According to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) in 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day.
This year that day is July 19th.
President Reagan recognized ice cream as a fun and nutritious food that is enjoyed by over 90 percent of the nation’s population.
Here’s the scoop on ice cream in honor of its special day.
- Ice cream is a frozen food that is usually eaten as a dessert or a snack, and is commonly made from dairy products like milk and cream. It is regularly mixed with fruits and other ingredients and flavors, and sweetened with sugar or other sweeteners.
- Annually Americans eat around 5.5 gallons of ice cream per person. That is more than anywhere else in the world.
- There are records of Thomas Jefferson serving ice cream to guests at his home in Monticello.
- To make one gallon of ice cream you need 12 lbs. of whole milk
- Rocky Road became the first widely available flavor (apart from vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry) in 1929.
- Around 9% of milk produced in the US is used to make ice cream.
- It takes around 50 licks to finish a single scoop of ice cream.
- Ice cream is rich in the minerals phosphorus and calcium. One-half cup serving contains about 10% of their recommended daily allowance.
- There are many vitamins found in ice cream, such as vitamins A, C, D and E, as well as folate, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, and vitamins B6 and B12.
- Ice cream is a good source of energy. According to the US Department of Agriculture, one-half cup of vanilla ice cream provides 137 kilocalories of energy, about twice the amount in one-half cup of whole milk.
- Because ice cream is high in fat and sugar content you should eat it in moderation or choose low-fat/low-sugar options to get any of the nutritional benefits from it.
- A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who ate at least one daily serving of full-fat dairy products, such as ice cream, gained less weight than those who didn’t.
- California produces the most ice cream in the US.
- Vanilla is the number one ice cream flavor choice in the US. Following vanilla are chocolate, cookies ‘n’ cream, strawberry, and chocolate chip mint, in that order.
- Some weird flavors of ice cream are buckwheat ice cream, beer flavored ice cream, and Parmesan gelato.
- More ice cream is sold on Sunday than any other day of the week.
This day is meant to be a fun celebration that can be enjoyed by having a bowl, cup or cone filled with your favorite flavor of ice cream. Or perhaps you could even have a milkshake or root beer float. You could even try one of our recipes here on Fill Your Plate.
- 1/4 Cup, plus 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Puree
- 1/2 Cup Chevre
- 1/2 Cup Whole Goat Milk
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Clove
- 3 Cups Vanilla Ice Cream
- Garnish Whipped cream and freshly grated Nutmeg
Directions
Place pumpkin, cream cheese, milk, cinnamon, and cloves in the jar of a blender. Add ice cream and pulse until smooth. Divide among 2 regular or 4 miniature glasses, garnish with whipped cream and grated nutmeg. Serve immediately. *Cream cheese can be substituted for chèvre. Whole milk can be substituted for goat milk.
Provided by: Rhonda Crow, Crow’s Dairy, Inc.
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