Why I Don’t Chew Gum
I used to be a crazy gum lover.
In fact, when I was a teenager I would chew gum every night to help me get to sleep. Yes, that is a strange habit.
Then, I noticed that I was getting more headaches. Curious, I started to do a little research about gum. What I found was enough to make me break the habit. That…and being fed up with waking up with gum in my hair.
I learned about aspartame.
Here are some reasons I don’t appreciate aspartame:
- It has been traced to causing cancer
- Causes headaches
- Seems to play a role in Multiple Sclerosis and Systematic Lupus
- Causes symptoms like depression, cramps, numbness, anxiety attacks, memory loss, dizziness, joint pain, and spasms
- Changes the brain chemistry (here’s a great, but scary article about aspartame’s effect on the brain)
- Tooth damage (yet it’s in gum?)
I could go on (there is a ton of great research about it), but really…the reasons I mentioned are enough for me.
While I still have the odd piece of gum I try to keep it a rare or else buy a natural brand like Spry, Glee, or find gum that doesn’t use aspartame. Not gonna lie, I really like having gum when I have sweet cravings.
This gum used to be my absolute favourite…but now I’ve pretty much weaned myself off of it.
Yes, gum with sugar in it has more calories (like 5-10 more?! i.e. who cares), but if I’m going to have gum I’d rather go the chemical free version.
Hope you guys had an awesome Easter weekend! I know I did!
Are you a gum chewer? Do you know of any other good natural brands?
Category: Healthy Living | Tags: aspartame, aspartame in gum, is aspartame good for you, why gum is unhealthy, why I don't chew gum 28 comments »
Woah! I need to check out this article! I usually chew gum when I have it, which is pretty rare :)
Gum + diet soda. I consumed large amounts of both until about a year ago. I chewed so I wouldn’t snack on anything else. I always had headaches and was wondering how that was possible, as I really drank about a gallon a day. I’m pretty sure that was the aspartame, cause when I read about it, I immediately gave up on everything containing aspartame and my headache was gone – amazing!
A while ago I realized that I can’t even have a glass of diet soda without the headache and chewing gums make me want to vomit (haven’t tried the ones with sugar yet, but there’s no craving, so why should I).
I still don’t get why aspartame is allowed in food. It’s been proven so many times that this shit is pure poison.
Thanks for the info! I am a big gum chewer, but I’ve been tryyyying to wean off it recently. I notice that I get headaches when I chew too much also! Scary stuff!!
Love your site and LOVE that we just connected because we BOTH did posts on nasty gum:)
I stopped chewing sugar free gum in my twenties & I am 54 now. I found the sorbitol & all those itol sugar alcohols bloat me to no tomorrow – NO FUN!
wow, i am going to need to check out more info on aspartame. i am glad i found your post, because I just started drinking Isopure’s alpine punch whey protein drink… and guess what? its made with aspartame. Well that sucks, the stuff is yummy. but with those issues noted above… its not worth it. Thank you.
Wow, very interesting. I’m definitely going to have to read up on this now…I’ve heard about the effects before, but didn’t realize how harmful aspartame can really be!
I don’t chew gum very often, but I do keep a container in my desk if I happen to not have the best breath (eeesh!) and have an afternoon presentation at work :)
It’s amazing that there are foods (is gum considered a food?) that are so common in everyone’s lives that can actually cause so much harm. Thank you for bringing attention to this. I can’t chew gum, because of a jaw issue, but I will suck on it for a minute and swallow it (bad news bears). But I will be paying more attention to the kind I have from now on! Thank you!
I usually have gum just once in a while, and I would buy the sugar free brands. However, next time I won’t consider buying sugar free again. I never knew aspartame was this bad. Thanks for this article!
Great post. I was in love with those gums when they first came out, but chewing gum gives me a headache too. I also try to avoid artificial sugars!
this is terrible news!!!!! I mean.. great to know, but awful! I’m a BINGE cinnamon gum chewer – as in, I can literally chew an entire pack of cinnamon gum in a single afternoon. thanks for the heads up!
well. I should clearly be avoiding all sugars, natural OR artificial, so this is GOOD news. more reasons not to chew gum!
Yikes. I had never thought about that!
Yesterday I was in a meeting with someone and they offered gum and I said no thanks I don’t eat/chew it (no real reason other than I don’t like it) and she said I was the only person she’d ever heard up that didn’t chew gum. Now I can show her this article… thanks for the great post.
I love gum! Sorry, but it’s one thing that keeps me calm.
I HATE gum too! Aspartame gives me an awful stomach ache that has me keeled over in pain for an hour or so. It is also just horrible for your teeth!
[…] Why I Don’t Chew Gum – Charissa addresses her feelings on the always-debated pros and cons of gum chewing. Chime in! […]
Sigh… I’m an Extra Peppermint addict. I probably chew about six pieces a day. It’s a total addiction- I’ve been addicted since high school (and I’m 32!!). And I’m someone that buys EVERYTHING organic, no chemicals, funky stuff… yet I chew this crap all day. I really, really need to quit it. It’s so hard!!!
Chewing gum as I read this… will stop now. :)
Wow- Thank you for sharing! I will be looking for some natural options!! I also love sweet n low! Any other suggestions on good low calorie sweetners? Would you say truvia? It’s the only other one I have tried that I like! I notice you use that a lot in your recipes! LOVE your site!
Natasha- Yes! I looove Truvia! Other low cal sweeteners are NuNatural stevias, coconut sugar, and stevia in the raw.
I found out about this awhile ago and was discussing with a co-worker who also knew about it. She said Hubba-Bubba is one of the few brands that doesn’t have aspartamane.
Angie- Hubba Bubba! I have good memories of that stuff! ;) I might have to pick up a pack for special!
my co-worked recently was diagnosed with TMJ because she chewed so much gum! she had to get cortison shots in her face and has to eat solid food for 6 weeks! yikes!
Sara~ Oh my goodness…I didn’t even know that could happen. Wow.
I, too, have the same problem with aspartame. Spry is the only gum I can chew. Gave up drinking diet coke years ago. It caused me to be really angry. It took a long time to figure out what was causing me to be so angry.
You may wish to try a Xylitol gum. If we assume, for the sake of argument, that aspartame is bad for you, xylitol is another non-sugar sweetener. Sugar feeds bacteria and sticks to teeth, though with persistent chewing you end up with saliva washing your teeth cleaner than they were at the start. Xylitol gum (you can get it cheaply enough at your asian foods import store; I get mine at a Korean mart and it’s all over the place in Japan) uses a sweetener that actually attacks bacteria.
I don’t chew it because it poisons bacteria. I chew it because it cleans my teeth, tastes nice, and I like the taste. And I wish to snack less. Because snacking causes obesity, which causes death.
Slartibartfast~ Ooh, yes! That’s a great gum…I don’t buy it often, but if I want gum…this is one of my favourites! Thanks for bringing that up. Not all gum is bad, it’s just pretty important to buy the natural ones!