We are being bombarded with advice about the importance of increasing
the amount of vegetables and fruits in our diets.

The American Heart Association, the American Institute for Cancer Research, the
American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, the National Institutes of Health,
and the USDA all include increasing produce consumption as part of their dietary recommendations
for disease prevention.

The scientific evidence continues to build that fruits and vegetables can materially affect
our risk of getting a variety of diseases.

The link between high produce consumption and reduced incidence of several kinds of cancer,
heart disease, and birth defects is well established. There is a growing body of research that
suggests links with several other conditions such as stroke, hypertension, cataracts, diverticulosis,
diabetes and several others.

All of this advice is pretty easy to live with. In the early days of concern about eating right for the
prevention of disease, some of the recommendations were pretty disagreeable. There was a
common sentiment that "I will eat anything save it be health food" a few decades ago. Had they
known that the ultimate health food was what they were eating from their gardens, health food
would never have gotten a bad rap.

But, times have never been better for eating the ultimate health foods than they are today. The key
to maximizing the taste and nutritiousness of fruits and vegetables is freshness. The advances in
logistics and handling of produce have assured us of very fresh and healthful produce at our
local grocery stores. Of course, the next step is to be able to extend that freshness when we
get it home to our refrigerator.

The Ethylene Gas Guardian is there to help.