As the hottest and driest Summer since records began comes to an end, and a promised “Indian summer” will take us through to Autumn, we look back at the hottest (pardon the pun) news stories of the last few weeks.
A woman who ate ice cream non-stop for 20 years has finally ditched the habit thanks to hypnotism. From the age of one, Courtney Baxter struggled with a selective eating disorder, and could only stomach a diet of ice cream day and night. For years, Courtney, now 21, was such a fussy eater that even just the sight of fruit or vegetables would make her feel sick and cause her to have panic attacks. But after eating over 7,000 different ice creams and having never been to a restaurant, Courtney knew things had to change. She decided to undergo a two-hour hypnotherapy session, which she says has worked so well that she’s been able to try a selection of new foods and is even looking forward to her first ever date with her fiancé, Jared, who she’s been with for seven years.
Courtney, from Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, said: ‘I always felt safe whenever I ate ice cream, as I knew it wasn’t going to make me sick or wasn’t dangerous in any way. ‘I used to eat ice cream nearly every day, but because of the amount of sugar involved it was causing me to have health problems. ‘I wouldn’t eat anything else, except for sausages, but every time I even tried to have something new to eat I’d end up having a panic attack. ‘I haven’t ever been able to go to a restaurant because I’m so restricted so I and my partner of seven years have never been on a date. ‘It had been a problem for a while and I’d always wanted to do something about it, but I just didn’t know how to sort it – until I found out about hypnosis.’
From the age that she could eat solid food, Courtney remembers eating nothing but her restricted diet of ice cream and sausages. However, when even attempting to eat new foods led to her being sick, Courtney decided to stick in her ways. She said: ‘I felt useless, all I wanted to be able to do was eat fruit and vegetables and be able to have a healthy and balanced diet. ‘Everyone around me just put it down to me being a fussy eater, but that was until they’d see the physical symptoms even attempting to eat gave me. ‘I missed out on a lot of social events – I couldn’t go to sleepovers because I wouldn’t be able to eat the food, and I’ve never been to a restaurant. ‘Once I’d finally had enough I researched what help I could get and decided to take a chance on hypnotism.’
Now, after having one therapy session, Courtney’s palette has expanded and she has been able to try a variety of foods. She said: ‘When I was in the therapy session I just felt really calm during, and when I woke up and had new food in front of me, I wasn’t scared anymore. ‘I’ve now eaten a variety of fruits and vegetables, which were my biggest fear, and have allowed myself to try new foods. ‘Now I’m really excited to go on my first proper date with Jared, considering we’d never been able to go to a restaurant before. ‘I feel as though I am finally freed from my eating disorder!
David Kilmurry, a cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist, said: ‘Prior to the therapy she gagged as I asked her about vegetables. ‘When I heard that ice cream was her ‘safe’ food I was astonished, sweets are not a treat if you have them as a safe food, and the health risks are huge.
‘I am so proud and pleased for her as she broke the ice with 15 new fruits and vegetables. ‘I am really proud of her for breaking confidentiality to highlight the dangers of bingeing on ice cream and applaud the manner in which she has taken to the hypnotism.’
Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2018/09/04/woman-who-only-ate-ice-cream-and-sausages-for-20-years-finally-ditches-the-habit-7908076/
An ice cream seller has been told he can no longer sell his rum and raisin flavour because it is too alcoholic reports The Telegraph
Gavin Murray opened his business Just Ice in Derby Market Hall four months ago and hoped to sell the classic choice to his customers.
But council chiefs said the business had to apply for a licence because his rum and raisin has an alcohol content of more than 0.5, meaning it is classed as alcoholic.
Mr Murray now faces paying £1,000 for the correct paperwork under the Licensing Act, or he can modify the production process to burn off all the alcohol.
The 47-year-old said: “Rum and raisin is an old classic and has always been there. They are two flavours that go together really well and the people of Derby definitely love it, we get people asking for it at least once a week.
“It’s especially popular among people who are a little older than teenagers.
“Our first step would be to run a trial on putting our rum in at the start of pasteurisation process and hopefully that will burn off the alcohol content, but leave that delicious real-rum flavour.
“Once we have done our trial, we will send it off to the lab for testing and hopefully we can get rum and raisin back for the Derby public who love it so much.
“I understand the council’s comments, they just have to go by the law, that is what the law says and we can’t really argue with that.
“We have got to stick to that, alcohol is a dangerous substance, so we want to respect and honour that.
“It would be nice if ice cream had an exemption, but that is probably a bigger thing.
“But I think you would have to eat a lot of it to be affected by the booze – you probably would be sick before you felt the effects of the alcohol.”
The parlour has seen a surge in sales thanks to the summer heatwave.
Derby City Councillor Mick Barker, a lead member for licensing, said: “This particular ice cream recipe contains more than 0.5 per cent alcohol, meaning it’s classed as alcoholic under the Licensing Act, and a licence is needed.
“Rum and raisin are a classic. If Just Ice applies for a license they will be able to sell this flavour, no problem.”
Kind-hearted paramedics in Australia granted a dying man his request for ice cream on his final journey to hospital.
Terminally ill Ron McCartney, 72, had “barely eaten anything” in days when his wife called an ambulance to help with his final journey to the hospital for palliative care.
After being told he had barely eaten, caring paramedics from Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) asked Mr McCartney after initial observations: “If you could eat anything, what would it be?”
Mr McCartney, from Gold Coast, replied a caramel sundae and he was then granted his wish as he made his final journey to hospital.
Writing on Facebook, a spokesperson for QAS said: “We have been left humbled and tinged with sadness after receiving a message of gratitude that underlines an often-unseen aspect of patient care; the caring.
“Last week, Gold Coast resident Sharon called an ambulance for her husband Ron’s final journey to hospital and palliative care.
“Paramedics Kate and Hanna responded and during their initial observations of Ron, Sharon mentioned that he had barely eaten anything over two days.
“The officers asked Ron if you could eat anything… what would it be? To which Ron replied, a caramel sundae.
“Sharon emphasised the enjoyment Ron received from such a simple action and thanked paramedics for the swift and high level of care and compassion shown to him.”
Review by Lara Walsh for “Elite Daily”. In addition to some serious post-Labor Day Weekend withdrawals, I’m also struggling to convince my body that summer is almost over. It’s still 80 degrees outside, and stocking up on cosy beverages and Halloween candy right now when I’m still blasting my air conditioner at full force just seems so wrong. Sweater weather feels months away, which is why I’m so here for Enlightened’s Pumpkin Spice Latte Ice Cream. It’s all your favourite Basic Betty flavours in a pint of frozen goodness, and it’s the perfect transition from summer to fall.
The New York-based ice cream company has released what might be the most mouthwatering twist on a PSL that I’ve seen yet. Forget Pumpkin Spice doughnuts or PSL Dunkin’ Donuts, because PSL is now available in ice cream form. Enlightened, which touts healthier ice cream options that tend to be high in protein and low in sugar, just launched its Barista collection, which is — you guessed it — all about coffee. According to its blog, the retailer’s brew-inspired offerings include:
Pumpkin Spice Latte (don’t let anyone tell you it’s basic), White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha (yes, it does taste just like your fave coffee shop’s version … ), and Triple Shot Espresso (it’s true, NYC is the city that never, ever, ever sleeps).
Obviously, the Pumpkin Spice Latte flavour caught my eye, because how good do swirls of pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice layered with creamy espresso sound? Plus, one refreshing serving only comes to 60 calories, so you know I’ll be stocking up on like 20 of these autumnal bad boys.
This new ice cream sundae will have your stomach singing, but your wallet screaming for help.
Three Twins Ice Cream—which has a factory in Sheboygan—is now offering “The World’s Most Expensive Ice Cream Sundae.” The sweet dairy treat rings up at a whopping $60,000.
But, there’s more than ice cream included in the price tag. With $60,000 you get a first-class flight to Tanzania where the Three Twins founder, Neal Gottlieb, will greet you with hand-churned ice cream made from glacial ice from Mount Kilimanjaro.
“The mountain’s glaciers are predicted to disappear within the next 10-15 years due to climate change,” the product description reads, “and your purchase helps raise awareness of this fact with a five-figure contribution to an African environmental non-profit.”
Aside from unlimited ice cream, your $60,000 also includes five-star accommodations, a guided hike and of course, a t-shirt.
Britain’s longest heatwave since 1976 has seen ice-cream sales soar, but a survey has revealed that some brands are sold without vanilla, cream or fresh milk.
Vanilla has traditionally been Britain’s favourite flavour but a Which? investigation (reported in The Guardian) of the supermarket and branded vanilla ice-creams found a number of them were lacking some key ingredients.
One in five of the ice-creams examined by the consumer watchdog had none of the three ingredients shoppers might reasonably expect to find in vanilla ice-cream. Only half of the 24 surveyed contained all three traditional ingredients.
Of the five products offering soft-scoop vanilla ice-cream without fresh milk, vanilla or cream, three were supermarket own-brandsfrom Asda, Morrisons and Tesco. Soft-scoop vanilla ice-creams from Wall’s and Ms Molly’s, which is exclusively sold at Tesco, were the other two products missing the three key ingredients.
Vanilla ice-cream is traditionally made from fresh milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla, which are frozen and aerated.
In a number of the products Which? looked at, cream and milk were substituted with partially reconstituted dried skimmed milk, and in some cases, whey protein. Vanilla was often replaced with a general “flavouring”
Additional non-dairy ingredients in some of the ice-creams included palm oil, coconut oil, palm kernel oil and water.
Until 2015, a product labelled “ice-cream” in the UK had to contain at least 5% dairy fat and 2.5% milk protein, but since the introduction of the Food Information Regulations, these rules no longer apply.
The change was brought in to enable more products, such as vegan and reduced fat versions, to be labelled as ice-cream on the open market.
The watchdog said the move had created a new market of ice-creams to suit a broader range of tastes, but that the removal of the original regulations had also allowed cheaper ingredients to replace those used in traditional recipes.
There are currently no requirements for manufacturers to meet before a product can be called ice-cream. Only products labelled as “dairy ice-cream” should contain at least 5% dairy fat, some protein from a dairy source and no vegetable fats.
The price of vanilla soared earlier this year, making it more expensive than silver. It currently sells for around £440 a kilo.
Vanilla has become the second most expensive spice in the world after saffron, the harvesting of which is extremely labour-intensive.
Vanilla beans, which are part of the orchid family, are hand-pollinated on family farms. Each flower opens for only part of one day during the season. If it is not pollinated on that day, no pod is produced. Once picked, the curing process, which involves drying the beans in the sun by day and allowing them to sweat in a box at night, takes three to six months.
Vanilla is grown in tropical regions. More than 75%is produced in Madagascar, an island off the south-eastern coast of Africa. The region was struck by a powerful cyclone last month that damaged many plantations.
Some manufacturers use synthetic vanilla flavouring, known as vanillin, but it is less potent and scented than its natural counterpart.
A Which? spokesperson said: “Shoppers may be surprised to find out that the vanilla ice-creams available to buy in supermarkets can vary wildly in terms of the ingredients they contain.
“For those looking for a more authentic ice-cream or trying to avoid controversial ingredients such as palm oil, our advice is to check the ingredients list, and look for these three key ingredients – natural vanilla, dairy cream, and fresh milk.”