This Usana review covers all your questions: how effective are Usana products, do they work, and are they worth the money? Learn about the ingredients used in Usana products and find out about potential side effects.

Before it’s asked, this is the protein I use and recommend. I couldn’t find one good enough on the market, so I made my own. Grass-fed collagen with six organic superfoods: kale, spirulina, wheatgrass, broccoli, spinach and turmeric. I drink it in my daily smoothies and it gives me LIFE. Aka a healthy gut, glowing skin, strong digestion and energy for DAYS.

So, you asked me for an honest review of Usana products:

At this point, I’m not sure why people even ask me to do an unbiased Usana review or any other products containing garbage ingredients like soy.

I will never recommend  meal replacements, processed food, artificial sweeteners or any other junk that’s passed off as health. And Usana lovers, I hate to break it to you (just kidding, I love getting the truth out there) – Usana’s products contain unhealthy, overly processed trash.

Let’s take a look.

What is Usana? 

Usana is one of the largest health and wellness network marketing companies out there. This company produces over 50 products ranging from dietary and nutritional supplements to personal care products.  

The word Usana is apparently a blend of Greek and Latin and is supposed to stand for “True Health”. EU means true and SANA means health. Ok, let’s look at their definition of true health.

Usana Products Review: 

Peanutty Delite
ingredients of usana peanutty deliteVanilla Nutrimeal

ingredient list of usana vanilla nutrimeal

Nutrimeal Chocolate Whey

ingredient list for usana chocolate nutrimeal

Fudge Delite
ingredient list for usana fudge delite

I have questions for you, Usana:

After taking a look at some of the ingredients used in Usana products, I had a few very basic questions for Usana:

  • Is they whey grass-fed?
  • Where is it sourced from?
  • How is it processed?
  • Are your products certified GMO free?

So I shot them an email and waited. And waited. Over a week. Then I decided to just call customer service.

Is Usana wey grass-fed?

My first very basic question was if the whey they use is grass-fed.

“Is it what?”

Grass-fed.

Silence.

“Is the whey sourced from grass-fed cows?”

While the customer service agent was very nice, it was clear she had no idea what I was talking about. After placing me on an extended hold, they let me know this was a question for their scientists.

Seriously?! This is the most basic question and the customer service agent doesn’t even know what it means? The scientist have to be consulted? They told me that I was the first person to ever ask this question. Seriously, I find this both disconcerting and completely nuts.

So I took to Facebook to ask if they’re certified GMO free and if they’re grass-fed.

It took them two weeks to respond to me with this very convoluted answer:

USANA is dedicated to selecting the purest and safest ingredients for our products. As part of our efforts to do so, we adhere to non-GM (genetically modified) testing standards for raw materials in our global markets. These compliance standards include sourcing non-GM materials such as Non-GMO Soy Protein, Identity-Preserved Soy Isolate, Non-GM Pea Protein, and many others.
Through continuous product testing, USANA has determined our products free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). We have also sent our products to accredited third-party laboratories to validate our testing and detection methods for bioengineered DNA.
USANA will continue to be vigilant in our testing for new GMOs as they are identified. A “zero” level of bioengineered material cannot be implied in any claim of GMO-free, as there is always potential for adventitious bioengineered material.

So in short – they are not certified GMO free but they apparently do try to source non-GMO options. But without that certified GMO free label, I don’t trust it.

Notice they didnt’ respond to the grass-fed question? So I asked again on March 11th. It’s March 27th today so I’m going to go ahead and guess that they don’t use grass-fed whey. If you have more info, please let me know.

Let’s review the ingredients in Usana products.

Soy Protein

To make soy protein, first the oil must be extracted. To do this, soy undergoes an insane amount of processing.  This includes the use of hexane – a neurotoxin.

It is subjected to extremely high temperatures, then deodorized because it smells disgusting. Finally they bleach it because it’s a weird gray color. Then marketing execs convince people that this cheap, unhealthy commodity crops is a healthy food to consume.

And I haven’t even addressed the fact that soy is extremely high in phytoestrogens which interfere with proper hormone production (source).

Or that this study from Harvard found that men consuming the equivalent of one cup of soy milk per day had 50% lower sperm count than men who did not consume soy (even accounting for other factors like age, caffeine and alcohol intake, etc.).

From the study,

There was an inverse association between soy food intake and sperm concentration that remained significant after accounting for age, abstinence time, body mass index, caffeine and alcohol intake and smoking. In the multivariate-adjusted analyses, men in the highest category of soy food intake had 41 million sperm/ml less than men who did not consume soy foods.

Whey Protein

Normally, I’m a fan of whey protein, but only when it’s grass-fed and has undergone a minimal amount of processing. Like in the protein powders I personally use and recommend found here and here.

However, when consuming any whey or dairy product from cows that have not been grass-fed, you are essentially consuming the GMOs they have been fed. Whey from conventional cows is also much higher in omega-6 and much lower in omega-3, which causes inflammation.

And inflammation is at the root of any disease.

Sorbitol

Sorbitol is an artificial sweetener that can also be used as a laxative. According to this website, here is a partial list of side effects:

  • severe stomach cramps;
  • vomiting;
  • severe diarrhea;
  • rectal bleeding;
  • black, bloody, or tarry stools;
  • weakness, dizziness; or
  • frequent urge to have a bowel movement.

Maltodextrin

Maltodextrin is a processed food addictive usually derived from genetically modified corn.

Crystalline Fructose

Crystaline fructose is another processed sweetener derived from corn. Fructose is one of the most harmful sweeteners that can be consumed, it’s even worse than sugar.

Whereas other sugars are converted to glucose, fructose is exclusively processed by the liver and converted into triglycerides (source). This is why it raises triglycerides and LDL (the “bad” cholesterol). It’s also been linked to fatty liver disease.

 This study from Emory University School of Medicine concluded that,

Growing evidence suggests that fructose contributes to the development and severity of NAFLD. In human studies, fructose is associated with increasing hepatic fat, inflammation, and possibly fibrosis. Whether fructose alone can cause NAFLD or if it serves only as a contributor when consumed excessively in the setting of insulin resistance, positive energy balance, and sedentary lifestyle is unknown. Sufficient evidence exists to support clinical recommendations that fructose intake be limited through decreasing foods and drinks high in added (fructose-containing) sugars.

Folic Acid

Folate is found in foods and is absolutely necessary to human health. Folic acid, however, is the synthetic version that has been linked to cancer.

…in the Journal of the American Medical Association — suggesting that all the extra folic acid might increase your odds of developing cancer. “The more we learn about folic acid, the more it’s clear that giving it to everyone has very real risks,” says folic acid researcher David Smith, PhD, a professor of pharmacology at the University of Oxford in England.

Another study out of Chile linked folic acid supplementation with an increased risk of colon cancer.

And yet another study out of Norway linked folic acid supplementation with a 21% increase in lung caner.

Folic acid and B12 supplementation was associated with a 21% increased risk for cancer, a 38% increased risk for dying from the disease, and an 18% increase in deaths from all causes. (Source)

While folate is a necessary part of a healthy diet, folic acid has actually been linked to increased rates of cancer (another source for ya).

Conclusion of this Usana Review 

Let’s come back to the questions we started out with? Are Usana products effictive? Are they worth the money.

I’ve said it a thousand times before and I’ll say it a thousand times again. There is no quick fix to a healthy lifestyle or weight loss. No, there are no magic meal replacements, pills or protein powders that will do for you what a healthy diet does.

Eat the food and eat well. Enjoy food. It’s meant to be enjoyed.

Don’t fall for diet products like this, that tout a laundry list of benefits but with ingredients that read like junk food. This is not health, nore is it long-term. Usana is not the solution for your weight problem and definitely not worth your money.

For more reviews, check out my: 

 This Usana review covers all your questions: how effective are Usana products, do they work, and are they worth the money? Learn about the ingredients used in Usana products and find out about potential side effects. #usana #diet #fitness #nutrition #review

This Usana review covers all your questions: how effective are Usana products, do they work, and are they worth the money? Learn about the ingredients used in Usana products and find out about potential side effects. #usana #diet #fitness #nutrition #review

118 Comments

  1. Actually sorbitol, xylitol among others, are natural sweeteners found in many foods including apples, pears and berries. I am unable to digest it, therefore I cannot have it, but it is important to note that it is not artificial, but rather added to other products as a naturally sweet, sugar replacement, often added in products such as toothpaste and gum. Having spent years trying to understand what was irritating my gut, I finally took some breath tests at a specialist, who determined that I could not digest sorbitol or any of its cousins. I regularly ate apples and pears, as well as various fruits and toothpastes and gum, until finding out this information. Since cutting these foods out of my diet, my gut health has improved immensely, though it has made eating and drinking certain things very tricky. Definitely something to look into.

    • dani stout Reply

      Just because something is found naturally in a fruit does mean that synthesizing and extracting it from GMO corn is the same thing. It’s kind of like fructose in fruit. Sure, it’s okay in moderation when obtaining it from whole foods. But fructose derived from corn is a whole other issue that causes fatty liver disease. See my point?

      • I know it’s 3 years old but your very much biased review shows how scientifically illiterate you are and you should stay away from “advising” people on the internet. In some cases you used sources that actually prove you wrong but it doesn’t seem like you’e understanding science or how it works. Thinking that whey from gras-fed cows is in any way superior is just so dumb. Maybe check out how whey is produced in the first place and then tell me how the diet of the cow would affect that. Just leave science to scientist and safe us from your pile of shit that you call an unbiased review

      • There’s nothing wrong with GMO in general. Also synthesising something natural is an oxymoron…and the problem isn’t fructose form corn, the problem is super high concentrations of fructose that are used in shitloads in soft drinks and sweets. At last try to sort of understand what you’re talking about

    • I know it’s 3 years old but your very much biased review shows how scientifically illiterate you are and you should stay away from “advising” people on the internet. In some cases you used sources that actually prove you wrong but it doesn’t seem like you’e understanding science or how it works. Thinking that whey from gras-fed cows is in any way superior is just so dumb. Maybe check out how whey is produced in the first place and then tell me how the diet of the cow would affect that. Just leave science to scientist and safe us from your pile of shit that you call an unbiased review

    • Have you tried using the products of Usana? Any of it? As in for weeks or even 1 month?

  2. Catherine Seguin Reply

    THANK YOU!!!! this absolutely needed to be said. I was a interested in USANA until I started studying more about holistic nutrition and read their ingredient list. They tried to convince me more about the financial freedom vehicle it could provide me, rather than what I was selling to people = garbage. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOUUU!!!!!

  3. Thanks for writing this – it’s a great idea to look at all the ingredients to say “no” to Usana. My mom’s friend is trying to recruit me to join their team and I keep telling mom it’s a bad idea (because of the whole MLM thing and how we’d lose a lot of money trying to get established).

    Since they are smooth talkers, mom is convinced x.x. BUT, since I have Usana ingredients, I’ll let her know that I looked up the ingredients to Hepa Plus (one of the supplements she’s interested in) and some of them can worsen her high blood pressure and arthritis.

  4. I used The Essentials from Usana around 8 years ago when I was in Canada (Quebec). At that time their products were hard to find and costly (the pack was around $100 CAD!).
    Frankly, I was happy with the result: I felt more energy but… I was training a lot and starting to pay attention to an healthy diet so in my case, the difference was slight. Whatever, 2 days ago I was thinking of buying the Essentials again to change from my usual “New Chapter 40+ every woman II”. I am happy with it but just to make a change. I went on their website and become very skeptical reading their list of Other Ingredients. I made some searches, found your page and say a big Thank you to you.
    I’ll never buy anything from them anymore. I don’t understand how a company like that making certainly substantial profits and able to have a “Green” and “Kosher” version of their Essentials combo (!!) doesn’t have the Non OGM Certified label?!! There is definitely a huge breach of trust in here.

  5. Thank you for the review Dani. I recently spoke to the holistic nutrition coach who is using USANA as supplements of choice. Thank you for shedding light on the subject.

      • Angela D Wise Reply

        I only see your reviews for the shakes. You told Tina you reviewed the other USANA products above..where are they? I spend over $100 a month on USANA supplements because the internet gives them awesome reviews (and so does my mother-in-law)…I would like to know If I am paying to hurt myself and my kiddos! If you misunderstood Tina’s question, I would love you to review the vitamin, mineral, and omega supplements.

  6. Thank you for that information. I was considering trying some Usana products but won’t bother now. How would you recommend best to get Vit B12 for vegans? Also, my grandson age 10 suffers from Tourette’s. Can you recommend a supplement to help him. I’ve been giving him magnesium and Vit B compound. Thank you

  7. My name is Stephanie. I have stage 4 – metastatic colo-rectal cancer. I have had several surgeries and many rounds of chemo. I am feeling healthy ( due largely to my diet and a good Naturopath) but am considered palliative. My CEA cancer counts are rising steadily and Naturopath is not sure what the next step is. Someone has just approached me about Usana products. Are any of them safe or should I just stick with what i am doing. Thank you for your review.
    Stephanie (Australia)

  8. it’s just a week that i am taking up usana twice a day but I’ve noticed that I am feeling bloated all the time and I always feel to poo…is this the normal effect of the USANA to reach with good outcome?

    • Are you taking the essentials? The antioxidant and chelated mineral tablet? I think that is a normal body reaction to detoxification. It’s USANA adjusting and regulating the body back to a healthy and balanced state. The effects would be these since the minerals in USANA causes reactions inside the body and these reactions leads to excretions, which is a natural way for the body to release all waste containing toxins. Bowel movement and urination is a natural process. Besides you’re still on an adjustment stage, at least give it enough time before concluding anything.

    • I’ve been on Usana for ten years, my health improved from 30% to 90%. My whole family of six and my parents, sister, brother, brother-in-law and many friends are taking them and find their health improve amazingly. Many of them are just users, they don’t make any money.
      It is sad to know when people don’t understand enough they make judgement upon their own assumptions. Usana is listed in some medical handbooks, hundreds if not thousand of elite athletes including olympians take the product which speaks for itself.

    • I find it interesting that people can make comments on products that have a third party testing that rates them the best in the world. Has over 1000 elite and Olympic athletes taking them. Gives them a million dollar guarantee. I guess they are all mislead, and their coaches . The whole women’s tennis association are on them. Oh I guess they are not educated. Doctor oz is part of USANA…oh right he is uneducated. Or is it that the people making these rediculous comments are uneducated. Get the right info before spouting off on useless and ridiculous comments.

    • Yes! It is very normal since your system need detoxing! Bloating can happen because there are fibres in the shakes and the pooping is you clear all the poop that’s in your guts. Please, look into real websites and don’t believe in everyone who decide to write uneducated reviews.

    • USANA Associate and user since 2016. Not an expert but I see the advantage on my 3 kids health after taking the Usana Kids Usanimals and Biomega jr. Moved from tropical country just last year, now winter here in Michigan and their immune system is just better. My parents who are both on their late 60’s are user since 2016 and nothing but the Cellsentials and some optimisers like biomega fish oil, now not taking any maintenance. Great product!

  9. I’ve been taking cellsentials for a week and my stomach is swollen and I go to the bathroom several times a day … is it normal? Or are they very strong vitamins for me?

  10. I had Thyroid Cancer and got cured through Usana. You have to check with their doctors for the proper prescription and not self medicate aka google hehe. PEACE! 🙂

  11. Thank you Dani for your review. I was doing some research on many different garbage “health products” that almost every friend recommend me to try or join in sales. It is fascinating that even college students believe the magical therapical effects of some fruit extract mever need serious science proof.

  12. Great to know, I have been taking supplements called omnilife and have been giving them to my baby and toddler how can I know if they are bad like usana

  13. I noticed you only reviewed the nutritional meals USANA offers but what is your intake on the supplements themselves, such as the biomega and the cellsentials. Been wanting to take them for a while now.

  14. my mother is thinking to give Usana supplements to my 5 yo nephew. I think it’s fair enough if she wants to take them because she’s an adult, she can make her own decision. But to give it to my nephew, especially when his parents disapprove. -.-“

  15. Thank you so much, Dani. I’ve been looking for an honest and unbiased review of USANA products and have been thoroughly browsing the net for this. I love that you care enough to dig through all these hype, even calling and sending emails to USANA to do your research. I have friends who’ve been urging me to try USANA products because of its ‘supposedly’ wonderful benefits but I was unconvinced. For starters, the products are too expensive. Also, my friends’ claim that they started eating less after taking the multivitamins and having lots of energy even with only a few hours of sleep had me asking “is this right?”. I believe that the main source of nutrients should still come from the food that we eat. And no vitamins could ever give us the same energy that we get from a good night’s sleep 🙂

  16. Alyssa Flores Reply

    Interested to hear what you think of Legion, another supplement company that uses all natural ingredients. Let me hear your thoughts. I almost considered selling USANA product but as a woman, soy is not beneficial to our health. It affects our reproduction system. I avoid soy at all times.

  17. Thank you for your blog. I was about to buy Usana Nutrimeal but now I am enlightened that it’s nothingbut garbage.

  18. My mom tried this one and she experience continious bleeding. Do you have any idea how to fix her problem please 🙁 she’s running out of blood.

  19. I’ve been using usana meal replacement for more than a year now for times when I need a healthy balanced diet meal and have no time to prepare, spcecially whne travelling. No bloating, no allergies and breakouts for me unlike the other premium casein protein whey (which is not gsrbage hello??? Lol you’re feeding people with wrong information)

    I’ve checked all their certifications and i find it interesting how you didn’t find it, you know they’re one that’s really particular with those. you have wuestions, you can actually ask the scientists at askthescientists.com as you know customer services don’t always know the answer (this happens every where!) they’re only equipped with common issues and questions. Specially if you just ask them “are they grassfed? You need to learn to ask a complete wuestion lol.

    Btw i’m a gym trainor and a physique enthusiast and trainor and i join contests too. I also have a degree in Physics hich is why i trust usana because i can understand their scientific manuscripts and proof.

    Sorry for the typos, i’m on my phone and was looking up usana beauty products as i’ve heard they’re for men too. Lol and this showed up, and i thought this one had it too.

  20. Are they grassfed what? Lol you feed soy with grass? Omg lol
    Fyi soy or casein protein whey don’t come from cows lmao.

    Stop feeding people with wrong information please.

  21. Dr. Mike Johnson Reply

    Hope every reader find and search twice before hear this man, I guess you’re a Doctor or at least something related with the health science, I’ve worked many years with Dr Mehmet OZ, best known of AMERICA’S DOCTOR, we have more than 10 years doing research of Health products, most of them really are trash, so I understand why you said That, but believe me when I say that you really need to review again.
    There’s only 2 situations.
    1- You just really need to review twice
    2- You’re just an unemployed depressed Nutritionist or Doctor that just criticize everything

    Both of those situations are bad for you, Usana is actually the top quality Healthy Products on the World, is not my opinion, I’m just saying Real Facts.

    By the way, try not to erase the other’s positive Usana comments that people leave on your website, its kind of disrespectful.

    • dani Reply

      Somehow I think if you were an actual doctor that worked with Dr. Oz you’d be able to 1) deduce that I am clearly not a man, 2) form a coherent sentence and 3) distinguish the difference between an opinion and fact (ie: it’s your opinion that Usana is the “top quality Healthy Products on the World” – this is not a fact).

      • Dani, you rock! I love how you present facts in a clear and logical way. Also, I think it’s great that you can defend yourself from people like this without being insulting, disrespectful, or threatening. I have a lot of respect for you!

      • Jaekuh Rouzelle Reply

        Dani Stout, what authority do you have to say this? Are you a doctor? or a physician or anything? State your credentials pls.

      • This is so biased, it’s sickening. You didn’t even take the products. You’re making up everything. Go back to being a sad person in your mother’s basement

  22. Appreciate your reviews dani. Certainly thinking twice before buying usana which is bit pricey in my opinion.

  23. USANA is a great company that offers top rated nutritional’s. You may want to research again their top rated pharmaceutical grade nutritional’s. I have a feeling you have an agenda so writing a blog that you are looking at USANA independently doesn’t give your blog much credibility. I did see you were able to get a few who rather get misinformation from a blog than look into it themselves, but good luck with your agenda.

  24. You’re awesome! I’m a doctor and functional medicine provider. I believe in and preach whole food nutrition. I talk about a lot of these points with patients, friends and family. Oh and by the way, Dr Oz is garbage ;). Keep up the good work!

  25. Dr Ruhil, Nutritionist Reply

    Hi Dani; I did review on your comments, its good you had studied very detail about the ingredient. Before further explain, let me introduce i am Dr Ruhil, Athlete Consultant currently attached with Malaysia & Indonesia Government.

    First of all since this is your blog, i would like to pay a respect towards your review posted and i am just a guest here.

    My dear; first of of all you need to understand the different between GMO syntactic ingredient vs GMO pure ingredient. Anything that used to extract out from NATURAL resource is called syntactic therefore your term GMO & Grass Fed is not proper word in this questions.

    Grass Fed or Non GMO : you should get it from natural form of food or vegetable or fruits but NOT in supplements neither extract items. Kindly put your self under a Nutritionist to consult before you ask a bit technical questions especially not to customer service counter, rather you should ask for consult with their nutritionist whom is expert to explain all these; I have spoke with their nutritionist called Mr Kenny and seriously these guy is super knowledgeable.

    Alright before i forget, as i told you before i am athlete consultant; we are very very very strict in giving supplements & dietary food to our top champ of country; so after read through thousand of supplements world wide; we have found USANA stands for its quality but not only them there are others in list but since they are available in most region then it made us to go with them.

    For Athlete, their body is their income and resource of life and also most important, they represent a country in world; so we are super particular in which they should not consume any product who did not guarantee free steroid & no chemical component which can show their blood is suspected for tournament. Hence, usana company is 1 of best & qualified & they give 100 million USD guaranteed contract sign to ensure that their company has free from any dangerous toxin or syntactic chemical.

    I would like to explain more but I am not able to convince you if you already blocked your mind from taking-up new knowledge and accept which you dont really understand. My humble suggestion is get this 2 tools to assist you:
    Book : Nutrisearch by Lyle McWilliam an Biochemist
    Web : https://askthescientists.com/

    If you think i am worth to consult and discuss; be connected to me via:
    Email : [email protected]
    WhatsApp: +60125353547

    I pray for your success and lead your life in your own term with knowledge and prosperity. Good Luck !

  26. I joined 3 wks ago. First day I called them and stopped my auto-ship.Started taking a bunch of pills twice daily but was feeling sick in my stomach so had to quit taking. Today I got their email notifying me from my autoship for $150. I knew I stopped autoship so who ordered under my account? I called and first they lied saying there was never cancellation on that autoship. I said actually I still have the comfirmation email about it!!!! She then changed the story to “Oh there were two auto ship orders and only one was cancelled!” REALLY?? And she said oh it was just a miscommunication. She didn’t want to listen to me, she kept interrupting me saying rudely “Ma’am I’m tryin to help you!!” No hon, you aint! You are helping your team who didn’t do their job. They are rude, unprofessional thiefs and liars

  27. I just read a report from Consumer Lab, an unbiased third party that reviews hundreds of supplements and they gave USANA products the highest rating you can get.

    My son is a doctor and he told me that USANA Manufactures their products to GMP’s required for pharmaceuticals. I ask him “just what does this mean in layman’s terms.” He said “Dad, What’s on the label has to be in the bottle” or they lose there FDA accreditation and have just spent millions of dollars building a facility to manufacture products to that high of a standard. He said that they could actually manufacture Pharmaceuticals if they want to because they are so closely monitored by the FDA.

    He finished by saying that the pickiest consumers in the world are professional athletes and USANA sponsors thousands of them backing up their products with a million dollar guarantee.

    He said shared that some of his colleges have actually took the time to fly to Salt Lake City, Utah and tour USANA’s corporate manufacturing facility and that they actually have numerous PhD’s and Doctor’s on staff, doing nothing but research and monitoring research from around the world.

    His conclusion was that there is no way I should be listening to a Certified Nutrition Consultant, health coach, natural mama that loves tacos.

    He said you should stick to Tacos because it appears that you know very little about nutrition, research or manufacturing.

    I guess the internet really is a wild west show where you can say anything you want and get away with it.

    Sorry but I’ll have to pass on your undocumented information.

    • dani Reply

      1 – Doctors are not trained in nutrition. Your son likely knowns next to nothing about nutrition or nutrition science, just realistically. And I’d venture to guess he also sells the products to be so invested that he feels the need to insult me. Or was that you? Your comment isn’t clear.

      2 – Did you even read the article? I didn’t review their supplements. But if they use folic acid, which is a cheap substitute for folate – their products simply aren’t good. Folic acid is literally linked to cancer, among other health issues. Are you just choosing to ignore the provided studies proving this association?

      3 – Again, I reviewed mostly the food based products. Which had you read the article, I’m guessing you would’ve known.

      4 – I literally provided legitimate information and scientific studies for all of my claims so you should probably revisit what you think “undocumented information” is.

      • Jane Smith Reply

        The owner of this blog seems to be a person with some mental health problems. Unemployed, just got divorced? She sounds a real loser that is attacking anyone with differing opinions. She sounds she is an authority from the FDA. In reality, this lady does not have a PhD – no credentials to back up what she claimed to know.

      • Since my wife has been influenced into joining Usana, while I am skeptical, I appreciated your review. As the before mentioned gentleman about Professional Athletes being the most pickiest – I would disagree since many will try supplements in hopes with getting an edge even if the science is marginal at the best.

        I would say that your trouble in getting answers to your questions, as in “Grass Fed?” If it was, then it would have been overtly listed since grass feed would be a marketable benefit to the product. So much for the claim of using superior ingredients

        I wished you had also reviewed their MySmart Fiber+ as my perusal of the ingredient list looked like a better product to me than did their meal replacement. By the way – I do love tacos!

  28. I just came across this article although I notice it was written in 2015. While being a Certified Nutrition Consultant has provided you updated information about the nutritional studies that are peer-reviewed and current, it appears that your “unbiased” review and responses to those that like Usana are really I way to discredit one company and make you sound like an expert.

    I also realize that you didn’t review the supplements, for whatever reason, but I don’t think a company that has been around for over 25 years, to your 6 years, would provide great supplements and sub-standard food products. Or skincare products, for that matter.

    I understand you are here to brand yourself, that’s okay, but ignoring the provability of the claims of some of those commenting by saying that they have “undocumented information” just talks about you not doing an unbiased review. Usana’s products are documented as GMP-compliant, a standard that many nutritional companies do not choose to go by. They are reviewed by Consumer Labs on a annual basis and are compliant with their standards as well.

    All types of athletes, whether sponsored or by choice, including Olympians, the most tested athletes in the world, use Usana products including their meal replacement products. It is not likely that any of these elite athletes (over 2000 of them) would sacrifice their livelihood to sub-standard or harmful products.

    There is many peer-reviewed science articles, government-sanctioned reviews and other forms of documentation that show that Usana is a world-recognized leader in supplementation for the health and beauty industry that you cannot consider your review unbiased, if you had done more research. If you had just called it “My Review…” than I would not be writing this commentary. You are misleading your clients and potential customers to brand yourself above others.

    While I appreciate and applaud your efforts for trying to help those who need to understand the importance of proper nutrition and why our bodies need it, comparing the knowledge that you have accumulated over your studies and practice, I still trust Dr. Myron Wentz, who started Usana in 1992.

    If you don’t know him, he is a world-renowned immunologist and microbiologist who has studied cellular nutrition all of his professional life. He knows nutrition because he knows what the cells actually need. He has authored several books and has peer-reviewed medical papers on cellular nutrition and other papers. He would not sacrifice his reputation by putting out sub-standard food products and it wouldn’t make sense. He has surrounded himself with a team of scientists that constantly review the most recent science on nutrition to see if the science is sound and if their products need to be updated based on these reports.

    He has patents for Olivol, a process for getting the most out of the olive and it’s antioxidant properties. He has a skincare line that was the first to introduce paraban-free skin care products (I’m not sure if any other companies do that now or not). Usana has recently developed a cell-signaling line of skin care (Celavive) that communicates with the cell to provide it with optimum nutrition. And the list goes on.

    Again, I don’t have a problem with you branding your business and helping others to understand the importance of proper nutrition, I just didn’t care for you disparaging a company that has a proven track record for providing some of the best health products on the market today.

    I wish you the best with your practice and hope that you can help as many people as you can to live longer and stronger lives.

    Paul L.

  29. Thank you for this.

    My friends have been pushing me into joining a team for USANA so that I could start selling their products and receive “financial freedom”..

    Attended a USANA event and knew as soon and the hosts started swooning and bragging over how much they earn for selling products that none of them actually care to read about.
    In fact, when I asked about source-of-ingredients, processing etc. they instantly state USANA’s high rating and success story. They all completely ignore my initial questions.

    What I find really interesting is that USANA pushes this advertisement that all the fruits and vegetables we eat are genetically modified and that even the chicken and beef we digest contains traces of this. They talk about how damaging this is and how their products are the best solution.

    I also noticed that USANA started shortly after all the GMO talk circulated.
    My hunch is that they’re partnered with GMO manufacturers/companies to purposely destroy our health and force the public to pay ridiculous amounts on their products and become dependant on their fake pills.

    The only reason they’re in business is due to the spread of GMO’s.

    It’s absolutely crazy how internationalised they’ve become and how people consume their pricy products without research.

    I honestly can never agree to sell such products on behalf of such a dodgy company even if it meant losing “easy-cash” and “financial freedom”.

  30. Hi how are usana essential supplements
    Is this a good business to join ?
    The products are actually expensive !

  31. Janice Teo Reply

    Hi I’m just wondering if usana supplements are high in sugar (or fructose or any kind of sweetener). My mum currently takes Isotonix but find they’re quite sweet (they use fructose).she’s recently been cleared of cancer and heard that going on a ketogenic diet and starving her cells of sugar is the best way to keep it from returning, hence her worry about sugar in her supplements. She thought she might try usana if their sugar content is low. Any thoughts on this please?

  32. What’s your profession? I’m just wondering. I really liked your article though because it was full of facts not opinions.

  33. Just writing to let you know that the whole “soy makes men less manly” thing is a bunch of bull that has been thoroughly debunked by science, so you might want to ex it out of your rantings.

  34. Have you tried the products for at least some weeks or at least 1 month?

  35. Hi Dani,
    As a disclosure, I am a USANA distributor and take the supplements and macronutrient meal products and have done so for 20 years, and yes, I do swear by them because they have worked for me.

    While I appreciate the service you provide as a health consultant, I do have issues with anyone that provides an “unbiased” review of any product when they sell or “partner” with a competing company. To me, it just seems hypocritical.

    I also take issue that you provide information and sources as proof of your point but don’t qualify the reports. While the works cited are legitimate, much of the information is from a single source or one report and, as well, the report usually cites taking/ingesting excessive amounts of a particular ingredient that causes cancer or this side effect or that side effect. You do this as a negative against the product without also indicating what represents an “excessive” amount compared to what the USANA product actually provides (as an example, the sites you used in your review regarding Folic Acid. The healthy amount of Folic Acid, which does have health benefits, is between 400-800 micrograms. USANA Vanilla Nutrimeal provides 138 mcgs balanced with the other ingredients). I agree that an excessive amount of anything will cause harm to the body to some measure. Nutritional science is always looking for the balance of ingestible ingredients that will help in the health of the human body.

    I bring up this last point because I see this all the time and because people value your opinion and the opinions of those with similar backgrounds as yours. I have to compare your knowledge of nutritional health versus Dr. Myron Wentz’s knowledge of cellular health. While I applaud you for taking enough of an interest in nutritional health and actually doing something to become certified, I can’t see how your knowledge of health compares to Dr. Wentz’s, who is an immunologist and microbiologist. Who created tests for the Epstein-Barr virus by using live cell cultures and formulating the nutritional methods for keeping cell cultures alive. He has been reviewing and updating his knowledge of cellular nutrition, based on his work and the work of those worldwide, longer than you have been alive and through his work and the work of the USANA scientists have recently created a cell-signaling technology to get the nutrition into the cells using its own language.

    Again, I appreciate your efforts in educating people about health but I ask that you add disclaimers to your review and not use terms like “unbiased” as a selling point.

    As a distributor for the USANA products I, myself, did my own research on the products before I decided to take them (there are so many “health products” on the market, you really need to take this extra step). I always advise anyone I talk to about the products to do their own research so that if they decide to go ahead as a customer or distributor, they are comfortable in supporting what they are selling.

    Just to note, anything that I have mentioned about the company in this comment is verifiable and not “opinion”.

    Thank you, again, for providing this service for those who need to be educated in health but please do so more responsibly as a real service to your client base.

    Thank you, Paul

  36. Hello,First of all i want to achnowledge your research/blogg. I respect all opinions and facts. But is there a proof that supports this article as you mentioned above? I am just curious. Thank you
    ?

    • dani Reply

      Literally all of the proof in the article. The various studies and information I linked to.

  37. Linking something to cancer these days is not hard. Everything causes it. The author also is disrespectful. I don’t know what to believe.

  38. Jaekuh Rouzelle Reply

    Dani, I assume your critics is all about Nutrimeal? All the post is all about Whey protein and nutrimeal?

  39. Jaekuh Rouzelle Reply

    BTW, Dani, you are just talking and blogging and posting without scientific research, have you done real “experiments” to prove your case? Because judging from what you’ve just posted, it’s all “talk-and-talk” and “chit-chat” nonsense, could you please make a research or a study or an experiment to prove your stance? Otherwise it would be a BIASED review. thanks

  40. Jaekuh Rouzelle Reply

    It’s funny how you’ve just said UNBIASED review when you can’t show experimental evidences and scientific research on your post. Now that’s a BIASED criticism, eh?

  41. 1. I assume your training in nutrition is superior to that of doctors.
    2. Literally linked to cancer by your sources? Do you regularly read what your sources write? They seem pretty fishy…
    3. Did you actually try this product to review it?
    4. You should check out some studies that are actually scientific.

    I guess they didn’t give you a free product to review…

  42. I AM A USANA USER THE PRODUCT IS VERY GOOD AND My FATHER SURVIVE TO HIS DISEASE BECAUSE OF THE PRODUCTS I AM VERY THANKFUL TO MY FRIEND WHO INTRODUCE THIS KIND OF PRODUCT. NOW I AM A INDEPENDENT DISTRIBUTOR OF USANA. I JUST WANT TO SHARE HOW GOOD THE PRODUCT IS.

  43. Pingback: Is Usana a Good business? Unbiased Review – ???????, ???????????

  44. Hello,
    I am a firm believer in whole food nutrition. I am no doctor. Just have a bachelor degree in nursing. Studied mainstream nutrition but found awesome sources from the internet that made me rethink about the nutrition I learned during my nursing school. I listened to your podcast with Jimmy Moore and many others. I always thought whole food diet was more than enough til I went to Indonesia and met this English guy from UK who introduced me to USANA. He is a sport physiologist and didnt tell me to take USANA in order for me to join his business. He just told to buy the products from any USANA associates. I have been living in the US for almost 20 years but never heard of USANA. So I did a little some reading. Yes just some reading about USANA and gave it a try for my dad who has Type 2 DM and heart problem. To my surprise after taking it for about 11 months his internist told him to stop the insulin injection after using it for 8 years and he has been off of his insulin since December 2016 and his health improved tremendously. He is 73 years old btw. And now he is so fanatic about it telling people his age to use supplements. I don’t really buy products if they come from MLM comps. But now I support my dad to continue taking what works for him. MLM is just a method of distributing the products. Thank you for your article.

  45. Will only said this , where are your references ! I am RDN and certified as an integrative Medicine dietitian . Anyway , I have books and discussed with companies that check for the optimum vitamins and was informed that USANA supplements are the platinum in quality 5 stars . I take the vitamins and fell energized and lose we and not eating too much ! So my patients. I don’t recommend any meal replacement, unless as needed

  46. Two weeks after my wife is taking the USANA cellesentials there’s a blood on the stool of her.

  47. Jane Smith Reply

    The owner of the website sounded nothing but a loser in her/his real life. Do you have a PhD in nutrition-related filed? I stumbled across your post and I am really sick by what you said. You seems to be a very defensive, argumentative, and dogmatic person that has o tolerance for others’ opinions. You are attacking one after another who merely brought something different opinions. You need to see a doctor for your mental health issues, asap!!

  48. You have issues you are biased. I was looking a unbiased opinion however reading your opinion really makes me think you have attitude. But thank you for helping me to look elsewhere for an opinion.

  49. Usana is partially natural and synthetic. Not 100% natural. The 100% natural, less proces is the safest food to intake

  50. hi! how will you explain the 3rd party REVIEW, they had 5star and platinum, IN CONSUMER LAB?
    and doctors recommend the products.. thank you.

  51. Dani, question. Are you a doctor, nutritionist, pharmacist, or what? Do you therefore concluded that USANA product is health-risky?

  52. David. Naurua Reply

    I find your article misleading. Nothing in the way of medication, supplements and food is free from harmful chemicals. For example traces of mecury is in fish. Even medicines like lithium is made from lithium. GMO seeds is common nowadays.

    My point is everything is a poison. Anything taken in excess is harmful. Im sure all medications and supplements have a therapeutic dose. Same principle applies to eating and drinking. Following the correct dose and moderation is the key. Fluoride is added to toothpaste and water. Some say its a poison yet here we are.

    Most chemicals are harmful in excess. Usana has alot of Doctors, scientists and nutritionist.Their collective wealth of knowledge and experience is more than enough to address our concerns. Im sure if you do your due diligence you will agree.

  53. Kelsey Connor Reply

    You’re right. I had a friend that stared to drink Usana Nutrimeal, that it was suppose to healp her to feel more energy and to feel well and to doesn’t feel hungry in the early morning. She used to be a very healthy woman but as soon as she stared with that she feel good but them idk how much time but like 2 months after she stared to feel low and sick, she was tired all the time. So she went to the doctor and the diagnosis was: acute renal failure because of an excess of potassium phosphate and calcium carbonate and some other things a I don’t remember, to be short, the doctor forbid the usana products and my friend started with the dialysis, but her kidneys had a very bad condition… and after 7 month she passed. Do not drink that shit.

  54. Hi. I’m a pharmacist and I thought I might impart some knowledge on the matter. You should know that sorbitol’s side effects or any substance’s side effects are always predicated on the amount consumed. A quick google search from any website couldn’t simoly highlight this enough. You can use published peer-reviewed journals for more valid sources. Second, if you had a basic understanding of biochemistry, folic acid’s negative effects could only be rooted on folic acid overdosing since the body has a limited folic acid conversion enzyme.

  55. Chad Vannucci Reply

    Is there anything out there legit? I am into nutrition and would love to find a business I can feel good about and help others. But, it seems everything is bogus!

    Thanks,

    Chad

  56. Isagani R. Marquina Jr. Reply

    before we absorb any information, we better review the source first… lets compare the credentials of 3rd party well established institutions who parterned with USANA, compared to this information.

    Australian Catholic University
    Boston University School of Medicine
    University of Utah
    Intermountain TOSH
    University of Colorado Boulder
    Linus Pauling Institute
    Iniveristy of Sydney

    The people behind these institution will not partner with USANA without proper review of the products. i wonder what resources the author used in doing this review?

    • dani Reply

      Well I provided a plethora of scientific sources so maybe you should look at those?

    • ritz agner Reply

      Thanks for putting it out there everything I wanted to say.

  57. Someone referred USANA to me for the Vitamins and probiotics. I decided to do my reasesrch which landed me here. Wow that last comment the guy was just an as and clearly didn’t read the article. I was actually thinking okay these are all the food products what about supplements?
    If they would use so much garbage Soy, Whey that’s not grass fed that makes me concerned. What’s in the rest of the products. Thank you I will research more before I buy.

  58. I don’t believe the author says about USANA, he only searched on internet, the author does not examine the product himself, where is the data? do you also have the so called third party? I have seen the products, tested it and it is good to me..and i heard the testimonials of healed people who used it. We can’t criticize negatively just as that if we really dont know and immerse ourself to it, to the products. They develop those products for many years. The founder have an albert einstein award. i dont know..

    • dani Reply

      I provided numerous links to scientific sources to back up my research and also I’m a woman.

      • I find it highly amusing that these people are “so highly educated and intelligent “ and don’t even know your a women……does that not already speak volumes. Thank you for your review and saving me the hours of leg work….I really do appreciate it .

      • Jawad Syed Reply

        Just can’t believe that the guys who claimed that they actually ‘read’ the article could not figure it out that the author is female.

        Misogyny runs deep even today.
        P.S. This is coming from a male!

  59. All those athletes, companies, institutions, doctor’s, are all paid for… if you would be with them 24hrs a day I guaranteed you they’ll forget to use Usana products on an every day basis… ladies and gentlemen it seems we are at a standstill in today’s time… I’ve been to a Usana conference and recruitment and all they do is 99% talk about the business and success, they never even mention the science or the products behind it… I have seen doctors in this scheme which is why I weep for our future, they’re out there to make a buck! As doctors can have a way of prescribing supplements and vitamins to their patients and also get them to join on this golden opportunity in a healthy lifestyle that can also make you money. Isn’t it a coincidence that the author for the supplementary guide to vitamins a person who used to work for Usana!? Also China is out to get them… Since MLM are banned in China but it seems Doctors Wentz is operating under a different company, mark my words but this company will later be in the news if not today tomorrow…

    • It is already in the news. I will always believe on a double phd scientist who has clear vision.

    • 1 star
      I will go for the 80 yr old scientist founder of usana who spent years on research after his parent died of cancer, a phd in microbiology and immunology and awarded the albert einstein award over a certified nutritionist blogger.

  60. I read the whole article and started down the various rabbit holes. Excellent review with documentation. I love it.

    Thank you for leaving both the pro and con comments up. It leads to further understanding and opportunities for deeper knowledge.

  61. Woah this really helps me decide whether i should buy usana or not! Thanks author

  62. Thank you, Dani, for taking the time to research Usana and expose the truth. It is most telling when a company will not answer a simple “yes or no” question, preferring instead to obfuscate like a slimy politician. I saw a picture of Myron Wentz, the founder of Usana, and his wife recently. It appears that she has had Botox treatments (or similar) on her face. I wondered, if Usana is so good, why wouldn’t she just use their products – health supplements, skin cream, etc? A “clear vision for making a lot of money” indeed!

    P.S – Any tips or recommendations for better nutrition regarding Crohn’s disease? I don’t really truth the Azathioprine medication. Cheers.

  63. You're a hater Reply

    What do you have against USANA? cause definitely, you hate them.. USANA is working for a millions of people all over the world.. so what is your problem, that you are trying to ruin a lot of people’s beliefs by making this review.. were you one of the associates there before that didn’t earn money from selling? or did you get fired?
    Everything around us has chemicals… from the soap or shampoo you use, your lotion, food we eat… so why not REVIEW those?

  64. Then why don’t you make your own supplements instead. Seems like you are way better genius or scientist right?! Eh!

  65. Brian Sobey Reply

    I started using the products and found my sleep improved and went on to take the grapeseed. I struggled with allergies and was very happy with the results. I was impressed with the fact they were a top rated company in the field of test kits for viruses before Usana known as Gull laboratories. I find they work. They don’t grow on trees or in a garden so when it comes to natural in the world of vitamins I don’t think any do as there is nothing natural about vitamins it is more about the buss word natural being promoted.

  66. Hello What is your review about Usanimals vitamins from Usana for toddler.

  67. I totally agree with you! I have hormonal imbalance and have reasearched a lot about nutrition to combat my disease. A lot (if not all) of the ingredients here messes with hormones. My condition would have worsened if I gave in to my colleagues who tried to sell me USANA supplements. Glad I took the time to research and really get to know about my disease. Indeed, there is no quick fix to a healthy lifestyle. Thanks for this!

  68. 5 stars
    Hi Ms. Dani,

    Thank you for writing this honest review. I just did a webinar and was curious about their products. And I got here. Thank you for the boldness to write this. I’m from Philippines and is writing this day of July 29, 2020 10PM.

    USANA are still on the move, you know. I don’t know but I feel like their goal is to let all the people try their products with all the income and money they could get from the buyer or the members.

    I agree to your words, if the scientist was really sincere in helping people why they priced it so expensive. And they try to push us to our limits and convince us to get a loan just to join their team. I don’t think that’s ethical or something.

    I’m sorry. Just sharing my thoughts. 🙂

  69. 1 star
    I think I will go for the founder whose parents died of cancer, has Phd in microbiology and immunology among other Phds and awarded the Albert Einstein award over a certified nutrionist blogger.

  70. Now, I want the updated review 🙂 Can you give us some? Maybe USANA products improved their products. It’s been 5 years

  71. So why would Dr. Oz (America’s doctor) associate himself with this company? Wouldn’t that destroy his reputation if he partnered with a company that was disreputable?

  72. bernard j karpf Reply

    5 stars
    Thanks Dani, and yes, i think that Dr. Oz never tested the products. Apparent he is getting remuneration from the product.

    • dani Reply

      This is the nature of the work, these giant celebrities don’t work for free!

  73. I used to be a USANA Distributor way back in 1992. 20 years later, I resigned as a Distributor because I couldn’t stomach losing money with the MLM business model. I am currently a Preferred Customer in order to occasionally purchase Cellavive skincare.

    1. Most (not all) people lose, not make, money in USANA because most people are not cut out to be a salesman or a sale manager. I joined, as most people do, seeking the health benefits of the products but got sucked into “running a business”.

    2. The ones at the top making all the big money that are onstage at convention are in the minority, have very thick skin, and are willing to do things the rest of us are not willing to do — mainly lots and lots of prospecting, even to the point of loosing friends and family members, and are willing to put up with ENORMOUS amounts of rejection.

    3. MLM monetizes friendships

    4. Paying commissions to upline and downline makes the products more expensive

    5. the US market (and possible some of the foreign markets) are oversaturated. Too many distributors looking to build a downline and not enough warm bodies with real sales skills to join the downline.

    6. USANA management knows very well that if your goal is to really make money from USANA, you HAVE to build a downline — that’s how their compensation plan is structured. Their MLM business model is not set up to allow a distributor to make real money from the sale of products alone.

    Skincare / Bodycare:
    1. I used Sensé skincare products the entire time they were on the market — I absolutely LOVED them — my skin looked fantastic. I have now switched to Cellavive products and love them equally as well. Although, I liked the purple-ish color of the Sensé containers way better than the boring mostly grey color of Cellavive containers. The gray color is likely due to marketing as unisex skincare products to both men and women.

    Food products:
    1. I agree these while technically nutritious and while the scientists attempt to balance the macronutrients and micronutrients, the food products are certainly the furthest thing from whole food / whole food nutrition.

    2. If you are in the whole foods camp, you will likely consider the food products “garbage”. IMHO they are not total garbage, but there are far, far better choices out there.

    3. Many people do not digest soy well (I do not).

    4. I think USANA knows very that these products are glorified, expensive, nutritionally fortified, processed junk food but for them it’s about being competitive with competing companies and of course it’s always about the bottom line.

    Vitamins / Minerals:
    1. When USANA nutritionals hit the market in 1972, they WERE superior to the competition due to their balanced formulas and pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing. Drug manufacturers are REQUIRED to use pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing processes. Supplement manufacturers to this day are NOT REQUIRED to use those same pharma-grade processes. But more and more, the quality supplement companies are voluntarily adopting pharm-grade processes. Pharm-grade manufacturing processes help ensure that what’s listed on the label is what’s actually in the product. The supplement industry is rife with players whose products do not contain the ingredients listed on the label and/or they add unnecessary and/or possibly dangerous ingredients that are NOT listed on the label.

    2. If you are in the whole foods camp, you will not like that USANA formulas are not made from whole foods and DO contain lab-created synthetic isolates. That doesn’t make USANA nutritional products total 100% garbage, but nutritionally there are much better choices IMHO.

    3. However, many of their products have somewhat outdated formulas and ingredients. An example: top quality supplement companies are now using the active forms of most of the B vitamins because they are absorbed better by the digestive system. Instead of using calcium folinate or L-5-MTHR, after 50 years in business USANA is STILL using folic acid. And cyanocobalamin (B12) instead of methylcolbalamin or adenosylcobalamin or hydroxocobalamin. That’s just a couple of examples, there are plenty of others.

    4. Products are almost all delivered in tableted form, not as capsules, chewables or liquid. Nothing wrong with using tablet delivery only, but the reality is that lots of people cannot or do not want to swallow tablets. That would include me — I have 3 medical conditions of my esophagus that makes it not just diffucult but impossible to swallow whole tablets, capsules or softgels without literally getting stuck in my esophagus. But at least with capsules I can pull it apart and dump the powder into food. I finally got tired of crushing / chewing all those tablets (which mostly tasted NASTY).

    In conclusion, if you are considering purchasing USANA nutritionals, just be aware that while they are not total “garbage”, they are expensive for what you get and some formulas are somewhat outdated. There are plenty of non-whole-food and whole-food choices that are nutritionally balanced, are available in capsules, liquids or chewables if you cannot swallow tablets, and are sold retail rather than MLM. The skincare is fantastic. Stay away from the food products and eat real food instead.

    Sometimes people, for various reasons, cannot get the nutrition they need from food along and need to take supplements. If you still want to buy their products, unless you know you are a saleperson and a sales manager and really want to build a business, just join as a Preferred Customer to avoid getting sucked into buying products every month that you don’t want or don’t need.

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