Who am I and why I am here for you?

I’m Dani Salvado, Functional Nutrition Counselor, I help active adults navigate their diet to promote performance and address digestive issues, autoimmune diseases, and chronic conditions.

Life story matters.

We all have one that brings us to where we are in life right now. I didn’t get to be a nutrition counselor just because, as much as you’re not here just because. You’re looking for something too. Allow me to tell you about my story…

It didn’t take long for me to get out there and seek adventures somewhere I would feel more like myself. In my case, I had to be near nature, the ocean or the mountains, and their endless horizon, where I feel more connected to my mind and my body. I’ve met incredible humans and places on my journey, and along the way I’ve learned that curiosity and challenges are some of my big motivators. Curiosity keeps things interesting and physical and mental challenges motivate me to reach my goals. But let me rewind a little and tell you how I got to be who I am…

I came from a culture where food is a way to nurture and connect with ourselves and loved ones, just like how I witnessed my mother and grandmothers, cooking dinner for the whole family to celebrate a  reunion, or simply brewing us some tea before bed as a way to say sleep well. My family’s cooking inspired me and it’s a big part of my life. Watching my family’s dynamic, then cooking for people over my years working in the food industry, helped me to see how much food truly is such an impacting factor in everyone’s life, whether they’re aware of it or not. That’s why I have chosen nutrition as my path. To be a nutrition counselor is to care for the health and well-being of the ones in their journey to wellness, as well as for my own. It fulfills the nurturer in myself.

Eating with intention and purpose

There’s a whole lot of meaning in the food we eat! It is a characteristic of a culture, it nourishes our body and keeps us alive, it’s a source of income for families, it’s medicine, and much more. I want to help people see that choosing what to eat with intention and purpose can have a great influence on health and in the world. Intention and purpose are keywords. I trust that when we are nurtured with real and good foods, we experience the benefits of it. Our food choices impact our mind, body, and environment around us, there’s power in it, so it’s important that we stay aware of what’s good for us or not.

Food is a crucial part of everyone’s journey, regardless of what each one of us is faced with. We want to be strong and take on the challenges that life presents us. To one, a challenge might be developing the endurance to run a marathon, but for others, perhaps it may be fighting an autoimmune disease and improving quality of life, or overcoming an eating disorder and feeling healthy again, or even dealing with depression, a stressful divorce and the death of a loved one. In every situation, the ultimate goal is to feel better, and I’m a believer that food can be part of the everyday work that must be done. 

When life challenges you…

I had a few challenging years myself. I wasn’t well physically and mentally. Everything happening in my life, from my relationships to my physical performance added up and made me slow down. I wasn’t feeling much like myself. Depression, brain fog, headaches, body aches, skin rashes, digestive issues, poor sleep, mood swings and low energy were some of the symptoms of my diagnosis. That’s when I decided to take charge of my health and learn everything I could to help myself. Nutrition and lifestyle changes combined with persistence and consistency played an undeniably important role in my process. I now feel like myself again and I’m so grateful that I stepped up. To this day, making sure I take good care of myself and nurture my mind and body still is an everyday challenge that motivates me and fulfills me.

I believe the challenges we encounter along the way make us want to do better, but a lot of times life situations can make us feel stuck and stop us from evolving. We need to step back and ask ourselves what’s going on that is keeping us from moving forward, reaching our goals, and being our best. What can we do to support our body and mind during this process? What are our health goals and aspirations? 

As a functional nutrition counselor, my goal is to empower you to take charge of your health. I’m here to guide and support you in your journey, recommending nutrition and lifestyle strategies that serve you the best. 

I look forward to being part of your journey! I’m based in Boulder, Colorado, and originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Schedule a free call and let’s get to know each other.

Introduction to Integrative Physiology | CE Colorado University (Fall 2023)

Certified Nutrition Counselor  |  Functional Nutrition Alliance (2021 – 2023)

Social Communications  |  University of Sao Paulo (2007 – 2010)

9 years in the Healthy Foods and Meal Prep Industry
Yoga  •  Surf  •  Mountain Bike  •  Outrigger Canoe