HEALTHIER HABITS
Significant increase in amount of fruits and vegetables consumed.
DOES BRIGHTER BITES WORK?
While food co-ops are becoming popular, there is little published literature to show their benefit and impact.
This is where Brighter Bites takes the fruitcake.
Researchers at the UTHealth School of Public Health conducted a two-year study evaluating the impact of Brighter Bites on 760 students and their families at nine schools in Houston during the 2013-15 school years. Results from this study have been published in a scientific peer-reviewed journal called Preventive Medicine.
Suffice it to say, science finally proves what we’ve suspected all along:
Brighter Bites works—and works well.
Study results show that, as compared to participants in the control group (not receiving Brighter Bites), children and parents who did receive Brighter Bites demonstrated:
LESS ADDED SUGAR
Significant decrease in amount of added sugars consumed among children.
MORE HOME COOKING
Twofold increase in cooking meals from scratch
HEALTHIER SNACKING
Significant increase in serving more fruits and vegetables as snacks.
MORE FAMILY MEALS
Significant increase in eating produce-heavy meals together at home
SMARTER DECISIONS
Twofold increase in using nutrition labels to guide grocery purchases
“Brighter Bites is a theory-driven, evidence-based health promotion program that mitigates fruit and vegetable waste and converts it into a public health opportunity by systematically sourcing and channeling primarily donated produce into underserved communities.”
“The overarching goal of Brighter Bites is to increase the demand for, and intake of, fruits and vegetables among low-income children and their families. To ensure this happens, our model provides comprehensive nutrition education for students and their parents and creates exciting opportunities for children to practice healthy eating behaviors in school and at home. Ongoing evaluation allows us to critically assess program efficacy, while pushing the scientific dialogue forward to understand how to healthfully feed our families.”
DR. SHREELA SHARMA, CO-FOUNDER
SUSTAINED CONSUMPTION
94% of participating parents reported their family ate all or most of the fruits provided, and 87% ate all or most of the vegetables.
HIGH PROGRAM FIDELITY
Participating families reported attending 7 of 8 available distributions on average in each of the fall and spring semesters.
LOW COST OF PRODUCE
On average each week, Brighter Bites families received 57 servings of fruits and vegetables, which cost the program $2.65 per family per week.
BRIGHTER BITES INTERVENTION LOGIC MODEL, HOUSTON, TEXAS 2013-2015
THE FRAMEWORK BEHIND THE FRUIT
How we built our three-part formula, developed our messaging and materials, and continue to evaluate program success.
FEATURED PROJECT
IMPACT OF SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH ON BRIGHTER BITES PARTICIPANTS
We are currently studying how the social determinants of health, specifically food insecurity, impacts our Brighter Bites families’ behaviors such as grocery shopping, dietary intake, and program attendance.
CONTINUED RESEARCH
Translating research into practice, and practice into research.
Publications
Sharma SV, Chuang R, Rushing M, Naylor B, Ranjit N, Pomeroy M, et al. Social Determinants of Health–Related Needs During COVID-19 Among Low-Income Households With Children. Prev Chronic Dis 2020;17:200322.
Sharma SV, Haidar A, Noyola J, Tien J, Rushing M, Naylor BM, et al. (2020) Using a rapid assessment methodology to identify and address immediate needs among low-income households with children during COVID-19. PLoS ONE 15(10):e0240009
Amier Haidar BS , Amelia Khoei BS , Saira Alex BS , Christina Blick BS , Elyse Lopez BS , Sydney Wendt BS , Ramesh Ghanta BS , Maha Almohamad PhD , Stefanie Cousins MPH , Jacqueline Noyola BS , Jacqueline Tien BS , Christine Markham PhD , Shreela V. Sharma PhD, RD, LD , Community-academic partnerships to promote health literacy and address social needs among low-income families during COVID-19, Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (2020)
Marshall, A., Bounds, G., Patlovich, K., Markham, C., Farhat, A., Cramer, N., Oceguera, A., Croom, T., Carrillo, J., & Sharma, S., Study Design and Protocol to Assess Fruit and Vegetable Waste at School Lunches. Behavioral Sciences. 2019, Volume 9, Issue 9, pp 101-116.
Sharma, S.V., Markham, C., Ranjit, N., Marshall, A., Bounds, G., Chow, J., & Hearne, K., Impact of a school-based nutrition intervention on fruit and vegetable waste at school lunches – Results from the Brighter Bites pilot plate waste study. Journal of Nutrition, Education, and Behavior. 2019, Volume 000, pp 1-9 .
Sharma, S.V., Upadhyaya, M., Bounds, G., & Markham, C., A public health opportunity found in food waste. Preventing Chronic Disease. November 2017, Volume 14:160596.
Alcazar, L., Raber, M., Lopez, K., Markham, C., & Sharma, S.V., Examining the impact of a school-based fruit and vegetable co-op in the Hispanic community through documentary photography. Appetite. 2017, Volume 116, pp 115-122.
Sharma, S. V., Chow, J., Pomeroy, M., Raber, Salako, D. O., & Markham, C. Lessons learned from the implementation of Brighter Bites: a food co-op to increase access to fruits and vegetables and nutrition education among low-income children and their families. Journal of School Health. April 2017, Volume 87, Number 4, pp 284-296.
Raber, M., Sharma, S. V., Pomeroy, M., Mody, A., Markham, C., & Lopez, K. K. Brighter Sights: Using Photovoice for a Process Evaluation of a Food Co-op Style Nutrition Intervention. Journal of Health Disparities Research. Fall 2016, Volume 9, Issue 3, pp 20-34.
Sharma, S. V., Markham, C., Chow, J., Ranjit, N., Pomeroy, M., & Raber, M. Evaluating a school-based fruit and vegetable co-op in low-income children: a quasi-experimental study. Preventive Medicine. 2016, Volume 91, pp 8–17.
Sharma, S. V., Markham, C., Helfman, L., Albus, K., Pomeroy, & M, Chuang, R.J. Feasibility and acceptability of Brighter Bites: A food co-op in schools to increase access, continuity and education of fruits and vegetables among low-income populations. Journal of Primary Prevention. 2015, Volume 36, Issue 4, pp 281-286.
PRESENTATIONS
Sharma, S.V., Scott, L. (February 2020). Brighter Bites: Improving Community Health by Creating a New Generation of Produce Consumers. Oral presentation at the Association of SNAP Nutrition Education Administrators (ASNNA) Winter Conference in Arlington, VA.
Sharma, S.V. (February 2020). The Impact of Diet on Gut Health and Overall Wellness. Invited Speaker at UTHealth Spring Luncheon in Houston, TX.
Cousins, S., Sharma, S.V. (November 2017). Brighter Bites: Marketing as a catalyst for change. Oral presentation at the American Public Health Association 2017 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA.
Alcazar, L., Sharma, S.V. (November 2016). Brighter Bites Photovoice: Perspectives from Hispanic participating parents towards the Brighter Bites program. Oral presentation at the American Public Health Association 2016 Annual Meeting in Denver, CO.
Sharma, S., Markham, C., Chow, J., Ranjit, N., Pomeroy, M., & Raber, M. (November 2016). A comparative effectiveness study of Brighter Bites: A food co-op intervention to improve access to fresh F&V and nutrition education among low-income children and families. Oral presentation at the American Public Health Association 2016 Annual Meeting in Denver, CO.
Pomeroy, M. (November 2016). Brighter Bites: Implementing a Food Co-op Concept in Underserved Schools. Oral Presentation at the Southern Obesity Summit in Houston, TX.
Past, Present and Future of SNAP: Evaluating Effectiveness and Outcomes in SNAP-Ed: Hearings before the Committee on Agriculture, House of Representatives, 114th Cong. (June 2016) (Testimony of Shreela Sharma, PhD, RD, LD).
Sharma, S., Markham, C., Chow, J., Pomeroy, M., & Raber M. (October 2015). Efficacy of Brighter Bites: a School-Based Food Co-op Intervention. Poster presentation at The Obesity Society Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA.
Sharma, S., Markham, C. Helfman, L., Albus, K., Chuang, R.J., & Pomeroy, M. (May 2014). Feasibility and acceptability of Brighterbites, a program increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables and nutrition education among low-income children and their families. Poster presented at the International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA.
Albus, K., Sharma, S., Markham, C., Helfman, L., & Pomeroy, M. (May 2014). Process evaluation of Brighter Bites pilot study: A community-academic partnership promoting fruit and vegetable intake among low-income, minority populations. Oral presentation at the International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA.
ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECTS
Brighter Bites dissemination and scalability study across all Brighter Bites cities.
Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) with pregnant women, mothers, and infants. Collaborators: part of THRIVE coordinated efforts spearheaded by UT Physicians.
The impact of food insecurity on food shopping behaviors and dietary intake behaviors among Brighter Bites participants.
The impact of food insecurity on Brighter Bites families’ program attendance and participation.
OUR SCIENCE ALLIANCE
No tricks here! Just healthy treats! 🍇🍌🍍🍓
Our DC team dressed up this week as fruits and veggies while distributing fresh fruits and veggies to our families, and we can't think of a better treat than that!
Hope you have a safe and healthy Halloween!
#brighterbites #nonprofit #freshproduce #fruit #vegetables #healthyeating #healthytreats
Cooler weather is upon us and so is pumpkin bread season! 🍂
In honor of National Pumpkin Day, we are sharing one of our favorite recipes, our Jack-o-Lantern Loaf! This bread is super tasty and nutritious and sure to please the whole family! Enjoy as a breakfast treat or a sweet snack. Happy baking!
Full recipe here ➡️ https://brighterbites.org/recipe/jack-o-lantern-loaf/
#brighterbites #BrighterBitesBrighterHomes #nationalpumpkinday #pumpkinbread #pumkin #jackolantern #recipeoftheday #healthyrecipes #freshproduce #fruit #vegetables #healthyeating #healthycooking #healthybaking
Grateful for another successful week of programming in New York City! This year, we are serving 12 schools and about 3,000 families Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan! 🍎🌃
#brighterbites #brighterbitesnyc #freshproduce #fruit #vegetables #nutritioneducation #nonprofit
🤫 Today we are sneaking some mushrooms into our turkey burgers for #nationalmushroomday 🍄🍔 becuase we think that mushrooms go with burgers just as much as fries go with burgers!
See the full recipe on our website: https://brighterbites.org/recipe/turkey-mushroom-burgers/
#brighterbites #BrighterBitesBrighterHomes #nationalmushroomday #turkeyburger #turkerymushroomburger #recipeoftheday #healthyrecipes #freshproduce #fruit #vegetables #healthyeating #healthycooking
It's National Dessert Day, and you know we can't miss out on celebrating this day with some delicious and healthy desserts! We've picked a few of our favorites here just for you!
All of our dessert recipes incorporate at least one fruit or veggie for added flavor, sweetness, and nutrition. Who said dessert couldn't be healthy?
• Apple Cake topped with Banana Ice Cream and Crunchy Apple Chips! 🍰+🍦+🍎
• Un-Beet-able Brownies 🍫
• Carrot Cupcakes🥕+🧁
For these recipes and more healthy dessert recipes, visit our website ➡️ www.brighterbites.org/recipes
#brighterbites #BrighterBitesBrighterHomes #nationaldessertday #healthydesserts #recipeoftheday #healthyrecipes #freshproduce #fruit #vegetables #healthyeating #healthycooking
The SUNSET® Rocks Virtual Party is tomorrow night! We are looking forward to sharing our mission with the produce industry as well as enjoying a live concert from a big-name artist! 🎸🎶🎙 We are so thankful for the generous support of our event sponsors. Thank you @chelanfresh @calavogrowers @grimmwayfarms @goodfoods @yesapples !!
Interested to see who this year's big-name recording artist will be? Join us tomorrow, October 13 at 7:30PM EST!
Link to register in bio!
#sunsetrocksvirtualparty #brighterbites #freshproduce #fruit #vegetables #partnership #sunsetgrown #inspiredbyflavor
Thank you @earthfresh for being a matching sponsor for the upcoming SUNSET® Rocks Virtual Party is coming up next Tuesday, October 13! We are honored to be the nonprofit recipient of the event and to have the support of our sponsors!
Interested to see who this year's big-name recording artist will be? Join us next Tuesday, October 13 at 7:30PM EST!
Link to register in bio!
#sunsetrocksvirtualparty #brighterbites #freshproduce #fruit #vegetables #partnership #sunsetgrown #inspiredbyflavor
We are five days out from the SUNSET® Rocks Virtual Party! We are honored to be the nonprofit recipient of the event, and we are so grateful for our generous matching sponsor @sunkistcitrus !! 🍊 Thank you!!
Interested to see who this year's big-name recording artist will be? Join us next Tuesday, October 13 at 7:30PM EST!
Link to register in bio!
#sunsetrocksvirtualparty #brighterbites #freshproduce #fruit #vegetables #partnership #sunsetgrown #inspiredbyflavor
The SUNSET® Rocks Virtual Party is coming up next Tuesday, October 13! We are honored to be the nonprofit recipient of the event, and we are privileged to have the generous support of our sponsors. Thank you @heb !!
Interested to see who this year's big-name recording artist will be? Join us next Tuesday, October 13 at 7:30PM EST!
Link to register in bio!
#sunsetrocksvirtualparty #brighterbites #freshproduce #fruit #vegetables #partnership #sunsetgrown #inspiredbyflavor
We are beyond excited to be the nonprofit recipient of the SUNSET® Rocks Virtual Party happening next Tuesday, October 13! Not only do we get to share our mission with the produce industry through this event, but we also get to share a virtual concert experience! 🎤🎵🎶🎸 How exciting is that? Interested to see who this year's big-name recording artist will be? Join us next Tuesday, October 13 at 7:30PM EST!
Link to register in bio!
#sunsetrocksvirtualparty #brighterbites #freshproduce #fruit #vegetables #partnership #sunsetgrown #inspiredbyflavor
We are so grateful for @sunsetgrown and their incredible donation of a truckload 🚚 of produce..that is over 28,000 POUNDS of veggies!! 🍅🌶 Through their generous donation, we are able to provide our Brighter Bites Houston families with beautiful boxes of fresh produce all week. With delicious and vibrant produce like KABOOM! black jalapeño peppers, Sprinkles tomatoes, ALOHA peppers and more, our little Brighter Biters are sure to get excited to eat veggies. THANK YOU, @sunsetgrown !!❤️🧡🧡
#brighterbites #freshproduce #fruit #vegetables #tomatoes #peppers #partnership #inspiredbyflavor
It's World Vegetarian Day, and we are sharing some of our favorite vegetarian dishes. 🍅🥦🌽🧅🥕So whether you are eating a vegetarian diet, fasting from meat, practicing "meatless Mondays", or simply looking to add more vegetables into your diet, we've got some recipes for you!
• Broccoli Cheddar Quiche
• Black-Eyed Peas Rainbow Salad
• Cauliflower Ceviche
• Zucchini Pizzas
For more these full recipes and more, visit our website www.brighterbites.org/recipes
#brighterbites #BrighterBitesBrighterHomes #worldvegetarianday #vegetarian #recipeoftheday #healthyrecipes #freshproduce #fruit #vegetables #healthyeating #healthycooking
Ready for slower mornings and delicious pancakes this weekend? 😴🥞 We are too!! Just in time for National Pancake Day tomorrow, we are sharing our Sweet Potato Pancakes recipe. 🍠🥞 You only need a few ingredients to make this delicious and sweet treat that is sure to please the whole family for your weekend breakfast!
INGREDIENTS
• ½ sweet potato
• 3 eggs
• ⅛ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• ⅛ tsp salt
DIRECTIONS
Using a knife, cut slits in the sweet potato half for better cooking and cook sweet potato in microwave until very tender (about 4½ minutes). Once the sweet potato has cooled, use a fork to mash it until it has the consistency of mashed potatoes. In a blender or food processor add sweet potato, eggs, and remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Over medium heat, spray a pan with cooking spray and add a ¼ cup of batter to form a pancake. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook the other side for about 2-3 minutes. Repeat this to make about 6-7 pancakes. Serve with bananas, berries, and a splash of maple syrup or honey!
#brighterbites #BrighterBitesBrighterHomes #nationalpancakeday #sweetpotato #pancakes #breakfast #recipeoftheday #freshproduce #vegetables #healthyeating #healthycooking
Another successful week of programming in the books for the 2020-2021 school year! Thank you to our schools for joining forces with us to build communities of health through fresh food!
🏫🍎🥬🥦🌽🍓
#brighterbites #brighterbitesDC #freshproduce #fruits #vegetables #HaveaPlant #JoyofFresh #nonprofitorganization #nutritioneducation
For National Guacamole Day 🥑, we are sharing one of our favorite recipes- our Corn Guacamole! The addition of corn 🌽 to the guacamole adds a sweet pop of flavor💥 that we think will truly GUAC your world. 😎
We love guacamole as a snack with fresh veggies, as an appetizer with baked chips, or on top of tacos and quesadillas. How do you like your guacamole?
#brighterbites #BrighterBitesBrighterHomes #nationguacamoleday #guacamole #avocado #recipeoftheday #freshproduce #vegetables
It's National Linguini Day and we wanted to share our Pasta Primavera recipe, which we think is imPASTAble to resist! 🍝🍝🍝
INGREDIENTS
• 2 zucchini, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1 jar (32 oz) pasta sauce
• 1 lb uncooked whole wheat pasta
DIRECTIONS
In a large pot boil water and cook pasta according to package instructions. When ready, drain pasta and let sit. Sauté zucchini, bell pepper, onion and garlic in olive oil in a large pan over medium heat until vegetables are tender. Add the sauce and heat then serve over the cooked pasta. 🍝😋
#brighterbites #BrighterBitesBrighterHomes #nationallinguiniday #pasta #recipeoftheday #freshproduce #vegetables
We are thrilled to join forces with Amerigroup to expand our reach in the Washington, D.C. metro area! 💙🍎🥦🍅🍑🌽
“Together, we’re ensuring that families are not only able to put food on the table, but more importantly consume the right foods to keep them nourished and their immune systems strong.” -Northeast Regional Director of Brighter Bites, Melanie Button
#brighterbites #brighterbitesdc #freshproduce #nutritioneducation #nonprofitorganization
This might sound corny, but it has felt a-maize-ing 🌽 to be back in our communities and see all of our Brighter Bites families this week! 💛
That’s a wrap on our first week of fall programming in Houston, Dallas, Austin, and DC! 🎉📦🧅🥕🍎🥔🍋
#brighterbites #freshproduce #fruits #veggies #vegetables #nutritioneducation
Want to be a part of the Brighter Bites volunteer community?
We think we'd make a great PEAR! 🍐 🍐 Join us this year in distributing our boxes full of fresh produce to our families. We have opportunities available in all of our cities! 🍉🍌🥕🌽🍊🥬
Distribution Volunteer Duties may include:
• Distributing boxes into cars in the drive thru line or directly into the hand of families in walk up lines 🚙🚗📦
• Lifting and moving produce boxes or moving pallets 🥦💪
• Tracking and checking in families ✔️📋
• Directing drive-thru or walk up lines🚦🚧
• Set up and break down of tents/tables 🎪
• Adding handouts/materials/stickers to the boxes ⭐
Hungry to help? 🍎
Sign up online ➡️www.brighterbites.org/volunteer
Looking to squeeze in a little volunteering? 🍋 Our volunteers spots are open, and we are ready to GUAC-and-roll! 🥑 Today, we are highlighting our Produce Boxing opportunity located at the @houstonfoodbank ! It's all hands on deck to help package up all of the fruits and vegetables for our Brighter Bites families. 💚
During the boxing project, volunteers will help build produce orders for Brighter Bites schools at the Houston Food Bank. This includes sorting and boxing produce, then stacking the completed boxes of produce onto pallets. These pallets will then be delivered by the Houston Food Bank to Brighter Bites schools throughout the week.
Volunteer duties may include:
• Sorting a variety of fruits and vegetables into boxes 🥕🍓🍍🍊
• Lifting and stacking full produce boxes in order to build large pallets of packaged produce 📦
• Cleaning the work area by disposing of trash and recycling ♻️
Hungry to Help? 🍎 Sign up on our website ➡️ www.brighterbites.org/volunteer