The Newest Food Group

For years,  everyone has been made aware of the 4 major food groups i.e. dairy, meats, fruits and vegetables, and grains.  This, of course,  has led the dietary experts to tailor their educational programs to helping their clients make good choices based on the nutritional and caloric value of those foods, and as our understanding of nutrition advances, the experts typically modify their teaching to reflect the changing data.  Bearing that in mind, it's time to include another food group that many of us have known about for years, but because of the lack of evidence to support it and too, because of its inclusion in an already recognized group, it has been overlooked as a group unto itself.  It now time to give this group its just deserts.

It may not come as a surprise to anyone who grew up in New England, but the residents of these 6 states consume more ice cream per capita than anywhere else in the United States.  Ice cream stands dot the landscape from Connecticut to Maine and all the states in between.  Why, even the nationally recognized Ben and Jerry's ice cream producer is based out of Waterbury, Vermont, and in my opinion,  that location isn't by coincidence.  There are several theories circulating around the reasons for the "excessive" consumption, but one of them suggests that the long, cold winters are justification for the frequent indulgences.  Some contend that the ice cream made here in New England just is better than that made elsewhere around the country.  In either case, if you like ice cream, then you can find your own reasons to justify this tasty behavior.

Long before the age of evidence based medicine, much of the teaching and practices resulted from personal experience and accepted practices, as passed along from generation to generation.  Perhaps this is why New Englanders represent such a large group of ice cream consumers; it simply has to do with their history.  After all, much of NE is comprised from several of the original thirteen colonies.  However, for evidence proving that ice cream should be considered its own food group I simply say, if you are given the option of eating ice cream or something from one of those readily recognized food groups, whether you live in New England or not, most of us would choose ice cream, because there is always room for ice cream.  In fact, it has been my personal experience that it isn't just for dessert anymore either, and that's the scoop from here!