How To Become An SEO

 Love it or hate it, chewing gum is here to stay. Companies that produce it make billions a year just off that. The most popular chewing gum brands are proud to proclaim that their products do not contain sugar and are super healthy.

Is non-natural chewing gum really good for you?

Ok, let’s say you try to eat healthy food and drink healthy beverages. You don't drink Diet Coke and buy only organic fruit. What is the use of your efforts if you chew a pack of gum a day? Almost all major brands of sugar-free gum contain aspartame, acesulfame potassium and other artificial sweeteners.

Did you know aspartame has been proven to cause cancer and is one of the most dangerous substances on the market?

How and why is it used?

Aspartame is used in many foods and beverages, not just in chewing gum. This is probably because it is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, so much less of it will make gum just as sweet and will reduce the calorie content. Despite the evidence of its harmful side effects, Aspartame has been used in the United States since the early 1980s and continues to be used in thousands of different food products. What’s more, it is actually regarded as safe by the FDA despite all this.

Non-natural chewing gum is made out of plastic

Another disadvantage of non-natural chewing gum - gum base formulas may vary by brand, but they can contain emulsifiers, BHT, synthetic rubbers and a plastic called polyvinyl acetate. Some types of natural chewing gum are made from natural sugar alcohols like xylitol. Others contain chicle, a natural type of latex derived from the bark of the sapodilla tree. On the downside, a stick of naturally flavored chicle does not taste as good as artificially sweetened gum. The flavor fades more quickly. That’s why this gum isn’t so popular, but it’s still healthy and worth switching to.

There are more brands of natural chewing gum out there than you can imagine.

Natural chewing gum with rice flour and natural oils

This gum also contains chicle and simple syrup and comes in four flavors: peppermint, grapefruit, cinnamon and lime.

Chewing gum with dried cane juice

This organic gum contains chicle, rice flour, dried cane juice, lecithin, vegetable glycerin and natural flavors. It comes in coffee, spearmint, maple, cinnamon, ginger and fennel licorice. It’s a bit pricey though at almost twenty dollars a pack!

There are other types of chewing gums like that made out of Kosher. But the Kosher gum is hard to find in stores. Why is this? Gum base is often made with stearates and glycerin, which are derived from animal sources, so many gum ingredients usually come from non-kosher sources. It is too expensive to guarantee kosher sources. If someone is allergic to the dairy products then it is better to avoid Kosher based gums.