Nutritional Supplements (including antioxidants, vitamins and minerals) are only supplements to a healthy diet-just as their name implies.  There is a wide array of nutrients found in abundance in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  Unfortunately,  these are no longer sufficient to help us maintain optimal health.  There are several reasons for this.

     First,  over the past several decades modern agriculture has changed,  which has caused our soils to become depleted of many critical micronutrients.  Second,  our modern lifestyles create a much greater amount of physiological stress than was present even one century ago.  This stress can stem from many things inluding the processed foods we eat, radiation from the sun as well as air and water pollution.  Much of this stress generates free radicals. 

     In simple terms, a free radical is usually oxygen that has undergone a chemical change and now has the potential to damage the cells of our bodies.  This damage is known as oxidative stress,  or simply oxidation.  Think of an apple that has been sliced up and the exposed pieces begin to turn brown after a short time.  This is also oxidation.  Many diseases have been found to have their most basic origins stemming  from damage  due to oxygen free radiacals.  Examples include cancer, heart disease,  alzheimer's disease,  lupus and asthma.       

     Antioxidants are substances found mainly in fruits and vegetables that combat and neutralize free radicals.  They will help prevent much of the damge caused by them,  and thus help reduce the risk of many of the diseases associated with them. 

     When you've made the sound decision to take supplements,  you will find that the realm of nutritional supplements is a confusing one.  Fundamentally,  everyone should be supplementing with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals provided by a high quality brand of supplements.   Just as with exercise,  you should check with your doctor before starting nutritional supplements.  You should look for a brand that is guaranteed to dissolve in your digestive tract and is safe to take.  You should also look for a product that is science based and comes from a credible company.  It is important to research any product that you will be putting into your body over the long term.  Some things to look for are that the product manufacturer follows pharmaceutical grade GMPs as well as US Pharmacopoeia (USP) guidelines.  The product should also be complete and balanced.  This means that it contains a range of different nutrients including antioxidant  and non-antioxidant vitamins,  minerals,  trace minerals,bioflavanoids (plant extracts such as green tea and grape seed extract) as well as other key nutrients such as coenzyme Q10, glutathione and alpha-lipoic acid.  This is so important because many of these nutrients work together as a team.