Born to Tango dancers in the bustling city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, my pre-school life was anything but ordinary. I was traveling the globe with my dynamic duo parents and indulging in many culinary spoils. Life as a baby roadie was good! By the age of five I had acquired quite the wandering palate and an affinity for diverse and eclectic food.
I was a natural chocoholic.
Life was best described as magical. My Grandmother, Isabel, was a culinary genius who owned a bakery with her twin sister, my Tía Leonor. They were two firecrackers in the kitchen! Hilarious arguments about blending, basting, battering, and blending ensued daily; a fantastic blend of entertainment and sweets.
Enter Grandpa. A brilliant Doctor and pioneer in preventive medicine.
He taught me early on about the healing powers of food. It was never about eating this or that, it was about eating this and that! Camping out in the kitchen, sticking my tiny fingers in every lavish dessert, my Grandpa was always there to stick a fruit or carrot in the other hand.
Balance, as it turns out, was the backbone of my early culinary education.
And Hello America! We had migrated to a new land. I didn’t “hablar ingles”, which made it a tough transition, but I buried myself in books and picked up the whole ‘English as a second language’ thing pretty fast. It wasn’t until Sonic the Hedgehog 3 that I had a small realization: life had become more sedentary. Damn you Sega.
My family had acculturated in the worst way.
Hello Nutty Bars, Doritos, Snickers, McDonalds, and Wonderbread. We went from homemade to processed. My dad, who was always vital and healthy, had fallen victim to his environment. And with that, my seeded passion for healing through food was re-awakened. Thank you Dad.
My mission was to bring my dad back to health!
Oh, and also to land the role of Clara in the Nutcracker. Ironically it was on my toes backstage, where I immersed myself in all things health. I followed my passion of dance and nutrition tirelessly, all the while wearing a fabulous tutu.
Fast Forward to my life in NY. I went from centerstage to on-camera, while continuing my path as a home grown nutritionist. The more I read, the more I understood and agreed that what we eat matters. I was juggling a daily live show, red carpet events, and a hectic schedule (more on www.marianela.tv for all that jazz).
The need to look my very best further catapulted me into the world of wellness.
I got certified as a holistic health practitioner, and placed all my focus on bringing my father back to his vital self! The reward was unlike anything else. But my work wasn’t finished, I still had some of my own healing to do. Even though I looked healthy I was plagued with years of chronic neck pain.
Why after all these nutritional shifts was my body not healing?
In the end, I finally turned to the mind. No amount of greens could heal my toxic thoughts. What we eat matters and what we think is just as important! It was now time to fuel my mind and feed my spirit as well. After acknowledging that mind and body are one, I at last, radiated health and happiness. I became a bonafide Fuddhist, and I can’t wait to share my Fuddhist ways with you!
OneLove.
