The Benefits of Chewing Gum.

I have always enjoyed chewing gum.

Something about chewing/gnawing really awakens this primal satisfaction within me.

It reminds me of a dog with a chew toy or bone. Perfectly content and in heaven.

Chewing gum helps me to relax and it keeps me focused.

It also seems to encourage thoughts and ideas.

Does anyone else reap the benefits of chewing gum?

PS: my two favorite flavors are spearmint and cinnamon. YUM!

reply to post by SolarE-Souljah

Used to love to chew gum after lunch to get the juices flowing and slave through the afternoon workload. Have TMJ and it made it worse, but there was there was some amount of comfort and rhythm in it.

But then someone 'burst my bubble' and pointed out that all gums are sweetened with aspartame. I love chewing gum but haven't for many, many years.
Know any without the poison, aspartame?

I may be one of the only people I know with this opinion, but I hate chewing gum. Something about it seems unnatural to me, like I"m chewing on rubber or plastic... eckh! And it does become to be a habit which many turn into a bad habit (chewing while talking on the phone or in person, loud chewing, spitting gum everywhere ... I'm mean, you can't find a bare spot on sidewalks these days!). But like I said, I know I'm a minority!

The reason i love chewing gum is to stop my cravings for eating sweets that happen once in a while. Not only does the fruity flavors ( my favorite) give you fresh breath but its the perfect way to not gain weight, as long as its sugar free of course !!

reply to post by SolarE-Souljah


I'd love to know - have you found a variety that doesn't contain an exitotoxin (aspartame)?
Because unless you have, I'm sad to say that there are certainly no health benefits by using the stuff - quite the reverse actually!
I like chewing gum, but rarely do, due to the toxins they add to seemingly all brands.
I certainly wouldn't give some to a child that's for sure - may as well be offering them a cigarette instead!!

I know what you mean about gnawing on something though. A ham hock's good for getting back to feeling animalistic, once in a while!

reply to post by sheeplemama_awakening


I have seen natural gums in health food stores.

They are good but are somewhat hard to find.

It's worth a look though.

Gum is loaded with sugar and terrible for your teeth.. Gum that is sugar free is loaded with aspartame and terrible for your overall health.. So you take the pick.. Either way it's not the healthiest choice to make.. But it could be worse i suppose,

At least your not starting a thread about the benefits of smoking, HAHA

reply to post by OptimisticPessimist


Ah yes the gnawing on a nice piece of dead animal meat...

RRAWRRRRRR!!!!

My girlfriend always tries to chew gum to stop smoking and I always tell her the gum is probably just as bad for her. The only American brand I've found that doesn't contain aspartame is Glee gum. It's like the all natural version of Chicklets.

I hear there's some Canadian company you can get gum without aspartame from but I'm not sure what it's called.

Link.. This is a much healthier option..

Glee Gum is all natural chewing gum made with sustainably harvested rainforest chicle. It comes in SIX great flavors: cinnamon, peppermint, tangerine, bubblegum, spearmint, and triple berry. Glee Gum is the #1 healthy alternative to synthetic chewing gum and bubble gum! With no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners (no aspartame), or preservatives, it's easy to chew Glee-fully!

Another benefit of chewing gum is that when the chewing style is executed properly, it can look pretty manly.

I find that a resolute and determined stare in to the distance, coupled with a slowly rhythmical chewing action, can make you look uber-cool.

reply to post by SolarE-Souljah


Sorry, gum is just as addictive as any other harmful substance. Aspartame is bad for you.

reply to post by WillNiendick


Remember that we aren't talking about only artificial gum. I have been to health food stores and got the natural gum from there.

So when you factor in the idea I am talking about natural gum, then I do believe it can be beneficial to certain people.

I did a science fair project back in my school years, "How much sugar is in gum?" It turned out half it's weight is sugar.
But I do love bubble gum, love to make bubbles (Not in public that's annoying)

Used to love it in my raving days!! literally couldn't do without it....
Dont really touch it anymore, try to stay away from most artificial sweeteners these days! Better off with sugar IMO
Talking about chewing gum and health does anyone know if its true that chewing gum stays in your digestive system for years? I used to swallow it all the time, a packet a day sometimes. My boyfriend says its probably still there now but I always thought that was a myth and it did just pass through... Can anyone enlighten me?

Yeh I love chewin gum but why all those pussy flavors? Spearmint, peppermint, juicy fruit, nuthin but candy a$$ed momma's boys ah chewed that sissy girl stuff! MANS FAVORS! That's what I'm talkin bout, fried catfish flavored gum. Chili gum, hell pussy(cat) flavored gum. Yeh! Bubba Freakmaster's Real Man Gum." Chew it if you've got the balls". Tres Cool Amigos

reply to post by HUMBLEONE


WOW! That was a extreme T&C violation..

EDIT TO ADD: Might wanna think about clicking that good old delete button..[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/698bb29625a8.gif[/atsimg]

try to find Coca leaves and chew on that.
Well i don't know how available it is actually,i only know that Bolivian natives(indians) chew on it,it produces some mouth numbing sensation of sorts. I'd love to try it,and it comes from nature so i guess it's not bad for health.
I'm not sure it's legal in America,or even here in Venezuela. hard to find!

EDIT: oh scratch that, it's a main component of Cocaine :S Sorry mods! But still,if you find yourselves,for some crazy reason, in Bolivia or the Andes, try and find some,to at least try the thing. Stupid coc aine.

reply to post by sheeplemama_awakening


My son who was addicted to diet pop finally stopped drinking it, due to me telling him about the health perils of aspartame and other artificial sugars. Of course, he didn't believe me until I told him to check it out for himself, lol.

He was a big gum chewer also, so I pointed out that most gums nowdays have the artificial sugar as well. Gum is good to chew if trying to lose weight; the act of chewing it burns some calories and helps reduce cravings.

After looking at a large variety of gum, he told me the only gum he could find without artificial sugar (outside of health food stores) was FRUIT STRIPE GUM (the kind advertised by the zebra character.)

The sugar in the gum is soon chewed out, and the act of chewing promotes saliva, which helps wash the teeth until they can be brushed.

Eating candy and drinking pop (any kind) is much worse for your teeth (as far as causing cavities) than chewing gum, because of the CITRIC ACID they put in most of these.

reply to post by sezsue

I'm glad he listened to you. I can't convince my parents to drop the diet drinks. My son occasionally gets a piece of the 'bad gum' as a bonus if he does well in speech and hearing. But once or twice a month, I try not to freak out too much. He is so much calmer when he sits and chews.

Didn't know about the natural stuff that others posted about - Glee - I think. Going to have to track it down and try it. Then, I'll have to stock up for the s&h pathologist to give instead.
So glad that there's hope to start chewing gum again!