Sunday, August 15, 2010

Fighting Sugar Addiction the BioNatures Way

"Addiction to sugar is probably more common than you think. Americans consume an average of 20 to 30 teaspoons (about ½ cup!) daily of this substance, which has been linked to a variety of health problems, including obesity, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), attention and memory problems, hyperactivity, anxiety, and depression. Every month a new study comes out adding to the list of dangers posed by consuming sugar and its cousins, high-fructose corn syrup, maltose, and dextrose. Despite the risks, we continue to eat sugar because it is so addictive." (read the entire article featured on Yahoo Health News here)

While we can't avoid sugar completely, there are many things we can do to make sure we are taking the best care of our bodies that we can. A few of these include: eating enough healthy food to satisfy your hunger, eating three regular meals each day that combine complex carbohydrates, lean protein and healthy fats, and getting regular exercise, plenty of sunlight, and adequate sleep to reduce sugar cravings.

Also, Jeffrey Rossman, Ph.D., recommends taking a daily multi-vitamin as well as a mineral supplement like Chromium picolinate. BioNatures carries the very finest quality products and offers them to you at the best prices on the market. Take a moment to read the article, then be sure to shop at to pick up your natural sugar craving fighters today!

Friday, July 2, 2010

Lack of Sleep Triggers 'Migraine' Proteins

According to recent article by Salyyn Boyles of WebMD Health News, "Not getting enough sleep or having poor sleep habits can trigger migraines or cause occasional migraines to become frequent. Now new research may help explain the biological links between sleep and headache pain. Pain researchers from Missouri State University report that rats deprived of REM sleep showed changes in the expression of key proteins that suppress and trigger chronic pain. The sleep-deprived rats secreted high levels of proteins that arouse the nervous system and low levels of proteins that shut it down, lead researcher Paul L. Durham, PhD, tells WebMD."

We all know that getting enough sleep each night is important, but new discoveries are being made revealing how a lack of sleep affects our overall health in ways we never imagined. If you struggle with sleep issues, consider the ways BioNatures unique line of sleep support products can help you get the rest you need. BioNatures REM-Sleep is a unique formula designed to support restful sleep. It contains the essential amino acid L-Tryptophan which is a precursor to seratonin; combined with Valerian, Melatonin and Chamomile. BioNatures REM-Sleep can help calm the mind and induce a more tranquil sleep, which in turn leads to a much healthier you. Go to our website to read more and learn about all the ways you can use supplements and vitamins as an everyday part of your healthy lifestyle!

Monday, October 12, 2009

The TRUTH about heat and it's effect on flax oil.

When I first started learning about Dr Budwigs work with flax oil and oil protein combinations I often heard that heat spoiled the oil very quickly thus it was very important to keep the oil refrigerated at all times. The following statement came directly from a website that is supposedly an "expert" on the subject and is often cited to me as a resource for facts about flax oil.

"Flax seed oil is easily oxidized. Both the oil and the ground flax seed may become rancid very quickly if not refrigerated, and only have a shelf life of a few weeks even in properly refrigerated conditions. Such spoiled oils may be carcinogenic, and assist the formation of free radicals. "

Now, that statement is true. If you make flax oil and put it in a jar you better use it up pretty fast and keep it away from excessive heat. However with todays technology we have the ability to take raw, unrefined, cold pressed flax oil and put it into a container in a light and oxygen free environment, thus effectively slowing the oxidation of the oil in it's tracks UNTIL that bottle is opened. Therefore heat applied externally to that bottle has very little, if any impact. In cooking we can use flax oil up to 300 defrees F. After that it transforms chemically, so oxidation has nothing to do with the breakdown at that point. So in conclusion, LIGHT and OXYGEN are the real culprits when it comes to the oil breaking down. External heat will also contribute to the degradation of the oil but only after that container of oil has been opened. Of course I can only speak for Barleans and BioNatures oils, the only ones made with Barleans patented process. Next up, Lignans or no Lignans?

Flax, The Beginning.

This month we celebrate the 21st anniversary of the birth of "Flax" seed oil. Prior to this time in 1988 all oil extracted from the flax plant, or linum usitatissimum, was referred to as linseed oil. All of Dr Budwigs work referred to "cold pressed linseed oil". The word flax had never been used in relation to the plant byproduct. The problem that occured when my company, BioNatures, began importing the oil into the US for the first time related to the name. You see linseed oil was the boiled, trans fatty, indigestable, inedible version of the oil which was, and is, used as a drying agent for paint! You can imagine what the FDA had to say when a product tried to cross the border with the name "C-Leinosan cold pressed Linseed Oil" and was labeled for human consumption. Their response was, no way! So with 10,000 bottles of oil being sent back to Flora Oils in Canada, we had to think of something fast. Our ewfforts to convince the government that this oil was different were in vain. We explained to them that the same oil was being sold in health food stores in Canada and that the Canadian Food and drug inspected the plant that makes it. To no avail. They simply said, unnapproved food. I contacted a specialist in FDA law and asked what we had to do to convince the government this was a safe food that had been consumed in this form all over the world for thousands of years. The answer was...staggering. the amount of studies and red tape that had to be submitted was mind boggling and would clearly take months if not years to prepare. My staff and I began to brainstorm. One night I woke up and sat straight up in bed. It was one of those "aha" moments that changed my life forever. The next day we commissioned Flora to print all new labels with the name C-Leinosan Cold Pressed Flaxseed Oil" and send the shipment back through. Sure enoiugh it came in without a hitch and from that moment on a new product was born into the world. In the next installment, how Barleans Oil was born.

Friday, February 20, 2009


Flaxseed oil is now used by millions of Americans for its spectacular health benefits, thanks to two men who overcame many obstacles to bring it here.

Less than 20 years ago, flaxseed was known as “linseed oil.” The federal Food and Drug Administration reasoned humans couldn’t use it because a distant cousin of the same name was sold as a paint additive.

This is the true story of how that changed in the 1980s:
Mike Minarsich, founder in 1986 of BioNatures, read a story about Dr. Johanna Budwig, world-renowned German biochemist, and her amazing work with fats, oils and proteins. Eager to know more, Mike unsuccessfully searched for the product she described – raw, cold-pressed linseed (now flaxseed) oil – at health-food stores and mail-order companies.

He contacted William Fischer, publisher of Dr. Budwig’s story, and discovered the German-born publisher had used “edible” linseed oil since he was a child. Furthermore, he was still getting it in tin cans from Germany, a very expensive process. Eventually, Mike found a Canadian company that produced “linseed” oil according to the standards of Dr. Budwig.

And so BioNatures was born. Bionatures became the first company in America to import and sell linseed oil for human consumption. Demand soared, in large part because of Fischer’s landmark book.

But soon the FDA stopped BioNatures’ shipments at the Canadian border, claiming that linseed oil is a drying agent for paint and can’t be sold as food. BioNatures argued that THIS linseed oil was cold-pressed in a pharmaceutical facility for human consumption and wasn’t the same linseed oil sold in hardware stores. The FDA still said no.

So the boys at BioNatures came up with two ideas: Find someone in the U.S. to make the product, and change the name from linseed oil to – you guessed it – flaxseed oil. After all, it was derived from the flax plant.

Confusion for the government and consumers was eliminated, and a partnership began between BioNatures and a young man in northern Washington state named Bruce Barlean and his father.
Bruce and his family were salmon fishermen who had vision. Already familiar with the health benefits of omega 3 oils from fish, they saw the potential for the superior benefits of flaxseed oil and byproducts.

Bruce pursued the new idea vigorously. With BioNatures’ help, Barleans Organic Oils was born. It is now the country’s largest manufacturer, thanks primarily to Bruce and Mike’s perseverance and determination.

After several trips to Germany to visit with Dr. Budwig, Bruce Barlean developed the proprietary Barlean’s Bio-Electron Process TM used today to produce the oil. It is the only process endorsed by Dr. Budwig. The rest is history.

Today if you type “flax oil” into an internet search engine, you will get around 400,000 results. It is considered a staple item for most people’s daily regimen. But the original is still the best. It is BioNatures’ brand of flaxseed oil, made with the Barlean’s Bio-Electron ProcessTM.