(BLACK PR WIRE) It’s seemingly a little known fact that each July is National Ice Cream Month here in the United States as declared by President Ronald Reagan back in 1984.  It should come as no surprise then that the International Ice Cream Association (IICA) encourages food retailers and consumers alike to celebrate July by appreciating and thus enjoying as much ice cream as possible.  Furthermore, according to wikipedia.com the ice cream industry provides thousands of jobs for American citizens generating annual sales in the billions of dollars.  Seems like we’re already really enjoying our ice cream!

Even writing this sentence my mind wanders to the pint of Hagen Das I have stashed in my freezer at home.  As a health conscious individual, I wonder where my own sweet tooth came from.  I will state now for the record that I do not enjoy low fat ice cream as much as the regular stuff.  And in a world focused on low fat dairy and low fat everything in this nation of rapidly increasing waistlines this could be my vice. 

There may be light at the end of the tunnel, however, as research compiled at the Department of Nutrition at Harvard’s School of Public Health in Boston has found a link between high fat dairy and increased fertility in women trying to conceive.  This new research, published in the European medical journal “Human Reproduction,” in the spring of 2008 found that women consuming at least one serving of high-fat dairy food a day significantly reduced their risk of infertility.  Ice cream was actually suggested to women in the process of trying to have a baby.

So what about the rest of us in our day to day lives?  Ice cream really can be high in fat yet it is often the toppings and other ingredients that push the caloric intake over the edge of reason. It is about moderation and making smart choices. I for one plan on fully celebrating National Ice Cream Month this July.  Even if it means cutting out all of the other food indulgences for the time being.