Melisa Centofanti is the founder of Chento Nutrition offering one on one consulting and creative live cooking classes online and in person for improved health of your body, mind and spirit. Chento nutrition will get you to your health goals with clarity and confidence. Our job is to provide a personal health plan through analysis and customization. Cento in Italian means 100 and is pronounced “Chento” so we want to get you feeling your 100%. With your collaboration we can get the results you're looking for.

My Story

I grew up in an Italian household in an urban setting where most of the food was made from scratch. My family had a large organic backyard garden. Breads, pastas, and canned tomatoes were a mainstay. My mom had a friend that raised chickens, and that’s where we would get our eggs. Our meats were often home processed as well; every spring we had a full grass-fed lamb dry-hanging in our cantina. Growing up, my siblings and I had exposure to free range, organic chickens and rabbits being defeathered and skinned. Our whole family would participate somehow in seasonally producing, for example, sausage and prosciutto at home. An almost continuous aroma of flavours wafted from the kitchen as my mother prepared homemade creations infused with love from these seasonal “work” sessions. 

While there is no meat hanging in our kitchen today, I have adapted many of these traditional practices into my own kitchen with a modern twist, modifying family recipes to be more flexible and accommodate a variety of dietary needs, including vegetarian, vegan, paleo and keto options.

When my oldest son was four, he had already had eczema at various times from the age of two. The failure of allopathic medicine to provide us with a solution made us frustrated as parents. We managed to clear up the problem by making simple changes to his diet. At this time, on the advice of a naturopathic doctor, I guided our small family into a low gluten diet, eventually phasing it out completely. It was the first time I had heard of “gluten sensitivity”. This was 22 years ago. There were other changes too, but this one made the most significant difference for our entire family. 

Over the past 15 years, I have found that transitioning to a completely gluten-free diet and eating mainly whole foods has helped me manage a chronic condition, overcome stage 2 uterine cancer (along with healthy lifestyle choices and treatment), and keep my hypothyroidism in check.

The latest part of my own wellness journey has me following a path that has made me feel happier, healthier and more energetic than ever. I am enjoying healthy food choices and having fun moving my body in ways I never thought possible. I look at my own body weight as a health tool. In other words, my own objective is to be in tune with my body consistently without obsessing over the number on the scale.

About Chento Nutrition

Always interested in improving health through lifestyle and food, I learned about CSNN (Canadian School of Natural Nutrition) when I was employed at a local health food store. Originally, I thought I would become Certified in Holistic Nutrition (CHN) to help me with my own health challenges, but as I went deeper and deeper into the research there grew an even bigger desire to help others.

I created Chento Nutrition to guide individuals who may be struggling with finding better health and confidence in the kitchen. As a Certified Holistic Nutritional Consultant and Professional Home Cook, I offer personalized sessions, custom made to meet your specific dietary needs and help get you feeling your 100%.

Private Cooking Classes

As the primary cook and grocery purchaser in your family you have the opportunity to optimize the health of your family by what you serve. Even if individual family members have different dietary needs, it is possible to create simple meals that can be mixed and matched to accommodate everyone without stress. Likewise, if you are cooking for one, simple, healthy meals are possible with planning for easy cooking and portioned snacks. If cooking is a skill you have not mastered yet, or don’t enjoy because you find it stressful, I would love to turn that around for you with some private classes in your own home kitchen. These affordable personalized sessions are designed to meet your specific cultural and dietary needs.

Nutritional Consulting

If you are unhappy with your body and have tried all the ‘diet’ methods or are frustrated by your energy levels, I can help you find your healthiest you without feeling like your missing out on “the good stuff”.

If you are interested in learning more, call me for a free discovery session at 403-630-3430.