To Chew or Not to Chew? That is the Question.
By: Zola
Chief Dieter
Plan Z Diet
My Plan Z Diet gum investigation
I have been bombarded lately by Plan Z dieters who want to know if they can chew gum.
My first answer is to try to direct them to a product called WOW Drops if they are worried about their breath. WOW Drops are pure peppermint oil so it’s not filled with sugar. Nor is it filled with artificial sweeteners. That’s all good news for the Plan Z Diet.
But some say it’s not their breath they are worried about. They tell me they are basically addicted to the activity of chewing. Moving their mouth up and down and flexing their jaw is a difficult activity to clear out of their habit chain. For some it provides needed stress relief.
My next answer, be it rather facetious, is to tell them that chewing on a pencil on the Plan Z Diet would be better than chewing any gum I have been able to find. Chewing on pencils has always carried a bad reputation. You were gauche if you chewed your pencil. Some nuns in Catholic schools used to slap you with a ruler if you chewed your pencil. I witnessed that one!
My next option is to take the eraser off of the pencil and chew on that. Let the eraser bounce around between your teeth for a while. Chewing on rubber might not be so fun, so maybe the habit would cure itself.
Yet my Plan Z dieters keep coming to me asking me to find them gum.
I have tried.
I have investigated every gum I can find on the internet. I even resorted to checking out gums not yet available in the US, lest we be able to import healthy gum on behalf of the Plan Z Diet. (Now, I say that’s full customer service.) Problem is I keep failing in my quest.
I have found some fundamental problems with gum.
Most gums are filled with sugar. They are pretty much sugar and all kinds of other ingredients that keep the gum from sticking to your teeth and make it chewy. Many gums come with some kind of undefined warning not to swallow it. If it wasn’t meant to be swallowed why would you put it in your mouth to begin with? The ingredients in the gum that they are warning you about remind me of tires you put on your car. So don’t swallow that eraser I earlier suggested either.
Here are the main ingredients in gum. Notice the word rubber?
Chewing gum main ingredients are
Gum Base – chicle, mastiche (organic), rubber (synthetic)
Softeners – are added to maintain moisture
Sweeteners – all kind of flavors. Most use artificial chemical flavoring
Color – Original color was pink, but today there are practically all colors. These too use chemicals.
Both the Mayo Clinic and Wrigley (the largest gum manufacturer) say it’s okay to swallow gum. They say it will just hang out in your digestive system a few days and then come out the other end. That’s better than the old wives’ tale about it staying in your stomach for seven years. Remember that one?
Mayo Clinic, however does NOT recommend that children swallow gum. They also warn of the choking hazard. Ancient people chewed gum. Their gum was made from tree resin. Do you really want to eat tree resin? And why is that any different than chewing your pencil? The nuns might have been taking this chewing between meals thing a bit too far. (tongue in cheek intended)
I have tried to clear an assortment of sugarless gums. I have failed there too. When I “clear” a food for the Plan Z Diet it means I have done my own investigation of the product to see if it conforms to our dieting parameters or protocol. I haven’t found a sugarless gum yet that conforms.
All sugarless gums have artificial sweeteners in them. Darn. Some are worse than others.
Just for example, I’ve tried to clear Glee, Trident White, Puredent and more for the Plan Z Diet. They all contain xylitol, aspartame, sorbitol or more. You’ve already heard my rant on aspartame. Xylitol is actually supposed to be good for your teeth. The side effects that come from xylitol include: Bloating, a gassy feeling, digestive problems and even liver damage. Oh, yeah, it can also kill your dog if your dog eats too much of your gum.
I’m sitting in my office right now. I’m about a mile from The Wrigley Innovation Center in downtown Chicago. Do you think I should cruise on over and camp on their front sidewalk until they give me a reason they can’t come up with a gum that is actually good for us? I’d feel like Michael Moore but it might be worth taking a shot at it.
In the meantime if you know of a gum that might fit the bill – no sugar, no artificial sweeteners and not carrying any residual after effects we have to watch out for — let me know. Until then, I’ll keep an eye on the sidewalk as I walk around Chicago. Reason is there’s so much gum stuck to the sidewalk it’s almost a hazard. I guess that word about not swallowing gum stuck in this market. Too bad the part about placing it in a trash can did not.
Cheers,
My Plan Z Diet gum investigation
I have been bombarded lately by Plan Z dieters who want to know if they can chew gum.
My first answer is to try to direct them to a product called WOW Drops if they are worried about their breath. WOW Drops are pure peppermint oil so it’s not filled with sugar. Nor is it filled with artificial sweeteners. That’s all good news for the Plan Z Diet.
But some say it’s not their breath they are worried about. They tell me they are basically addicted to the activity of chewing. Moving their mouth up and down and flexing their jaw is a difficult activity to clear out of their habit chain. For some it provides needed stress relief.
My next answer, be it rather facetious, is to tell them that chewing on a pencil on the Plan Z Diet would be better than chewing any gum I have been able to find. Chewing on pencils has always carried a bad reputation. You were gauche if you chewed your pencil. Some nuns in Catholic schools used to slap you with a ruler if you chewed your pencil. I witnessed that one!
My next option is to take the eraser off of the pencil and chew on that. Let the eraser bounce around between your teeth for a while. Chewing on rubber might not be so fun, so maybe the habit would cure itself.
Yet my Plan Z dieters keep coming to me asking me to find them gum.
I have tried.
I have investigated every gum I can find on the internet. I even resorted to checking out gums not yet available in the US, lest we be able to import healthy gum on behalf of the Plan Z Diet. (Now, I say that’s full customer service.) Problem is I keep failing in my quest.
I have found some fundamental problems with gum.
Most gums are filled with sugar. They are pretty much sugar and all kinds of other ingredients that keep the gum from sticking to your teeth and make it chewy. Many gums come with some kind of undefined warning not to swallow it. If it wasn’t meant to be swallowed why would you put it in your mouth to begin with? The ingredients in the gum that they are warning you about remind me of tires you put on your car. So don’t swallow that eraser I earlier suggested either.
Here are the main ingredients in gum. Notice the word rubber?
Chewing gum main ingredients are
Gum Base – chicle, mastiche (organic), rubber (synthetic)
Softeners – are added to maintain moisture
Sweeteners – all kind of flavors. Most use artificial chemical flavoring
Color – Original color was pink, but today there are practically all colors. These too use chemicals.
Both the Mayo Clinic and Wrigley (the largest gum manufacturer) say it’s okay to swallow gum. They say it will just hang out in your digestive system a few days and then come out the other end. That’s better than the old wives’ tale about it staying in your stomach for seven years. Remember that one?
Mayo Clinic, however does NOT recommend that children swallow gum. They also warn of the choking hazard. Ancient people chewed gum. Their gum was made from tree resin. Do you really want to eat tree resin? And why is that any different than chewing your pencil? The nuns might have been taking this chewing between meals thing a bit too far. (tongue in cheek intended)
I have tried to clear an assortment of sugarless gums. I have failed there too. When I “clear” a food for the Plan Z Diet it means I have done my own investigation of the product to see if it conforms to our dieting parameters or protocol. I haven’t found a sugarless gum yet that conforms.
All sugarless gums have artificial sweeteners in them. Darn. Some are worse than others.
Just for example, I’ve tried to clear Glee, Trident White, Puredent and more for the Plan Z Diet. They all contain xylitol, aspartame, sorbitol or more. You’ve already heard my rant on aspartame. Xylitol is actually supposed to be good for your teeth. The side effects that come from xylitol include: Bloating, a gassy feeling, digestive problems and even liver damage. Oh, yeah, it can also kill your dog if your dog eats too much of your gum.
I’m sitting in my office right now. I’m about a mile from The Wrigley Innovation Center in downtown Chicago. Do you think I should cruise on over and camp on their front sidewalk until they give me a reason they can’t come up with a gum that is actually good for us? I’d feel like Michael Moore but it might be worth taking a shot at it.
In the meantime if you know of a gum that might fit the bill – no sugar, no artificial sweeteners and not carrying any residual after effects we have to watch out for — let me know. Until then, I’ll keep an eye on the sidewalk as I walk around Chicago. Reason is there’s so much gum stuck to the sidewalk it’s almost a hazard. I guess that word about not swallowing gum stuck in this market. Too bad the part about placing it in a trash can did not.
Cheers,
To read more of Zola's blogs CLICK HERE or head over to https://www.planzdiet.com/blog/
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