Food as Medicine: The Next Wave of Tech-Enabled Nutrition

Nov 16, 2023

This podcast explores the role of food as medicine in managing chronic diseases. It introduces two platforms, Yumlish and Edamam, which leverage nutritional information to improve health. They discuss the lack of nutrition guidance from doctors and the challenge of too much information online. The guests also highlight the need for tech-enabled solutions to address the shortage of dietitians. They emphasize the importance of clinical outcomes, engagement, trust, and culturally competent programs. Overall, the podcast showcases the next wave of tech-enabled nutrition.

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Introduction

00:00 • 3min

The Importance of Nutrition Literacy and the Challenge of Too Much or Too Little Information

02:42 • 2min

Tech-Enabled Solution to Address Dietitian Shortfall

04:34 • 6min

Emphasizing Clinical Outcomes, Engagement, and Trust in Tech-Enabled Nutrition

10:10 • 2min

Importance of Culturally Competent Programs and Personalized Meal Recommendations

11:56 • 11min

At StartUp Health we’re all about what’s new and what’s next in health, and that often means talking about cutting-edge technology. But sometimes the most radical way to improve is also the simplest. One example? Our food. This week, as we head into Thanksgiving in the United States, we’re talking about the role food plays in managing not just our weight and fitness, but actual chronic diseases. Some people use the term 'Food as Medicine,' and the more research we do, the more ways we find that tuning our nutrition can sometimes be superior to taking more pharmaceuticals. While the idea of seeing food as a legitimate healthcare tool isn’t new, per se, there are some exciting new tools and platforms that leverage nutritional information and make it more accessible to the world. And that’s what we’re going to talk about on this episode. Our first guest is Shireen Abdullah, CEO & Founder at Yumlish, who joined the StartUp Health community in 2019. Shireen’s platform puts a virtual nutritionist in your pocket, with a strong emphasis on boosting health literacy. She’s also worked very closely with the Air Force on workforce readiness. Turns out there are so many young people who are overweight and inactive that it’s hindering military recruitment and becoming a national security threat. After Shireen we’ll hear from Victor Penev, CEO & Founder of Edamam, a Health Transformer since all the way back in 2013. Victor has made the world’s food knowledge more searchable through Edamam's API so that users of platforms like NOOM and Virta Health can get personalized meal recommendations. We’ll also hear about their brand new integration with Open AI that brings a ChatGPT experience to the process of finding personalized meal plans. Enjoy the episode! Innovators: Health Transformer University fuels your health moonshot Funders: Become a Health Moonshot Champion Want more content like this? You can subscribe to the podcast as well as other health innovation updates at startuphealth.com/content. Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox. Looking to break down health barriers? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our Health Equity Moonshot. Passionate about Type 1 diabetes? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our T1D Moonshot.