About Us
Sesame is a fully independent project that aims to connect what we eat to how we feel. Our goal is to help you, the consumer, make more informed decisions and find the best foods for your health. The scores we provide are based on the latest dietary recommendations and not on the advice of food manufacturers, health insurance brands, or other outside influences. Just our team, the research, and you.
How we score foods
Our food scoring algorithm looks at both the nutrient and ingredient quality of packaged foods.
Nutrients
Using the FDA's Daily Recommended Intakes as a guideline, we score each nutrient based on the label amount and the relevance of that nutrient to a given health condition. These scores are then aggregated to form a total nutrient score.
Ingredients
We also analyze each food's ingredient list for potentially harmful ingredients. These include additives like Titanium Dioxide, Red 40, and others that have been banned in Europe or in certain US States due to adverse health effects.
Clinical Research
In addition to working with a registered dietitian, we also believe it's important to provide citations for each nutrient or ingredient that we highlight. As you look through the catalog, you'll notice that each note references clinical trials or studies that reflect the latest in scientific research.
- Nutrients assessed
- 38
- Additives analyzed
- 1,507
- Packaged and raw foods scored
- 410K
Our values
- Informed by science
- Every piece of advice we give is backed by the latest in diet and disease research. No superfoods, no magic elixirs, no cucumber juice.
- No outside influence
- We want to inspire positive change in our food ecosystem. To that end, our scores and recommendations will always be brand agnostic.
- All food is good
- Though certain foods are more nutritious than others, there's no such thing as a bad food. We will never villainize products or make people feel guilty for their choioces.
- Keep it simple
- Nutrients and ingredients are extremely complex. But food decisions should be simple. We aim to distill the complexity into digestive nuggets (food puns...).
- Show our work
- "Because we said so" is never a viable explanation for linking certain nutrients or ingredients to chronic health conditions.
- Food is love
- Though diet and disease is a serious topic, we aim to embody the joy and fulfillment you get from a delicious, home-cooked meal.
Our team
-
Deepa Krishnan
Co-Founder / CEO
-
Sam Laber
Co-Founder
-
Joeman Fong
Founding Engineer
-
Adee Levinstein, MS, RD, LD
Lead Dietitian