By DiAnn Mills
June is National Dairy Month, and what better way to celebrate our introduction to summer than with ice cream. As a girl, I loved Dairy Queen—actually, I still do. One of my favorite memories is my brother choosing to ride in the back of our dad’s pickup with his ice cream cone. The wind picked up and blew it all over his face. He didn’t think it was funny, but I sure did.
Before you dive into the excuse that ice cream might add unwanted pounds (because I know it’s crossed your mind), let’s talk about all the reasons we should dive into this, thick, lick-able, lovable treat.
1. Fun – Ice cream means celebrating something grand. Even if it’s a beautiful summer experience or a blustery winter day, the idea of a cold treat won’t leave you alone. Sports wins and losses, family times, carnivals, and whatever is fun to you are incredible experiences made better with ice cream.
2. Memory Maker – When I think about ice cream, I think about the times I’ve experienced it with family and friends. Sometimes where we ate, when, or why comes to mind. How often have you captured an ice cream moment on camera?
3. Health – Dairy products are filled with ingredients that are good for us. Super nutrients like calcium, potassium, vitamin A, and dairy products help fight nasty diseases like osteoporosis and cancer. I encourage eating ice cream year-round.
4. Decisions – Need to sell a house? Buy a car? Change careers? Solve a problem? Making difficult decisions is always easier with ice cream.
5. Social Time -Too often we get stuck at work or home and have no one to share a conversation with. If you add ice cream to the event, people are more apt to attend because it brings back great memories of when they were kids or felt like kids.
6. Bad News – A friend received potentially bad news from her doctor. Instead of crying, she chose ice cream and crafted her next step.
7. Elegant Affairs – I remember the first time I had an ice cream cone in a long gown. The flavor was Bunny Trails, and even my tastebuds felt elegant. I kicked off my pinchy-toed shoes and eased onto a chair . . . and enjoyed.
8. Variety – Ice cream comes in many forms and flavors. Regular, low-fat, non-fat, sugar-free, lactose-free, and homemade. Whatever our pleasure, we can find a specialty. Some people prefer a cone, a bowl, or topped with flavored syrup, fruit, candy, and nuts. Or make up something original. I’ve read some rather unique ingredients.
9. Support dairy farmers – We value a great cause, and supporting dairy farmers shows we respect their hard work.
10. No Reason – Do we really need a reason to dive into ice cream?
By the way, a friend just signed a book contract and celebrated with ice cream.
Now it’s your turn. What is your reason to enjoy ice cream?
