Chewing gum….it’s not as harmless as it seems!

Did you know that this little seemly innocent breath freshener could be causing you poor digestion, gas, bloating and even weight gain?

Yup! Plain old chewing gum isn’t so innocent any more. Here’s how gum messes with you….

Digestion

When you’re chewing gum, your brain sends out a signal that food is coming, getting the digestive juices flowing, ready and waiting…. The problem is, the food isn’t coming. This trickery on our tummies depletes stomach acid and digestive enzymes so when the real deal food comes we’re running on way less stomach acid than is optimal for digestion. This causes bloating and gas.

Weight Gain

While we’re tricking our bodies that food is coming by chomping away, our bodies continue to wait! This can set you up for over eating. When you’re chewing and you’re not feeling satisfied, you’ll start to crave food even if you’re not hungry. Your body is like “Hey! I’m ready for the food that you’ve signaled for me to digest….. come on… give me the real deal!”

And oh man, the artificial sweetener that is in most gum has a whole long list of ill health effects that can fill an entire second blog post…

Bottom line, I’m not a fan of gum. It’s wreaks havoc on your body.

Do This Instead:

Quit chewing gum.

If you’re worried about the freshness of your breath, here are some good tips.

Try a tongue scraper. Bacteria buildup can cause bad breath. Tongue scraping is an easy way to keep the mouth fresh and clean.

Mouth wash, Floss and Oil pulling. All of these techniques help rid your mouth of the bad bacteria that causes stinky breath. They also make your mouth more alkaline, which is unhospitable for the stinky breath bacteria to live.

The quality of the products you choose matters! Don’t get the mouthwash etc. with chemicals and dyes in it that you can’t pronounce. I love these guys’ mouth products because they’re natural, inexpensive and leave my mouth feeling super duper fresh!

Ok, I hope I leave you with a new perspective on gum and a new natural way to get your super breath super fresh!

Any findings or discoveries with ditching the chewing gum? Post to the Healthy Hub Facebook page, I want to know!

Tags: Healthy Hub Massage and Wellness, gum, chewing gum, indigestion, bloating, gas, weight gain, weight loss, fresh breath, natural, mouthwash, oil pulling