C will keep you alert. Apples and pears are two low-sugar
fruits that are easy to store and have when you’re in the
middle of a study spree. And a handful of semisweet chocolate
chips will satisfy your craving for sweet, fatty foods that will
increase as the study hours wear on. Because they are semisweet,
they have less sugar than milk chocolate, so a small handful of
them contains only about 100 calories. Rice cakes or soy crisps
are salty-crunchy craving fixers, with very few calories and little
to no sugar. Also, the soy crisps have very few carbs and,
on average, about 7 grams of protein per serving.
What are the signs of emotional eating, and what are the
antidotes?
The first step to eradicating emotional eating from your life is
learning to tell when you’re letting your anger, frustration,
depression, or even happiness (in the guise of celebrating and rewarding
yourself too often) eat for you. Here are the symptoms:
you feel like food has control over you and you can’t stop
yourself from eating; you can’t stop thinking about food,
even right after you’ve eaten; and whenever you experience
a lot of stress, hurt, or depression, or when something really great
happens, your first reaction is to let food ease the pain or celebrate
the joy. So much of our emotional eating comes from being
dissatisfied with our appearance. Try to be accepting of the
body you’ve been given and learn to take care of it.
Get informed about where you are now in terms of your body’s
needs, and decide on some realistic goals for the next several months,
or even years.
What are the first steps to getting started on the THE DORM ROOM DIET?
You can follow three easy steps right away to improve your health and diet (I highlight these in THE DORM ROOM DIET PLANNER): First, drink a glass (or two) of water before you eat any meal.
Try not to eat when you are distracted (watching TV, using the internet,
at parties). The food you are most likely to eat in these
settings is probably processed junk anyway and you’ll end
up gorging on snacks that won’t keep you full. Your
goal is to be conscious of what you eat at all times.
Also, try not to eat less than two hours before bed. You’ll
guarantee yourself a better night’s sleep. When you
eat just before going to bed, the digestive process is still in
high gear, making you sleep less deeply, not to mention that you
don’t give yourself any time to burn off these calories.
