About Abra

So you think you’re too busy to be healthy, huh? I love you already. I’m Abra Pappa.

I’m a former workaholic myself and, thanks to the power of whole plant strong foods, I healed myself from exhaustion, emotional eating, and dropped 30+ pounds of unhealthy weight.

Here’s a little bit more about how I got here:

I grew up in the mountains of Pennsylvania, where my hippie parents taught me the importance of good nutrition years before the rest of my town even knew what a vegan was. When I got to college however, hours of rehearsal & a full class schedule changed my eating habits completely. I switched out fresh vegetables & my mom’s herbal remedies for exotic “foods” like Cheese Whiz & Ramen Noodles.

After graduation I moved to NYC to pursue Musical Theater (aka wait tables & bartend), and my relationship to food went from bad to worse. The next 10 years were filled with crazy work hours, auditions, and very little self-care. It wasn’t just a problem with junk food either – it was my reasons for eating. I ate when I had time (sometimes once in 14 hours), I ate what I wanted, I ate to feel better, I ate to feel worse, I ate to celebrate, I ate to mourn. Basically, I ate. I woke up one day and realized I was 30 pounds overweight. Oh. My. God. I had to take action.

Three days later, I enrolled in Nutrition School in NYC, in a program that focused not only on what we eat, but why we eat, how we eat and the way our lifestyles effects those choices. After graduation, I launched a personal health food chef business.

Everything was moving along deliciously, but after 3 years I realized something: my clients were relying on ME to cook, ME to tell them what to eat, and ME to solve their problems. If my clients didn’t truly understand food & their bodies, I wondered, how was I any different to a pharmaceutical? So I transitioned out of personal chef-ing, and focused instead on 1-on-1 counseling and cooking classes.

That’s when Karen – my best friend since 10th grade – and I decided to take this work to the next level. We knew that with our entertainment backgrounds, expertise and personal struggles with food, we could bring something totally new to the table. We didn’t just want to create a health philosophy – we wanted to start a revolution! We wanted to wash away the American stigma around healthy food, and make getting in shape easy, rewarding, and FUN!

So, Nutritious America was born.

Karen has since moved on to new exciting endeavors as I take over the helm here at Nutritious America.

I’m head over heels in love with my job. Not only do I love working with my clients, but I am living my dream of reaching a larger audience through TV and speaking opportunities. Nutritious America is now the hub for all things healthy, mindful, and motivational.

Are you ready to live the life of your dreams too?  Jump on over and get on board with one of my programs. You are welcome into my world of healthy and happy. Learn more here.