Are you troubled by cold, heart disease, arthritis, cancer, cataract, diabetes, stroke, gum disease, impotence or aging? Do you eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly and yet feel you are over the hill? Most people would give an arm and a leg to discover the secret of staying healthy longer and look young always.

Become a good pill junkie.

Pop a couple of pills to look as young as your daughter (or son for that matter). Too good to be true? Antioxidants are now hailed as miracle drugs to fight diseases and aging. The quest for immortality may not be over but at least the elixirs of life now exist.

Why we need antioxidants.

They are a family of vitamins, minerals and other compounds manufactured by our bodies in minute quantities if we consume adequate amounts of their raw components. It helps to take antioxidants orally. Just like jabs, we can do with a booster shot to aid our immunization which is reduced by free radicals.

How radical are free radicals?

Free radicals are waste products of energy production. We cringe at touching dung but do we flinch at the fecal pellets within us? See no evil, fear no evil. Certain chemicals, smoke and pollution increase the production of such waste in our bodies.

Antioxidants to the rescue.

They act as rubbish collectors who absorb the free radicals. They then undergo transformation to become a harmless free radical. By their acts of self-sacrifice, the numbers of antioxidants dwindle. We need to replenish them by supplementing our diets. Upgrade and update your daily dose of vitamins to an antioxidant mixture of vitamins, minerals and their related compounds. Antioxidants are marketed under different commercial brand names readily available at pharmacies.

See Green.

Go organic all the way if your budget allows. Organically grown greens usually cost thrice as much but help you to stay healthy longer. You can do without the extra flavoring of pesticides. Don't despair if your pocket is small. Make do with the traditional farmer's greens. Pile up on the multihues of plant produce to consume a colorful rainbow of phytochemicals. You may not become a food factory like a plant but you'll get the rejuvenating power to stay healthy longer.

You are what you eat.

An apple a day may keep the doctor away but you also need other citrus, cruciferous vegetables, onion, garlic and greens. Enjoy your glass of wine. It contains antioxidants, too. The two Cs of citrus and cruciferous are also warriors guarding against cancer.

Say good-bye to junk food.

They are loaded with solid animal fats which are buddies of disease causing fats. Its tough to keep a reign on the bad guys if the good guys are outnumbered. Antioxidants are supplements to a healthy diet to promote good health but you also need to cooperate to give them a good environment to start with.

Oil and us do not mix.

Use oil sparingly. Healthy oils are from peanut, canola, flax seed and olive. Dunking our food in oil is akin to dunking our cells in quicksand.

Wrinkle free, supple skin.

Why spend a bomb hydrating your skin from without? Water is the best beverage to hydrate your skin. Splash down your food with generous glasses of water. Sky juice is free if you bother to collect it. It is also the cheapest drink and the healthiest, too. Water flushes out the toxins from our bloodstream. Around the range of 1 1/2 liters daily is fine. Water works with antioxidants to nurture collagen to keep your skin supple and wrinkle free.

Second last word.

Before you rush out to buy your antioxidants, consult your doctor or pharmacist first. Don't overdose yourself with excessive amounts of any chemical. Even vitamin C is harmful enough to cause ulcer when consumed in high doses.

Stay healthy longer the smart way.

We may not be able to exercise daily but we can regulate the quality and quantities of food and antioxidants consumed to help us stay healthy longer. Become your own health manager and look forward to lesser if not nil old age complaints.