Consumed{Gum}

Since we’ve talked about your toothbrush and toothpaste, I figured we may as well talk about what you’re doing in between those brushings! Are you, perhaps, chomping on some gum?

Unfortunately, you’re also chomping on a lot of toxic ingredients if you’re chewing conventional gum. As I mentioned before, even though you’re not swallowing it, your mouth is extremely absorbent and allows toxins to move into your blood stream easy peasy.

In preparation for this post, I did a little bit of research on conventional gum ingredients. Lordy, Lord. The ingredient lists on well known gum brands like Wrigley’s and Trident make me angry and sad all at the same time. Aspartame has been linked to birth defects, cancers, brain tumors and weight gain. BHT is so toxic it has already been banned in many countries. These 2 ingredients are in every pack of gum I looked up. Also, there is almost always artificial coloring, which has been linked to allergic reactions, hyperactivity in children, and even cancer. The FDA has even recognized Red #3 as being a carcinogenic dye, but it’s still on the market. You will see claims all over the place that these ingredients are harmless in small doses. But the reality is that these toxic ingredients are in SO MANY products people are far surpassing “small” doses. So basically everyone is walking around chewing on a wad of poison. Great, grand, wonderful. NO YELLING ON THE BUS! Luckily, once again, we don’t have to assume the risks of using these products. We have options.

I started the chemical free gum hunt and I’m not gonna lie, it took me quite some time to find one that didn’t suck. Some got hard after just a few chews, some had little to no flavor and some had both of those problems. Then I found Simply gum!

It stays soft and the flavor lasts much longer than any of the other natural gums I’ve tried. Alas, I must say, it’s not cheaper than regular gum but I think the ease of mind is worth it. Another great thing about it is it’s biodegradable! Conventional chewing gum is made from synthetic plastics and rubbers. Which you could probably guess, doesn’t biodegrade very well. I think we all know that kids “accidentally” swallow their gum all the time. Maybe even some adults. Although still not advised, this gum would be far safer to swallow than that wad of poison Wrigley’s puts out. They also have fun flavors! I tend to stick with standard mint but I think I’ll try the Fennel next! I hope you make the switch to this safe alternative and have all the happy chewing your little mouth desires.

Update: I just ordered the variety pack! VERY curious about what chewing coffee gum will be like!