Science shaped the path. People shaped the purpose.

Pre-Medical Studies

Mariana began her academic path with pre-medical studies. During this period, she made an important personal decision: she wanted to remain deeply connected to science while choosing a professional path that would also allow her to give priority to family life.

Food Chemistry

Mariana graduated in Food Chemistry, building a foundation in chemistry, formulation, processing, quality and the science behind food. That scientific perspective would later become an important part of how she approaches nutrition and human health.

Food Industry

Working in the food industry gave Mariana first-hand experience with how foods are developed, formulated and produced. Understanding food from the inside out gave her a perspective that would later distinguish her clinical work.

Advanced Studies in Nutrition

Her curiosity began moving from what is inside food to what food does inside the human body. Studies in nutrition at Universidad Iberoamericana became the bridge toward a new professional direction.

Clinical Nutrition

Mariana completed formal professional studies in nutrition and graduated in 2008. This marked the transition from food science into direct clinical work with people. She also obtained her professional nutrition certification in Mexico.

Private Practice · Mexico

Years of working directly with patients reinforced an important lesson: people with similar diagnoses can have very different histories, behaviors, barriers and nutritional needs.

Diabetes Educator

Diabetes education strengthened Mariana's interest in chronic disease prevention, patient education and the practical behaviors people need to manage their health outside the clinic.

Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition

Graduate study strengthened the scientific and evidence-based foundation of Mariana's clinical practice and expanded her ability to evaluate nutrition through both a patient-care and research lens.

U.S. Dietetics Education

After moving to Houston, Mariana continued her professional education within the U.S. dietetics system. She completed the academic requirements needed to continue building her career as a dietitian in the United States.

Dietetic Internship

Mariana completed the supervised practice requirements of the U.S. dietetics pathway, with experience across clinical, community, foodservice and professional settings.

Registered Dietitian · United States

Mariana earned the Registered Dietitian credential in the United States and established professional practice authorization in Texas and Florida, adding another healthcare system to her international clinical experience.

University of Houston

Working with community health and research programs reinforced an idea that would later become central to Healthfoodness: nutrition never works in isolation. Movement, behavior, stress and the environment also matter.

Certified Nutrition Specialist

Mariana earned the Certified Nutrition Specialist credential, adding advanced nutrition science training to her clinical, research and dietetics background.

Private Practice · The Woodlands

Mariana established her U.S. private practice under Healthfoodness, bringing together clinical nutrition, education and an increasingly integrative approach to health.

Functional Medicine Certification

From 2021 to 2023, Mariana completed the Institute for Functional Medicine certification pathway and its required modules. The training expanded her clinical framework beyond nutrition alone to include interconnected influences such as gastrointestinal health, sleep, stress, movement, environment and lifestyle.

Certified as an IFM Certified Practitioner in 2023.

PhD in Translational Medicine

Mariana began her doctoral work in Translational Medicine in 2022. Her research includes participants in Spain, Mexico and the United States and explores how nutrition and lifestyle interventions can be translated from scientific evidence into practical strategies for real people.

Expected completion: 2027.

Healthfoodness App Development

Mariana began developing the digital platform that would become Healthfoodness App. During this process, years of clinical practice, research, advanced nutrition and functional medicine were organized into the Functional Answers™ Method.

Miami & GLP-1 Clinical Research

Mariana returned to the United States and established herself in Miami, where she expanded her involvement in clinical research, including work related to GLP-1 therapies, while continuing professional nutrition practice.

Multi-State Professional Licensure

As Healthfoodness expanded beyond a single location, Mariana continued obtaining professional authorization across additional U.S. states, increasing access to individualized nutrition services through virtual and in-person consultation where permitted.

Healthfoodness App

The first version of Healthfoodness App brings Mariana's clinical framework into a digital environment, combining personalized nutrition, daily health guidance, tracking and the Functional Answers™ Method.

Healthfoodness · Coral Gables

In response to continued demand from clients who want to work with Mariana directly, Healthfoodness plans to open a private consultation office in Coral Gables while continuing virtual professional services where legally permitted.