RN Advice: Mindless Munching

Do you grab a breath mint or piece of gum after meals? Driving in the car? Between meals just to chomp on something?  Do you think this mindless habit is ok because they are sugar free and have no calories?  Interesting because that is exactly what I thought.  No big deal, right?  It seemed that I only had gum 2-3 times a day and never thought of the ramifications from this mindless habit – until I decided to give it up!  Wow, was I in for a lesson.

My go to gum was 5®.  It doesn’t matter whether gum or mints the ingredient list goes like this: Sorbitol, Gum Base, Gylcerol, Natural and Artificial Flavors; less than 2% of: Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Asparatame, Soy Lecithin, Mannitol, Fumaric Acid, Acesulfame K, Colors (Titanium Dioxide, Blue 2 Lake, Red 40), BHT (to maintain freshness).  Absolutely not one bit of FOOD!  Absolutely everything is artificial ingredients.

Our mouths rapidly absorbs whatever is placed in it whether food, medication or gum/mint ingredients.  We know that artificial sweeteners cause inflammation, gastrointestinal issues as well as neurological issues such as headaches, mood alterations, memory loss or seizures.  Many of the rest of the ingredients are corn and/or soy based which our bodies highly reject.  This 2-3 times a day habit was definitely affecting my health and fat loss progress.

Stopping this habit proved to be a bit more than I anticipated.  This ‘habit’ was quite an addiction I found.  After 4 months, I am deciding that this craving for gum may be more chemical based than just habit of mindless chewing!  If you too are a gum or mint junkie, consider the chemicals and the effects to your body.  Make a resolution to stop, then talk to your coach on how to address this addiction and transition.  Your body will thank you!

Peggi Ingram RN, BSN