Brighter Bites Co-Founder Joins Esteemed Panel at ‘Food as Medicine Network Live 2025’ Conference
May 19, 2025 | 4 min to read
At the Food as Medicine Network Live 2025 in Chicago, Dr. Shreela Sharma, Co-Founder of Brighter Bites, emphasized the necessity of integrating nutrition and healthcare. The event gathered various leaders to discuss food-based interventions' role in enhancing health outcomes, particularly for underserved communities. Dr. Sharma highlighted the importance of nutrition as a foundation for lifelong well-being, with discussions focused on addressing food insecurity and the long-term consequences of nutritional deficiencies.
Panelists Discussed Need for Integration of Nutrition & Healthcare
HOUSTON, TX Brighter Bites, a national nonprofit that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables directly into families’ hands, shares Co-Founder, Dr. Shreela Sharma’s participation as a panelist at Food as Medicine Network Live 2025, a national conference focused on integrating nutrition with healthcare practices.
Held in Chicago, the event brought together policymakers, healthcare providers, nonprofit leaders, and researchers to discuss the growing role of food-based interventions in improving health outcomes. Sharma joined a distinguished panel of health leaders to share insights from Brighter Bites’ work and discuss the impact of food as a tool for prevention and healing in underserved communities.
“It was an honor to represent Brighter Bites and stand alongside such inspiring leaders,” said Dr. Sharma. “This conversation is a vital step toward reshaping how we think about healthcare — not just in treating illness but investing in nutrition as a foundation for lifelong well-being.”
Key topics discussed include:
- How healthcare providers can effectively identify and support food-insecure patients at risk for nutritional deficiencies.
- The long-term health consequences of nutritional deficiencies in food-insecure populations, and why early intervention is critical.
- How community-based partnerships and programs can successfully address food insecurity and improve nutritional health.
- The role that nutrition education plays in improving outcomes for food-insecure populations.
Brighter Bites continues to drive innovative programs that connect food access with health outcomes, working with local partners to deliver services that address chronic disease, food insecurity, and social determinants of health.
For more information about Brighter Bites’ Food is Medicine work, visit www.brighterbites.org/food-is-medicine, or follow the organization on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, or YouTube.
About Brighter Bites:
Brighter Bites is a nonprofit that creates communities of health through fresh food with the goal of changing behavior among children and their families to prevent obesity and achieve long-term health. Brighter Bites is an evidence-based, multi-component elementary school, preschool, and summer camp program that utilizes reliable access to fruits and vegetables, nutrition education, and consistent exposure to recipes and messages that feature fresh food. Since 2012, Brighter Bites has provided over 65 million pounds of produce and millions of nutrition education materials to more than one million individuals (including teachers) in Austin, Bakersfield, Dallas, Greater Philadelphia, Houston, Las Cruces, Los Angeles, Phoenix, New York City, Salinas, San Antonio, Southwest Florida, and the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area. To learn more about Brighter Bites visit www.brighterbites.org