Princeton junior fights Freshman 15 with written word

At age 13, author Daphne Oz saw her father perform heart surgery on a patient in the hospital.

As her father cut open the patient's chest and squeezed the built-up fat out of an artery, he explained to her what had led to the man's feeble condition.

"He said it was a direct result of the man's unhealthy eating habits throughout his entire life," Oz said. "It was one of the most disgusting things I had ever seen."

Medical experiences like these led Oz, a junior at Princeton, to write The Dorm Room Diet, which covers basic eating, exercise and lifestyle tips for college students looking to avoid the "Freshman 15."

Oz discussed the book, as well as her own her own experiences with college diets and lifestyles, with a small group of students last night at the Penn Bookstore.

She wrote and edited the book throughout high school and her first two years at college. Her experiences with friends who struggled with weight problems drove her to publish her work, she said.

"When I came back after the first semester, two of my high-school friends had put on 20 pounds each," she said. "Since I'm in a family of doctors, I had a lot of access to health information and wanted to provide that in an easy and accessible format."

In her book, Oz also includes information on short workouts and natural cures to common ailments.

"What separates this from other diet books is that it provides an overall healthy life plan," Oz said. "It answers the question, 'How do I make healthy choices while doing the stuff I want to do?'"

Recent medical reports on the dangers of obesity have helped college students gain control of their eating habits, Oz said.

"Because health awareness is growing, college campuses are responding to our needs by offering healthier options," she explained.

Although the book was released in September, Oz said she has already received a lot of feedback from students and health experts.

"I get a lot of Facebook messages from people I've never met thanking me for writing this book," she said. "It's extremely encouraging."

College sophomore Elizabeth Mongol-Gunter, who attended the discussion, said she also struggled with eating healthy food on campus.

"I know last year I had a big problem with the dining halls, so I came to hear her recommendations on how to eat healthier with the food options we've got," she said.

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