Refrigerator - Effect On Lifestyle

Effect On Lifestyle

The refrigerator allows the modern family to keep food fresh for longer than before. This, along with the modern supermarket, allows most families, without a sizable garden in which to grow vegetables and raise animals, a vastly more varied diet and improved health resulting from improved nutrition. Dairy products, meats, fish, poultry and vegetables can be kept refrigerated in the same space within the kitchen (although raw meat should be kept separate from other foodstuffs for reasons of hygiene).

The refrigerator lets people eat more salads, fresh fruits and vegetables, without having to own a garden or an orchard. Exotic foodstuffs from far-off countries that have been imported by means of refrigeration can be enjoyed in the home because of domestic refrigeration.

While storing healthier foods for longer times, more refrigerators and freezers are stocked with processed, quick-cook foods that are less healthy. Studies that correlate frozen (microwaved) foods and obesity have proven that access to easy meals leads to a general decline in overall health.

Freezers allow people to buy food in bulk and eat it at leisure, and bulk purchases save money. Ice cream, a popular commodity of the 20th century, was previously only obtained by traveling to where the product was made fresh. Consumers had to eat it on the spot. Now it is a common food item. Ice on demand not only adds to the enjoyment of cold drinks, but is useful for first-aid, and for cold packs that can be kept frozen for picnics or in case of emergency.