Is chewing gum good for you?
OH MY GUM! in all natural mint and cinnamon.
Chewing gum is a millennia-old practice. More specifically, people were chewing plant-based chewing gum thousands of years ago : the Ancient Greeks chewed on tree sap called mastic and the Mayans and Aztecs chewed on tree sap from the sapodilla tree called chicle (this is what we use in OH MY GUM! - natural biodegradable chicle gum base ;) ). It is also surprising to most people that there are mental and physical health benefits to chewing gum so we thought it would be interesting to write a post highlighting how chewing gum can be good for you:
Chewing on sugar-free 100% sweetened xylitol chewing gum is good for your teeth
Chewing gum keeps your teeth healthy
Chewing sugar-free gum is good for your teeth as it increases the production of saliva in your mouth. This is in turn washes away harmful sugars and food debris on your teeth, protecting your teeth from cavities and freshening your breath.
When it comes to choosing your sugar-free chewing gum, it is best to pick chewing gum that is sweetened with 100% plant-based tooth-friendly xylitol (dentist-approved sweetener from the birch tree) as it has been found to be more effective than other sweeteners at preventing tooth decay. This is why award-winning London-based dentist, Dr. Rhona Iskander, is a fan of 100& xylitol-sweetened chewing gum (her favourite is OH MY GUM! in award-winning cinnamon).
Chewing gum helps to eliminate nausea
The increased saliva production from chewing gum helps to alleviate nausea which is why some people recommend chewing gum if you have motion sickness. The best chewing gum flavours for fighting feelings of nausea are mint and ginger (always best to make sure they are natural flavours and no synthetic ones).
Chewing gum improves memory
Studies have supported the claim that chewing gum helps to improve your memory. One paper found that short-term memory was improved by 35%! Although the exact reason for this is not 100% clear, the hypothesis is that chewing gum boosts blood flow to your brain.
Chewing gum helps with acid reflux and heartburn
As chewing gum generates saliva flow, this has been found to ease the symptoms of acid reflux and heartburn.
Chewing gum helps to reduce stress.
A review of twenty studies showed that the act of chewing gum reduced stress levels for participants in work and educational settings.
There are some other reported benefits too. We have some very loyal customers who have told us that chewing our cinnamon chewing gum has helped them stop smoking. We all know how chewing gum helps with popping your ears on an airplane too and there are quite a few reports on how chewing gum helps with increased alertness and concentration. The most recent news on the benefits of chewing gum is of a cinnamon flavoured chewing gum laced with plant protein that reduces the transmission of COVID-19 by over 70%. Imagine that!
Another benefit: OH MY GUM! is the only chewing gum that you can buy as a gift
You can get the benefits of chewing gum by picking OH MY GUM! because:
OH MY GUM! is sweetened with 100% dentist-approved plant-based xylitol and is free of sugar and other sweeteners like aspartame. It is therefore good for your teeth.
OH MY GUM! is made with tree sap called chicle which is what chewing gum is originally made of. This is softer than the plastic used in mainstream chewing gum so it is not as strenuous on your jaw.
You can get all the benefits listed above - guilt-free - as you are picking a more sustainable plant-based alternative to plastic-filled regular gum that accounts for the second biggest source of plastic pollution on our streets. OH MY GUM! is biodegradable - that is why OH MY GUM! is this year’s proud winner of the Sustainable Food Awards.
Shop here to make the stylish, sustainable and super tasty switch.
