Wanna piece of gum?
This is a question I get asked a lot and 99 out of 100 times I say NO!
Check out the candy aisle in Singapore. No gum here…
Candy aisle at Target, pretty much all gum.
The reason I say no, is because most people offer me gum with ingredients like this:
Wrigley’s Doublemint Gum – Artificial Colors, Artificial Flavors, Artificial GMO Sugars, Carcinogenic Sugars, Toxic Preservatives (Note – This gum has sugar + corn syrup + Aspartame)
INGREDIENTS: SUGAR , GUM BASE , DEXTROSE , CORN SYRUP , NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS , LESS THAN 2% OF: GLYCEROL , ASPARTAME , GUM ARABIC , SOY LECITHIN , ACESULFAME K , COLOR , (TITANIUM DIOXIDE , BLUE 1 LAKE , BETA-CAROTENE) , BHT
Trident Gum Ingredients – Artificial Colors, Artificial Flavorings, GMOs, Carcinogenic Sugars, Toxic Preservatives (Note: This gum has Xylitol + 3 other sugars including Aspartame)
Bubble Yum Gum Ingredients - Artificial Colors, Artificial Flavorings, GMO Sugars, Toxic Preservatives
Orbit Gum Ingredients - Artificial Colors, Artificial Flavorings, Carcinogenic Sugars, Toxic Preservatives
Wrigley’s 5 Gum - Artificial Colors, Artificial Flavorings, Carcinogenic Sugars, Toxic Preservatives
I used to be addicted to gum. I would totally freak out if I didn’t have some in my purse or pantry after eating. But that’s before I figured out the ingredients in chewing gum were slowly sabotaging my health.
One of the reasons people chew gum is for weight loss. Chewing gum keeps your mouth occupied so you don’t reach for food, right? The main ingredient in all these gums is artificial sweeteners and consuming them will not work as long term strategy for weight loss. Artificial Sweeteners are proven to stimulate your appetite, increase carbohydrate cravings, and promote fat storage and weight gain.
Think about it – when someone consumes something that is sweet, but it has little to no calories – their brain receives a signal to want more calories because their body is not actually getting any energy (i.e. enough calories) to get satisfied. So that person keeps looking for gratification elsewhere and ends up craving more.
Furthermore, there are more dangerous side effects from artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame, which is considered one the most dangerous substances allowed in our food supply. Over 10,000 complaints have been filed with the FDA on this substance since 1980 and has actually never been proven to be safe before it was approved for use in our food supply. Aspartame is linked to diabetes, auto-immune disorders, depression (which can cause you to eat more – once again), birth defects, and several forms of cancer.
What upsets me the most is that Trident is now advertising its gum is made with Xylitol – but it still has Aspartame in it! Trident’s marketing is the best…It will fool even the smartest of people.
Another ingredient I should point out specifically that all of these gums have is BHT. It is used as an embalming fluid and in jet fuel. The US Department of Health and Human Services has labeled BHT as a carcinogen but the FDA still allows this in our food supply. In fact, BHT is a banned substance in several countries. What’s wrong with this picture?
And what’s up with the warning at the bottom of some of the ingredient lists for “Contains: Phenylalanine”? Does the average person even know what this means? Phenylalanine is added to the ingredient Aspartame and could seriously be dangerous if you have certain health conditions. Consuming this substance (if you have a condition that makes you sensitive to this additive) can cause mental retardation, brain seizures, sleep disorders and anxiety. All this from chewing a piece of gum. SCARY.
If I really want to chew gum, Spry is the one of the only brands I recommend – It’s Non-GMO, has no artificial colors, artificial preservatives, GMO or carcinogenic sugars, or artificial flavors and it is made with Xylitol.
Xylitol is a safe sugar alcohol and commonly used in nasal sprays as a natural remedy for allergies and congestion. Spry’s label isn’t lying to you to you either. I love the fact that it tells you which actual “natural flavor” it has in it – peppermint oil.
So is chewing a gum like Spry ok on a regular basis? Well no, not really.
Chewing gum messes with your bodies ability to produce digestive enzymes, a critical substance that helps you get all the nutrition from food you need into your bloodstream.
Every time you chew a piece of gum, you send signals to your brain that you are chewing actual food. Your digestive organs – the stomach and pancreas get ready to digest food by creating digestive enzymes your brain thinks you need. Now imagine doing this all time and every day by chewing gum that isn’t real food, you’re tricking your pancreas and stomach to produce digestive enzymes when they don’t really need to use them. Over time the digestive organs become overtaxed and stop producing the amount of enzymes they once did.
This is certainly bad enough, but as you age, you lose 1/3 of your bodies ability to produce digestive enzymes too. This is why taking a digestive enzyme supplement in your older years may improve your overall health. (That’s another topic for another time…)
Regardless, some benefits to “chewing” gum were just released in a new study that saw improved test scores in students that chewed gum 5 minutes before a test. Increasing your physical activity even as minor as chewing gum could benefit cognitive function in the brain. Studies like these are pretty fascinating, I wonder if they are conducted just to get people to buy more gum, considering most studies are funded by an interested party in the industry. This doesn’t mean you have to resort to chewing gum to get this benefit, however…
What if you could chew something just as effective that was GOOD for you, freshened your breath and helped you digest food without the threat of reducing your natural digestive enzymes?
Enter…Fennel Seed.
It’s amazing what chewing on a little seed can do. I purchased this bottle of fennel seed from the new spice shop that just opened in town called Savory. I’ve kept a bottle like this in my purse at all times for years.
Chewing on fennel seed as an after dinner digestive is no secret. It has been used for many years in Asia for medicinal purposes. Fennel seed is proven to prevent gas, heart burn, bloating and upset stomach, freshen your breath, improve eyesight, relieve hypertension, and help coughs and bronchitis.
I always chew some after a big meal and especially after my fair share of dessert. Fennel seeds smell like licorice and taste a little bit like it too. I chew about a ½ tsp and it’s just enough to get my mouth instantly fresh and clean. By the way, you don’t spit these seeds like you would gum. You swallow them because they are food.
Fennel seeds can be your savior when you might be eating more than you would like or foods that you aren’t used to. You can find Organic Fennel Seed here.
So, the next time someone asks you if you’d like a piece of gum, what are you going to say?
If you find this article interesting and think it could benefit someone in your life, please share it – especially with those who are always asking you that question.
Happy Chewing!
Food Babe
P.S. I tried forever to blow a bubble with my Spry Gum…my bubbles were pitiful. I guess that’s one of the downsides of chewing less toxic substances. I’ll take that any day over the alternative 
Really bummed about the lack of big bubble making…
I have seen a couple of mentions of Glee Gum, and I would like to give them a shout out. Granted “all natural” doesn’t usually mean much when it comes to food, but in the case of chewing gum, it’s about as good as you can find. Also, the gum base is made from the sap of the sapodilla tree, which grows in the rainforests of Central America; the six classic flavors are all Fair Trade certified; and you can buy in bulk. They used to use organic sugar, but I can’t confirm that they still do. Otherwise, I think this is one of the best, if not the best, gum option available.
Someone may have already mentioned it, as I have not read every reply, but I just wanted to post this here somewhere, because I am an animal lover. The Gum you mentioned here, SPRY, which contains Xylitol, is very toxic to dogs … please be careful having it in the house with your pets.
first off I have to say that you are so funny when comes to stuff like this – trying to blow bubbles (this is chewing gum not bubble gum lol)
noticed someone told you that 3 pieces of spry will get you a decent bubble but I just tried it and got notta!! lol I can suck in and make a pop but cannot blow out and get any bubbles or a pop 
we do not chew gum very often at all but when we do it is the Spry gum now – we used to buy Trident and one other one that I cannot think of the name now but about 3 yrs ago I started really paying attn to the ingredients to make sure we didn’t get any of them with aspartame in it and just stopped buying it all together since I couldn’t find one without it!! crazy!!
then I learned about the food coloring thing and all our food choices have changed as I found out it was having completely opposite effects on both of my children but both were equally bad – have one that has very hard time staying focused if she has any type of ‘food coloring’ and the other it literally makes him sick at his tummy – and we always thought it was because maybe he ate too much but yet didnt seem like he was eating enough to feed a bird sometimes – but once we took all artificial colors out of the diet they both are doing a great deal better!
love your spunk to get the info and for sharing it all with us – we need all the help we can get and it has made a huge difference in our eating habits and how we feel!
Your article is informative, but the point about the absence of chewing gum in Singapore is a bit misleading. The absence of chewing gum in Singapore has nothing to do with health. It is a measure taken by the Singapore Government toward cleanliness in an attempt to curb the litter caused by used gum. In Singapore chewing gum can be acquired at the pharmacy or at the dentist but not at the supermarket.
http://www.singaporelawreview.org/2012/11/the-freedom-to-chew-gum/
My intention is not to be misleading, I had just taken a trip to Singapore and thought it was funny to include a picture of the candy aisle there that’s all. Nonetheless – thanks for pointing out the facts.
Vani;
You look realy FUNNY girl, trying to blow those bubbles!
That idea of chewing a few fennel seeds sounds GREAT though.
I suspect that chewing some xylitol gum right after eating would be ALMOST as good though. Stimulating the digestive tract right after eating only increases the EFFICIENCY and COMPLETENESS with which you degest your food, and it ALSO helps CLEAN your TEETH!
I am a pediatric occupational therapist here in the Charlotte area. I felt the need to comment because chewing gum ABSOLUTELY improves focus and attention! As an OT who specializes in sensory processing, I am frequently reccomending oral input because of its ability to improve brain function. It provides some children (and adults) with much needed propriception and organization. A fennel seed will NOT provide that kind of organizing input to the brain. I completely agree with you on all the horrible stuff that is in most gums BUT had to chime in because it is a wonderful therapeutic tool for some individuals. Please don’t paint these studies in a negative light when you know little about sensory processing and the disorders some children are facing. In my 10+ years practicing, I have seen GUM chewing change test scores and grades for the better countless times!
I do love your blog and what you are doing to help change our food industry.
As the mother of a child with learning disorder/processing disorder, my child needs the gum to help her do her work. I have been giving her Spry gum for a year now and we both love it. Used to give her Glee gum but found the sugar coating to be too sugary and knew it wasn’t good for teeth. I always throw out the aspartame laden gum she comes home with, sorry kid but your mom loves you. Spry tastes good and the flavor lasts as well. Whole Foods sells it. Now I just need to get digestive enzymes.
Yes, chewing does improve concentration. As a child I chewed my pencils to bits every time I sat down to do an assignment, so I switched to pens and chewed them to bits as well. Gum would have solved that issue for me. Now my 10 year old is going through the same thing…gum to the rescue!
Btw: thanks Jill. I agree with you and thank you for helping special kids!
Aaaah specialists!!! They always come to contradict and give us their scores and proofs to say it’s not true!
So it’s more important to have scores than to have a better health?
So those kids are gonna think it’s better to chew shitty dangerous gum because of better attention/scores? I’m shocked!!!
If they have a disorder, try to find out what they are eating instead…;I’m sure what they eat is not healthy at all!!!
Jill
on April 9, 2013 at 2:46 pm said:
Actually “Gotya” I DO look at what they eat….since nutrition is so closely related to sensory processing! My FIRST action is to help clean up a childs diet that could be contributing to their symptoms. If you knew anything about the way the brain functions, than you would already know that it requires proprioception to function properly. Gum helps give some special needs children much needed input to help them be successful (in case you didn’t realize, attention and focus are REQUIRED for learning) I never ever EVER recommend the poison which is in most gums. I always give parents a list of what to avoid. For you to make a comment downplaying the struggles that special needs children go through is ignorant and cruel. Gum chewing is an important and helpful strategy for thousands of children and if the right gum is chosen, IT IS NOT DETRIMENTAL to their health (which what the post is suggesting)!!!!!! That was my point! Aspartame is poison, I agree and never did I suggest otherwise!
Not only did your comment not make any accurate points, it offends me as a professional who works so hard helping children cope with these processing disorders. Get your facts straight before you speak ignorance!!!
Reply ↓
Aaaaah specialists!! They always come and tell you you’re wrong, they contradict you showing their scores and results!
What’s best? To have a kid in good health or to let him eat crap and have him get attention?
Did you even try to check what these kids are eating?? I bet they eat crap all the time!!!
She said fennel get her have a better breath and also helps digestion!!!
Aspartame is dangerous!!! End of quote!!!
Actually “Gotya” I DO look at what they eat….since nutrition is so closely related to sensory processing! My FIRST action is to help clean up a childs diet that could be contributing to their symptoms. If you knew anything about the way the brain functions, than you would already know that it requires proprioception to function properly. Gum helps give some special needs children much needed input to help them be successful (in case you didn’t realize, attention and focus are REQUIRED for learning) I never ever EVER recommend the poison which is in most gums. I always give parents a list of what to avoid. For you to make a comment downplaying the struggles that special needs children go through is ignorant and cruel. Gum chewing is an important and helpful strategy for thousands of children and if the right gum is chosen, IT IS NOT DETRIMENTAL to their health (which what the post is suggesting)!!!!!! That was my point! Aspartame is poison, I agree and never did I suggest otherwise!
Not only did your comment not make any accurate points, it offends me as a professional who works so hard helping children cope with these processing disorders. Get your facts straight before you speak ignorance!!!
Thank you for this. I am going to send this to my boys. They are teenagers. Jacob is 15 and already doing a lot to improve his eating habits. I think he was 10 when he told his dad he would no longer eat anything from MacDonald’s. HIs dad doesn’t cook, and still goes there. Jacob just sits and watches his brother and dad eat, preferring to go hungry rather ingest toxic “food”. The only time my boys get real food is when they are with me, summers and vacations. This summer they will be really learning how to cook.
Interesting article.. The biggest thing that stood out to me was your issue with phenylalanine. This is an amino acid essential to our health as our body cannot make it (there are 9 essential amino acids which we require a certain amount of each day). It is found in many products that have protein – meats, seeds, nuts. It is only ever a health concern to consume if you have a rare disease called PKU (Phenylketonuria), which is diagnosed at birth and we are screened for it. Therefore, phenylalanine posses no risk affecting someone who does not have PKU. It feels to me that mentioning phenylalanine was a scare tactic in this post. I respect the fact that you have covered all the ingredients in common gums and I agree, we don’t need to be chewing gum. I do appreciate the healthier gum and alternatives given.
I was hoping someone would say this. Scare tactics at its best.
Thanks for the tip! I’m going to get some fennel seed!
Just a warning that Xylitol can be harmful to dogs. Be sure to keep your Spry gum out of reach of Rover!
Instructive and hilarious at the same time.
Thanks for everything, Food Babe!
I just did a blog post similar to this a few days ago! http://sheeatskale.blogspot.com/2013/03/can-you-be-addicted-to-chewing-gum.html I was addicted to chewing gum too, until I found out how bad it was for my health; way to spread the word!
I stopped chewing regular gum in January and when I went to the dentist on Monday, I had a lot more plaque than normal – despite brushing and flossing after meals. I bought some Pur gum and can’t wait to get my hands on some Glee gum. Those both seem like good brands to me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy
some research…
Artificial gmo sugar could come from genetically modified beets or corn syrup. It is artificial because it may contain DNA from species unrelated to the plant, such as DNA from fungus, bacteria, or a virus found to have been resistant to certain pesticide(s).