It’s National Ice Cream month—let’s all scream for ice cream! Well, maybe just ask.

Ice cream’s silky deliciousness has put it on the top of the dessert chain for years, but it wasn’t until the Reagan administration that it got its very own month. July is National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday in July is National Ice Cream Day.

Throughout history many have claimed to be the inventor of ice cream. According to MakeIceCream.com, both Julius Caesar and Emperor Nero of ancient Rome tried to take credit for the idea of mixing snow with fruit nectar, pulp and honey. Even Marco Polo is said to have brought Far East recipes for water ices to Europe in the 13th century.

However, in the U.S. the treat’s lineage is much easier to trace. The very first ice cream parlor was said to have opened in New York City in 1776. First lady Dolley Madison served ice cream as a dessert at Madison’s second inaugural ball in 1812.

The fame of ice cream has skyrocketed in the last two centuries, and ice cream makers have pushed the envelope with more creative and adventurous flavors.

Andrew Rucker, executive chef for Giffords Ice Cream Company in Silver Spring, Md., said that ice cream flavored with stout beer, such as Guinness, has been a growing trend. Also, herbs like basil (which is in the mint family) have become popular flavors.

Rucker follows the trends from high-end restaurants and tries to incorporate them into Gifford’s more classic lineup of flavors. The company plans to add new flavors, with a twist on nostalgic tastes, such as toffee caramel swirl ice cream with chunks of toffee and gooey caramel, and oatmeal cookie ice cream.

Although many people enjoy trying new ice cream flavors, Rucker said that vanilla and chocolate are always the top sellers at Giffords, followed by roasted coconut. According to the International Ice Cream Association, the world’s five most popular ice cream flavors are vanilla, chocolate, butter pecan, strawberry and Neopolitan.

According to IceCream.com, every year Americans devour an average of 48 pints of ice cream per person, and it takes 12 gallons of milk to produce just one gallon of ice cream. National Geographic said that the U.S. produces around 1.4 billion gallons of frozen desserts each year, and Americans spend close to $20 billion dollars on ice cream per year.

Lentils and other legumes, including dry peas and garbanzo beans, are claiming a more defined place in America’s food chain. These healthy vegetables are known as “pulse” crops and producers are hoping to profit from the growing trend. They recently created the American Pulse Association, which is a joint venture of the U.S. dry pea, lentil and bean associations. According to CEO Tom McGreevy, the new association “will have a huge impact on domestic consumption here in the next 5 years.”

Part of the new demand stems from the increased popularity of international foods in the United States and also the growing awareness of gluten-intolerance. Another fantastic thing about pulse crops is the environmental benefit as they release nitrogen back into the soil during the growing cycle. Learn more.

Michelle Obama has made it her cause to help control the growing problem of childhood obesity. Recently, she called on Kraft and PepsiCo to aid her in the fight. She had her own personal wake-up call about childhood health when her family pediatrician expressed concern about the family’s eating habits; since then, Obama has ramped up her fight against the epidemic.

She would like to see food companies make their products healthier by reducing calories, sugar and sodium in products. She also is lobbying for easier-to-read nutrition labels. PepsiCo, the world’s second-largest food and beverage company, has pledged to stop selling full-sugar soft drinks by 2012.

Kraft Foods Inc. also has joined the battle, announcing additional reductions in the sodium content of foods. According to Kraft President Rhonda Jordan, the first lady “accelerated our focus.” Read the article.