Debra Santelli

Functional Health Coach & Health Food Chef

Debra has worked as a functional health coach and health food chef for over 18 years, offering unique specialized meal planning and nutrition as a functional medicine provider. Within these years, Debra has helped thousands of people regain their health and wellbeing while meeting their goals through food first.

Debra works with clients all over the country and world through virtual appointments. She has been helping families, industry leaders and other practitioners and doctors who seek her unique and thoughtful food-as-medicine approach for themselves and their patients.

Debra favors traditional modalities that honor the whole person and combines this outlook with innovative functional and nutritional lab testing for the most individualized approach.

She has observed that even the simplest of food and lifestyle changes can have a significant and positive effect on how a person feels in their body and mind, and how it reflects throughout their entire lives.

Debra completed her training and certification in Nutritional Medicine and in Herbal Medicine through The American University of Complementary Medicine located in Los Angeles, where she studied in part, under the tutelage of Diana Noland, MPH, RD, CCN, DIFM and IFM faculty member. Debra also holds a degree from California State University, Fullerton.

In addition, she is a Certified Health Coach, CNC, though The Trinity School of Natural Health. Debra understands continuing education and certification help her stay in the know and sets time yearly for this. Her most updated certification being in 2022.

Debra also graduated from the prestigious Culinary Academy, Johnson & Wales University. Early on in Debra’s career, she worked for Michelin Star restaurants. A few years in and many beautiful meals later, she yearned for healthier, healing foods rather than decadence. Hence, the beginning of her education and career combination as a classically trained chef and functional nutrition health coach. This education and experience is what gives Debra the powerful knowledge to help her clients turn their personal goals into a daily reality.

Endlessly fascinated by the power of food and the human body’s capacity to heal, Debra continues to study the latest research in Nutrition Science and Functional Medicine while spending equal time in the kitchen and at her local Farmer's Markets. Debra helps her clients cut through the many conflicting trends and gets to the heart of what is key for their own health in a practical, positive, and supportive space.