How do you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you are? If you want to start feeling great in 2-3 weeks, I suggest that you take an online health assessment tool by a trusted source and regard their advise!

USANA Health Sciences has a useful online health assessment tool that takes about 10 minutes to complete. I took it today and based on my current lifestyle, they recommended a variety of nutritional supplements and small changes I can start doing today to improve my life!

Good news is that I’m taking most of the supplements already. Whoo Hooo! And the suggested lifestyle changes, which I downloaded in a .pdf from the tool, will be easy to follow.

Click here to get your health assessed and allow USANA’s health experts give you some individualized advise.

If you’re ready to try USANA out for yourself, contact stephanie [at] livelighter [dot] org and I can hook you up with a trusted associate.

Would you take nutritional supplements made by pizza makers? Probably not. But you might trust scientists who could manufacture penicillin, IF they weren’t so busy in health, nutrition and preventative care!

In part 2 of my 1st USANA product review, Annabeth asked about scientific studies on USANA products by notable Universities. No luck here but I did discover a slew of interesting USANA facts to consider when comparing supplements and supplement companies.

Here are a few of them:

1. Besides the third party confirmation from Consumerlab.com, the NutriSearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements™ continues to rank USANA #1 compared with 1500+ other nutritional supplements on the market. The latest edition (4th) even awarded USANA with it’s first Editor’s Choice Award!
2. Several USANA products are listed in the Physicians’ Desk Reference (PDR).
3. Voluntarily meets pharmaceutical grade manufacturing standards. This is the difference between pizza and penicillin, an analogy a USANA scientist used to explain the quality of their supplements. Better reiterated in another post, let’s just say that USANA voluntarily exceeds the current supplement industry standards.
4. Athlete approved! Dozens of trained professional athletes (who have to worry about barred substances) have felt the health enhancements from nutritional supplements and trust USANA to provide them. And why not, USANA offers athlete and tour guarantees (millions of dollars!) for assurance that products comply with strict anti-doping standards.
6. Founder’s scientific background which is the basis for the USANA difference in quality, safety, potency, purity and efficacy. Pioneer in the development of human cell culture technology and winner of the Albert Einstein Award for outstanding achievement in the Life Sciences, Dr. Myron Wentz is also a published author and scientist. Here are a few of his selected citations.
7. Supported by Dr. Ray Strand, author and expert on preventative nutritional medicine, and by Dr. Christine Wood, author and pediatrician.
8. Provides an impressive array of resources to the science of nutrition. Meet the USANA in-house experts, Scientific Advisory Council, research partners, and read the latest health information backing up the science behind USANA products.
9. USANA’s got soul, a.k.a. Corporate Social Responsibility. Here’s what the company is doing to be green, giving and charitable.
10. Founder’s story and vision. For those with more time, here’s Dr. Wentz’s story in text. For those who are time-pressed, here is 90 second video:

If you’re ready to try USANA out for yourself, contact stephanie [at] livelighter [dot] org and I can hook you up with a trusted associate.

Following my first USANA product review (part 1 & part 2), you may be interested in hearing what others have to say about USANA.

A team of Canadian and U.S. biochemists travelled to Australia to analyze and determine which of the country’s top brands of nutritional supplements are the most effective. Guess who came out on tops?

Here is a 4:30 minute clip from Australia’s Today Tonight:

Have you tried USANA’s nutritional supplements? Let us know in the comments below!

If you’re ready to try USANA out for yourself, contact stephanie [at] livelighter [dot] org and I can hook you up with a trusted associate.

Yesterday’s post was a teaser and illustrated some amazing health results I’ve achieved in just a few weeks. This post is the second half of my first USANA products review and reveals exactly what I did to regain control of my life.

At the end of June, I started a supplementation regimen:

USANA’s HealthPak 100™ – More than a multivitamin

The HealthPak 100 delivers a full-body approach to supplementation, designed to provide a comprehensive balance of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals to support the function of various tissues and organ systems in the body.

One box contains a 4 week supply of 56 individually wrapped packets, 6 tablets in the morning and 6 at night:

• the full daily dose of the USANA Essentials™ (Mega Antioxidant plus Chelated Mineral)
• Active Calcium™, a core USANA Optimizer
• USANA’s unique AO Booster™ for added antioxidant protection (contains, among other bioflavinoids, a full daily dose of the grape-seed extract found in Proflavanol® 90).

I’ve researched USANA and trust they produce quality nutritional supplements. They are up-to-date in all the latest clinical studies on nutrition and take into account the bioavailability of their supplements. With a well-balanced, healthy diet, USANA’s HealthPak 100™ can help deliver essential nutrients missing  in even the most nutrition-conscious individuals.

After a week, I implemented USANA’s health program:

USANA’s RESET™

This 5-day, high-fiber cleanse program is designed to reset your metabolism and stabilize your blood sugar. It helps you kick your carb cravings, lose weight and guides you on a path to healthy eating. The kit includes:

• 5 day supply of USANA’s HealthPak 100™
• 15 meal replacement shakes (chocolate, vanilla and strawberry)
• 10 snack bars (oatmeal raisin and chocolate peanut butter)
• checklist, daily motivation, food suggestions for daily bonus snacks and helpful hints
• recommended next phases that work for you

The reasoning behind USANA’s RESET program lies in the fact that most people today have become insulin resistant due to poor diet and lifestyle choices. Some foods spike our blood sugar which causes an equally opposite reaction. Our blood sugar drops like a rock and when it does, we crave more food (usually junk) as the body strives for a balanced blood sugar level.

Leading nutrition expert, Dr. Ray Strand, suggests that much of what we assume to be emotional eating is actually a natural response to consuming high-glycemic foods. After a short time of assaulting our bodies with spikes and dips in blood sugar (called glycemic stess), we become insulin resistant. At this stage, the body starts storing sugar as fat (particularly in the belly).

The solution? A low-glycemic, balanced diet can reset the body at a cellular level. It stops the vicious glycemic stress cycle and eliminates unhealthy food cravings. Plus, you’ll store less fat. USANA says that most people can make this change in 5 days.

What I loved about the RESET™

• The meal replacement shakes tasted especially yummy with a serving of fruit (a bonus snack) blended with them (cherries, strawberries, plums, peaches, etc.).
• With less time in the kitchen preparing meals and cleaning, I was able to successfully handle an extremely stressful week. Not only did I meet expectations, I exceeded them!
• The snack bars are truly scumptious. The oatmeal raisin bar is especially tasty.
• Lost 2 pounds in 5 days.
• I never went hungry. Since my main goal was to reset my metabolism rather than lose weight, I helped myself to as many of the bonus snacks (fruit & veggies) and I wanted.
• By the end of the 5 days, my digestion was spectacular! My belly was flat again rather than bloated, my carb cravings dwindled to light, periodic twinges of desire and my stress was under control!

Cleansing side-effects

The second day into the 5-day RESET was probably the worst with a dull, throbbing headache that lasted the entire day. I was slightly irritable but it was controllable. I experienced gas throughout the week and frequent trips to the restroom (although they were healthy trips, if you know what I mean!). I’ve also noticed my first urine or two after taking the supplements is a bright, fluorescent yellow. All-in-all, these negatives far out-weigh the positives!

What I’m not so hot on about USANA products

Looking at the ingredients listed on the products in the RESET kit, there are quite a few that I cannot pronounce. If you read Live Lighter on a regular basis, you’ll know we advocate natural products for healthy living.

USANA Health Sciences is a company which produces high quality products created in a lab based on the latest clinical studies in nutrition. However, good nutrition comes at a cost – most of us lead busy lives with packed schedules that rarely leave us time to prepare healthy meals.

Who benefits most from USANA?

USANA is perfect for those who want to take good care of their bodies but lack the time to do it the old-fashioned way. Even for those of you who do not need to lose weight or reset your metabolism, who invest in organic food and prepare tasty, healthy meals, I’d still suggest USANA’s supplementation in order to combat the effects of today’s typical lifestyle.

Other factors

The USANA 5-day RESET program helped prepare me for the anti-inflammatory detox in The Hormone Diet. With food cravings under control, it’s been a successful 3 weeks maintaining the restrictions in the anti-inflammatory detox and reintroducing foods that may have been causing some of my digestive discomfort.

So far I’ve discovered my body dislikes beef, corn and eggs. Yay! Now I know.

I’ve also been doing regular PSYCH-K with myself, which may have also contributed to my amazing changes!

So what do you think, Readers? Are you ready to try USANA out for yourself? If you are, please contact me: stephanie [at] livelighter [dot] org and I can hook you up with a trusted associate.

This first USANA Health Sciences product review required me to step back and really evaluate how I’ve been feeling lately. I got a great bird’s eye view and what a surprise!

I’ve been rocking my world over the past 6 weeks and to give credit where credit is due, I’m convinced USANA has been a major contribution to this enhanced, effective state. This post will explain what lead me to try USANA and the positive results showing up in my life.

Background

We’ve been questioning the quality of our current food supply and wondering just how damaging our hectic lifestyles are in these Live Lighter posts:

• Are Nutritional Supplements Necessary?
• Processed O.J. v.s. Fresh-Squeezed
• I Vote For Nutritious Food!

Although I lead a healthy lifestyle (as much as I can at any given time) and am generally very healthy, since September of last year, life’s been harder than it was when I started Live Lighter. I’m imbalanced again. *sigh*

If you’ve been following Live Lighter, you’ll know that my imbalance has been showing up as health issues, including digestive trouble and addiction. Both of which negatively affect nutrition (further complicating the imbalance) and therefore hormones and mood.

A general list of health complaints

Although I still enjoyed good days, by the time June rolled around the not-so-good days were becoming more frequent. To give you an idea of how I was feeling at the time, here is a general list of my symptoms varying in severity and time:

Lack of energy, motivation and enthusiasm; loss of optimism (negative thoughts reigned); cravings for sweets, carbs and junk food; increased appetite and addictive eating; mild anxiety and depression; difficulty waking in the morning; mild congestion; weight gain (10 lbs since February); moodiness; PMS; acne; digestive issues (including constipation); joint stiffness/soreness; water retention in hands, face & feet; cold hands & feet; poor memory and concentration; low self-esteem and difficulty making decisions; and irregular menses.

USANA: a gift from an angel

A friend of mine, Tiffany Strobel, called to see how I was doing in early June – it was one of those days. She said she’s been trying some health products that I might be interested in investigating.

She invited me to a Healthy For Life seminar where I learned about USANA’s basic 3-prong approach to health:

• Nutrition
• Exercise
• Supplementation

Eureka! The only missing piece in my healthy living pursuits so far has been supplementation! Considering what I had just learned about the quality of our food supply and my health issues that actually suck the nutrients from my body, I decided to give it a try.

Amazing Changes!

Within 2 weeks I could feel a noticeable difference in my mood. My optimism and motivation returned on a more frequent basis and it was easier to get up in the morning. It’s been 6 weeks since I started using USANA products and all my symptoms have reduced in severity and length.

I feel so much lighter! I’ve lost 5 pounds, have twice the energy, my mood has stabilized, food addictions have been severed, my face has cleared up, and the best part of it all, no more PMS!

But how did I do it?

That’s for tomorrow’s post where I reveal what USANA products and advice I’ve been taking, what I like and dislike about the products, how I reacted on them and who may benefit the most from USANA.

If you’re ready to try USANA out for yourself, contact stephanie [at] livelighter [dot] org and I can hook you up with a trusted associate.