Winter is out of here and spring is starting to heat up the world around us, so you know what that means: ice cream! The delicious frozen dessert that has been a staple in American homes for years is surely going to fly off shelves in the coming months, but that will come as no surprise to those perusing the frozen food aisle at the grocery store. Whether you personally choose cones or cups, grab your spoons and frozen yogurt supplies and get ready for 3 reasons why ice cream (as well as its frozen cousins like frozen yogurt and Popsicles) is a must-have on every frozen food aisle:

1. We ALL Scream for Ice Cream. Now doing something because everyone else is doing something isn’t always a valid reason (didn’t your mother ever ask if you would jump off a bridge if all of your friends were doing it too?), but in this case it is certainly a reason to pay close attention. According to research conducted by the NPD Group, 40% of Americans will eat ice cream during any given two-week period. In fact, the average American eats ice cream roughly 28.5 times a year, or a little over once every two weeks. So in reality, that 40% isn’t chock-full of repeat offenders, just those Americans which you happened to catch indulging in one of their favorite pleasures. When we include the entire frozen family, the numbers are intimidatingly clear: 90% of American homes regularly purchase and treat themselves to some sort of frozen dessert.
2. There’s a LOT of Ice Cream to Go Around. In fact, there are roughly 1.5 billion gallons of ice cream and related desserts produced in America every single year. That is so much ice cream that it accounts for almost one-tenth of all milk produced in American dairy farms every year. This doesn’t even include imports from around the world, including the Italian delicacies which are slowly rising in notoriety around the country. Fun Fact: a decent amount of this milk-based joy is used up in June, as the month of the summer equinox (and the first full month of outdoor swimming pools) is also the month in which the most ice cream is purchased and consumed every year. That’s going to take a LOT of paper cups, mini tasting spoons and frozen yogurt supplies!
3. It’s Not as Heavy as Your More-Traditional Desserts. Compared to most desserts, ice cream isn’t too bad on the filling scale. After the final churning process is complete, more than half of the contents of your favorite frozen dessert is comprised of air. Again, over 50% of your ice cream is really AIR. Even Gelato, the thicker, heavier, richer cousin of our delectable friend is comprised of 25-30% air. This means that ice cream is much easier to consume, and therefore more people are inclined to purchase more of it at a time.

Now in no way does this article suggest that ice cream is healthy or good for you (other than for your soul!), but moderate (or not-so-moderate) indulgence in our pleasures is a necessity for a healthy, happy human life. So with that being said, take the lids off of your pint jars, grab your favorite frozen yogurt supplies and toppings and dig in to the most gratifying, indulgent, sweet treats of your fantasies.

Do YOU like ice cream and frozen yogurt as much as the rest of the world? Do you feel like you may be the odd one out in this case? Please leave your thoughts and stories in the comments below!