Food FiXR: Food as medicine

Dr. Grace Hameister wants you to know that every 36 seconds, someone in the United States dies from a cardiovascular event.

According to the Doctor of Chiropractic, Functional and Integrative Medicine, these deaths are preventable. In fact, in her more than two decades of practice, Dr. Hameister has come to believe that obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer can all be prevented, and potentially reversable, through diet.

“We’re now past the 40% mark of obesity for our population and that’s just unacceptable. If what we were doing was working, we wouldn’t be seeing these statistics. It’s just not working. Our system is broken,” said Hameister. “There’s no evidence-based central source for people to go to see how you should eat your food and which ones to choose.”

The doctor decided to change that. She has taken her message of food as medicine beyond her office and onto her new app, Food FiXR.

Hameister describes the  app is an “interactive FoodTech and HealthTech platform” that allows users to scan food ingredients while grocery shopping to make informed choices before the items land in their carts.

“We want Food FiXR to be this really fun, gamified, immersive experience that will truly help to flatten the curve on the top four killers in modern medicine, which are obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.”

While the product will be readily available to app users, Hameister anticipates the bulk of her users will be in the insurance and healthcare industries. The doctor foresees insurance companies offering her app to their users as part of wellness and preventative care initiatives. There is also a market for doctors like herself, who focus on a holistic approach to healthcare, to use the tool with their patients.   

The global wellness economy is booming, with an estimated value of $4.2 trillion, and the nutrition sector represents $702 billion of the total. With the wellness market growing, it is not surprising that there is keen interest in the nutrition app. Outside investors have clamored for a glimpse of the still-in-production app. Even Hollywood has come calling. Meister has been approached by representatives of a well-known name in network television about the possibility of joining the cast of a show that features business owners.

Many Milwaukeeans were introduced to Food FiXR when the company pitched the app at the Healthcare Innovation Pitch Event in 2021. Most recently, Food FiXR is included in Milwaukee Business Journal’s Wisconsin Inno Madness Bracket.

Hameister credits the I-Corps program at UW- Milwaukee for connecting her to the Milwaukee startup ecosystem. She identified Scott Bolte and startup stalwart, Dr. Dan Sem as being instrumental to the development of her business. The doctor also spoke with appreciation for the coaching and support from Molly Dill of gener8tor, who encouraged her to continue pursuing her goals when her idea was in the critical stage between concept and product.

The app has an anticipated launch date in 2022. To follow Food FiXR’s launch, connect with them here.