Daphne Oz

A commitment to healthier food and lifestyle choices propelled Daphne Oz from college student to nationally recognized expert, best-selling author and co-host of the popular television talk show "The Chew" (ABC 2011- ). The daughter of surgeon and television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz, she observed first-hand the negative effects of bad nutrition on young people while a student at Princeton University. Her own successful dieting attempts prompted her to pen The Dorm Room Diet in 2006, which launched her career as an author and health expert.

Oz quickly established her brand in the same manner as her father - as a likable, energetic advocate for health and how smart choices could have a widespread positive impact on people's lives. Her guest hosting duties on "The Chew" expanded her influence to a vast national audience, which embraced her gospel of enjoying life while also maintaining one's health, a stance that made her a well-loved personality on television and in print.

Born Daphne Nur Oz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 17, 1986, she was the eldest of four children born to cardiothoracic surgeon and television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz and his wife, author and producer Lisa Oz. While growing up in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, her interest in health and nutrition began while attending high school at the Dwight-Englewood School in Englewood, New Jersey; there, she wrote a research paper on teenage eating habits, which prompted her to approach her school's cafeteria about healthy alternatives for students.

Oz then attended Princeton University as a Near Eastern Studies major, where she discovered that intensive studies often translated into poor eating habits and choices. Unlike many students, who gained the dreaded "freshman 15" pounds during their first year at college, the previously overweight Oz actually dropped 10 pounds by sticking to a vegetarian diet and snacking on fruits and nuts. In 2006, Oz turned her observations and experience into her first book, The Dorm Room Diet, which became a national bestseller.

She was soon an in-demand guest on various television talk shows and news programs, as well as a contributor to various publications and websites, including The Huffington Post. In 2007, Oz published a follow-up book, The Dorm Room Diet Planner before launching a second career as a featured speaker at various conferences and forums on health and women's issues, most notably the Governor's Women's Conference in 2008.

After marrying fellow Princeton student John Jovanovic in 2010, Oz was selected as one of five co-hosts for the daytime talk/cooking show "The Chew." The show quickly became a success, due in part to Oz's cheerful personality and often bawdy sense of humor. A nationally syndicated column, "Food Thoughts," was launched the following year, with a third book, Relish: An Adventure in Food, Style and Everyday Fun reaching readers in 2013. That same year, Oz announced that she and her husband were expecting their first child in February of 2014.