Luscious Licking!
Happy National Ice Cream Month
Happy National Ice Cream Month
I decided to take a look at what were the month long observances for July and was shocked to see only one listed. All the previous months had substantial lists. Both surprised and thrilled to learn it was National Ice Cream Month — something I have a sweet spot for and practically worship — not the soy, almond, or cashew version. The original made with cream.
Oddly enough, legend has it that I almost died as an infant due to a milk allergy. The only way I could even get down a glass of milk was if it included Fox’s U-Bet Chocolate Syrup and seltzer pumped out of the blue bottles we had delivered. Yup, that is a good old-fashioned egg cream. And there are no eggs in it. There are many explanations why including the word “egg” is a corruption of the Yiddish echt meaning genuine or real. This is just one theory and could be a bubbameister (tale).
When it came to many dairy products, I seem to have developed some rules based on my reactions. Avoid cheese, unless it’s mozzarella and melted on a slice of pizza. Avoid all creams, heavy creams, half and half and even whipped cream. Avoid all thick creamy soups. If I do eat any of the above, I get gassy and bloated. Warning — stay away if you’ve seen I’ve eaten any of the above. The cheese will turn on my phlegm factory and you don’t want to be near me when I need to spit it out.
On the other hand, Greek yogurt, where much of the lactose is removed during the processing, goes down nicely.
So let’s get back to what we are celebrating for the entire month of July, ice cream. I am addicted to it and question whether I can live without it. You might wonder, well if you’re having so many lactose issues, how could you eat it, what about the aftereffects? That is an interesting and valid question, which I will do my best to answer.
I can literally eat what is now my all time favorite, a box of three dark chocolate Häagen-Das popsicles and feel like I was just putting gas in my engine. Now three is excessive especially if I’m counting calories and don’t want to start ballooning up due to weight gain. I am best if I keep my indulgence to eating only one pop while I relax at home in the evening in front of the television to catch up on our nightly news — the latest American tourist death in the Dominican Republic or middle school massacre or murder caught on camera of an innocent man. As you can imagine, sometimes the news drives me back to the freezer to double dip.
As my former trainer advised me, “It’s okay to have one ice cream bar a day but not in the evening as you don’t have time to burn the calories.” I have tried my best to pleasure myself with an ice cream treat as early as possible in the evening but frequently not successful.
What is it about ice cream that draws so many of us to it? Ice cream put smiles on people’s faces. Just this past weekend, I was visiting my niece and her family in the suburbs when the ice cream truck came by. Little did I know that she, in fact, had texted him to stop by. All the kids and adults came running out and lining up. Just from our family he sold twelve pops and cones and made everyone happy. Each of us stood looking at the other, carrying on conversations, as we licked and ate our treats.
According to a brain study done on people while eating ice cream at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, their Orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) was activated. That is the part of the brain we feel emotions and research has proven eating ice cream gives us emotional pleasure which makes us happy.
As I decided to dig a little deeper, I found an article about a Japanese scientist who carried out trials having his subjects eat ice cream as soon as they woke up. They were then given a series of tests. Compared to those that did not eat ice cream they were sharper — faster processing and reaction times. The subject’s brain activity might be linked to what the British neuroscientist found — that ice cream triggers positive emotions and added energy.
Now, I’m wondering if I should ditch my daily morning Greek yogurt filled with berries, apples, bananas, nuts, slivered raw almonds, flaxseeds and chia seeds and go back to a former breakfast I would get when I hit a diner — warm soft waffles with chocolate ice cream on top. You know, I am going to hold off on that and stay with my current program.
Ice cream was an essential part of my childhood. We couldn’t wait for the Good Humor man or Bungalow Bar trucks to come by. I often got the one that had the hard chocolate bar inside. And then there were our frequent visits to Carvel where I would get a Brown Bonnet — soft chocolate ice cream dipped in chocolate that would harden. I had to get lots of napkins as this combo had some issues. The ice cream under the bonnet would start melting and seeping down the cone before I was able to eat it. On reflection, the warm chocolate cover probably liquified it faster. Mom got a wet maple walnut sundae something I matured into and is now my fav there. I always looked forward to our Carvel ice cream birthday cakes.
My issues with milk and dairy for some reason do not seem to include ice cream. Go figure. As an extremely emotional and sensitive person, perhaps having my happy brain cortex stimulated is all it takes.
According to the International Dairy Foods Association the average American consumes 23 pounds of ice cream per year.
I was sure America was the number one consumer of ice cream until I did a Google search and learned in 2013 New Zealand took the lead and we are now number 2.
If we want take the lead again we’d better start increasing our consumption. As summer is here, it’s time to indulge our guilty pleasures. I’m ready to kick it up a notch. A chocolate dipped handmade waffle cone filled with coffee ice cream and a new exotic flavor sounds like a must. How about you? Are you up for this challenge to get us back to number 1?
Brooklyn, this gorgeous dog, signed up for the challenge.
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