December 13th is Ice Cream Day! Even if the temperature is freezing outside, make sure you celebrate the day with a scoop of your favorite flavor. Anyone can eat ice cream in the summer when it’s muggy and hot—but serious ice cream eaters celebrate their love of this frozen confection near the high winter solstice. So show how much you love ice cream by embracing a food most people shun during the colder months of the year.
Fun Filled Facts
- No one can lay claim to ice cream’s invention. Many different people claim to have invented it, but its exact origins are a mystery.
- Americans eat more ice cream than any other nation. However, most ice cream is produced in the state of California.
- The average American eats 48 pints of ice cream per year.
- You’re more likely to purchase ice cream on Sunday than any other day of the week.
- Everyone loves vanilla. It’s ranked as the most popular flavor and accounts for about a third of all national sales.
- It usually takes 50 licks to finish off a single scoop ice cream cone.
Why ice cream?
Ice cream is delicious. And it’s not all bad for you. It contains milk and an assortment of vitamins and minerals. However, we must add a cautionary note. It’s a known fact that sufferers of TMD and CMD often place themselves on a soft diet to avoid the discomfort of chewing. And this soft diet can often include lots of dairy products containing sugar. A high sugar diet is deficient in nutritional value. So remember, it’s okay to splurge and celebrate National Ice Cream Day. Just make sure you are mindful of the importance to replenish your body in other beneficial ways.
Other options
Ice cream is no longer a forbidden choice for health-conscious people. Look for the following labels to celebrate Ice Cream Day in a low calorie way.
- Reduced fat ice cream. This means a product must have 25% less fat than the original version.
- Fat-free. The ice cream product is likely made with a fat-free ice milk.
- Whipped. This simply means air has been added during the churning process, which can sometimes reduce fat and calories in ice cream, but not necessarily. So be careful. The term “whipped” is not a nutritional claim.
- Light ice cream. This is also a little confusing. Light ice creams usually contain 50% less fat or 33% fewer calories than the original version. Make sure you read the label carefully to learn which reduction you’re getting– less fat or less calories.
Now that you know about healthier options, choose wisely and enjoy Ice Cream Day on this 13th day of December.
Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99_Flake
Original Source: https://www.medcentertmj.com/tmj/scream-ice-cream