Good lord, I don't think I have even looked for that stuff since my father was alive,because at that time, he was the only one in the family that ate it. We all tasted it, out of curiosity,and even though it wasn't bad stuff, once was enough. It was after all, for my father,and we respected that. It was also called, "ice Milk", since most of the cream was removed from the basic slurry used to make the confection. In this way, most of the fat and carbohydrates naturally found in raw milk,and intensified during the pasteurization process,was taken out of the way, making the end product more palatable for a diabetic. This sort of double skimming was done prior to the homogenizing,which re-incorporates what there is left of the cream back into the resulting thinned milk,bringing it close to the skim milk we see offered for sale today. Once this process was finished, then the skim milk was sweetened with saccharine,the milk was heated enough to add whatever thickening agent was being employed, (possibly egg whites) and the now prepared mixture,(the slurry) was put through the normal ice cream making process.Adding vanilla...(which was the only flavor offered),and pouring it into a machine that constantly stirred the mixture, while reducing the temperature to below freezing. When it reached the point that the only thing keeping the confection from freezing solid in one lump was the churn or auger, the mixture was quickly poured into paper or plastic containers, and equally as quickly placed into a large freezer, and allowed to become solidly frozen. There was a reason for all this haste, as should be obvious. When ice milk was exposed to room temperature, it thawed quickly; and it became a puddle of skim milk, once again. Without the sugar and cream, there was really nothing to hold the cold in, and the ice crystals just dissolved. This made for some interesting problems in distribution,so most ice milk was locally made,and every dairy had their own way of making it. Most didn't offer it at all, because it was not a cost effective item, and there was little call for it.
But I said all of that to say this. You might find it rather challenging to find dietetic ice cream, or ice milk now. Since it's introduction around 1960, very little has remained the same for diabetic foods. Saccharine, as you probably know, has been replaced, with aspartame, and now, splenda,and other non-caloric, non-sugar sweeteners invented for the consumption of not only diabetics, but also people who are dieting. You can now find a lot of confections that take the place of the old diabetic ice milk with the "Weight Watchers" label,as well as others. These new diabetic foods have it all over the old stuff as far as taste, variety of flavorings, volume of production, and transportability. In addition, with so many individuals now looking for them in the marketplace, the resultant huge demand for these items have brought the price down markedly, making it easier to afford, not only to buy on a regular basis,but also, to stock up on. However, remember that not all items that come under the heading of sugarless frozen treats are low calorie, or even taste good! Read the label to be sure it's what you want, and then take it home and try it. Some are wonderful, and some are just awful,but don't judge them all on just one brand!
So, when you go looking for dietetic ice cream, go to the frozen treats, and read labels. Very rarely will you see a package labeled "dietetic ice cream"; More often than not, the only persons who now use or even understand that term are doctors, nurses, nutritionists, and folks like me, who grew up in a diabetic home. And, don't give up until you find it. It is worth it to search until you find a sweet treat that helps to take the cuss off of the fact that you must limit your intake of normal sweets. After all, God intended that we enjoy our food, or he wouldn't have given us taste buds!
OUI?
Comments