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MyFitnessPal Community

Sugar Free Gum Chewing?

slimzandra

To chew or not to chew? That is the question.

This is a follow-up to a post about artificial sweeteners and the effects on the body. Although, my breath could use a stick occasionally, I tend to think in the long run it doesn't help me with the hunger issue. I drink a tea or find some other oral substitute, <i.e., brush my teeth> until a meal. Does it work for you?

Here are links to two sides of the coin. If you do chew, which one do you like?

http://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/diet-myth-or-truth-chewing-gum-for-weight-loss

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/6-foods-that-make-you-hungrier.html

Replies

Juliste

I gave it up 3 years ago as it was making me hungrier; since then no AS what so ever.

wabmester

Could never stand the aftertaste, so I've never been a fan of any AS. I'm happy with the little bit of Real Sugar(TM) I get from berries and chocolate.

If you need to chew on something, chew on ice cubes. Negative calories!

auntstephie321

I would chew it if I could but it hurts my jaw, I really wish I could, kinda makes me sad. I haven't noticed any problems with AS or small amounts of real sugar. I know others are more sensitive to those things though.

Sugarbeat

Hurts to chew for very long, so I use chewable mints instead. AS doesn't bother me.

bmonahan115

I have switched to a gum called Spry (my favorite being cinnamon but the others are good too) that was sweetened with xylitol at Whole Foods for when I really crave some gum to chew on. No after taste but the flavor lasts a shorter period than most regular gums you'd find in your local corner store. I haven't noticed an increase in hunger due to it and it helped me kick a nasty cigarette habit. Just my 2 cents.

sweetteadrinker2

I keep a pack of trident in my backpack for those days when I have serious coffee breathe and only a short time to correct it. But no, usually I don't chew gum at all, never really did.

kimberwolf71

Although artificial sweeteners in food(s) seem to kick start major cravings for me, I haven't noticed the same issue with the odd stick of gum. I usually go through a pack roughly every two weeks.... gum is a great way to eliminate random snacking while doing major food prep, it battles the odd cigarette craving while driving (3.5 years quit now and that is the only time I occasionally struggle), and after lunch breath issues at work lol.

GSD_Mama

I don't usually chew gum, when I buy it it's from the health store with Xylitol not the other stuff from the stores

CoinOperatedKitten

wabmester wrote: »

Could never stand the aftertaste, so I've never been a fan of any AS. I'm happy with the little bit of Real Sugar(TM) I get from berries and chocolate.

If you need to chew on something, chew on ice cubes. Negative calories!

Be careful with that! My mom went through an ice chewing phase and fractured all of her teeth...now they just fall out a piece at a time.

Also, wanting to chew ice can be a sign of anemia.

But it is fun to do

Thaeda

I chew a piece or two of SF gum most days. Not a big prob. for me. Doesn't kick up cravings or anything.

greenautumn17

I chew Trident nearly every day. I haven't noticed any stalls or BG spikes in relation. Trident does not make me hungry, but Extra and other brands do. I mean a ravenous hunger that I cannot seem to sate! Plus, for me, fasting works better when I have my gum to chew.

ireadlabelsdammit

I enjoy chewing gum, and really don't want to give it up! it helps with stressed jaw clenching, so I have a few/day. I avoid AS in foods but haven't found a good replacement for gum. I think it's time

m_puppy

I use the tiny low carb Altoids. I'm sure if enough are consumed there are many carbs. But since Altoids are so powerful, not many are needed.

slimzandra

Thanks. I'm almost weaned off the cigs during this. Congrats to that folks that won! It is harder than I thought to stop. I'm a pack a week currently, it's become a night time ritual at this point. A way to de-stress from the day without digging in to a bottle of wine. That used to account for a lot of my calories and yeah me, that habit has stopped. Looking for alternatives to satisfy that urge and the jaw clenching, teeth grinding. I do an evening walk, but there's still an oral component I can't shake. Thanks for the suggestions about ice cubes, trident and altoids, spry and Xylitol.

CoconuttyMummy

I was chain-chewing sugarfree gum for a while when I went keto, 1-2 packs a day, in an attempt to quell my appetite; little did I know it was actually making me hungrier and causing sweet cravings.

I also believe chewing so much sf gum was partly responsible for my weight loss stall. When I ditched the gum, along with liquid sucralose in my hot drinks, the scale started to move downwards again. It could be a coincidence, but I don't think so. I believe AS affects my body like sugar, to a degree and appears to have been impacting my weight loss and health goal negatively. Now I'm starting to view it a bit like poison as I've read that sucralose, for example, is carcinogenic, and they really don't know much about its long term effects. I don't want to drip feed that into my body every day anymore.

I thought I'd miss gum but I really don't anymore. I don't miss sweetener in my hot beverages anymore either. They were both tough to kick at 1st but it's tangible how much better I feel without them. I think the less chemicals and weird lab-produced ingredients we put in our bodies the better.

slimzandra

YUP -- I think the less chemicals and weird lab-produced ingredients we put in our bodies the better. I'm turning over a new leaf. Weaning the bad, bringing in the good. I'm working on cleaning out and getting healthier.

KnitOrMiss

I finally got to the point of realizing that in order for gum not to be a habit/feeding that sugar fix issue, I had to find one I could barely tolerate, or I wanted to binge full packs - or multiple packs. For me, that was regular trident. I don't have it as much anymore, but I do once in a while. I've never done the xylitol gums, but things like stride, extra, ice breakers, etc., all made me want to binge...

glossbones

I use Spry gum when I do buy any, but I never really liked chewing gum anyway. It would be more just a breath freshener for after lunch if I had something strong flavored that I needed to clear away.