What about GUM?

[Lizzy-Bee]

Is it terribly bad to chew gum on this diet? How adversely will the additives in a tiny stick of chewing gum affect the detoxification process, if at all? Are there any substitutes for regular chewing gum (like trident, for example)? I love to chew gum after a meal, but I've been feeling bad about it lately and I need answers!

[GHOST27M]

I have mixed feelings about this.

first You can eat anything you want.

I would go with a sugar based gum and not a artificial sweetner

I think refined sugar is way better than all them (healthy)artificial killers.

when my breath is that bad i chew big red (sugar) but i spit out the sugar and dont swallow it (not in public). Now this is just IF I have to chew gum. But since being raw and brushing my teeth with REAL soap I never need gum (unless I eat WAY to many onions or garlic)

[Douglas]

Well when I quit smoking I bought some lolly pop sticks and I put them in my mounth instead. Maybe you can do that too. It works real well too. Or even tooth picks. Give that a try Doug in. Calif....:eek: :cool: :)

[Zella Juice]

chew wheatgrass

[Riiiya]

before i could not live without gum- it would save me when i had cravings (even after meals, i'd still want to chew). now i absolutely have no need for it

But if you want to chew gum, i'd agree that it's better to get the ones with sugar (just my opinion):cool:

p.s. i chew orange peels now :D

[Free Energy]

I used to be addicted to gum. Any kind and mostly ones packed with flavor (the artificial sweetners are so awful). I don't chew gum anymore because it creates a false sense of digestion (since digestion starts in the mouth). It causes gas and bloating and a feeling of false hunger too. If you need to chew gum try Glee gum. It's more natural but the flavor goes away quicker.

I like to dehydrate watermelon slices, pineapple slices and kiwi, roll them together and chew. It's like gum but better.

[casperlynn]

My experience with gum is much like Riiiya's. If I didn't have actual food in my mouth, I was chewing gum. Every single day. It was the kind with the artificial sweeteners too. Now that I'm raw, I have absolutely no desire for chewing gum. It took about two months for me to make that transition though. I would think that if you must, the kind with sugar would be better than the chemical-laden stuff.

[Rawzula]

Anyway you look at it, gum is not raw. I would stop eating it, even the ones with sugar in it.

I would eat an entire package of gum in one sitting:eek:. After that, I realized I had a problem and cut gum out of my diet.

[kaybee]

there is a brand you can get that is not raw but is sugar free and artificial sweetner free. i think it has xylitol and stevia for sweenter. its called PEELU. our hfs had it. more natural than the others and probly a better choice if you need it.

in the long run, however, my understanding is that constantly chewing gum prevents the enamel from rebuilding in the teeth

[Revvell]

Is it terribly bad to chew gum on this diet?

Chewing gum is not the best thing to do at any time. As chewing is the first stage of digestion, what you (royal "you", not your personally) are doing is activating the digestive enzymes and acids to receive food for digestion. When this doesn't happen, the acids will cause stomach problems over time.



How adversely will the additives in a tiny stick of chewing gum affect the detoxification process, if at all?

LOL I love the "tiny stick" part. How many of those "tiny sticks" do people who are addicted to having something in their mouths chew? It adds up whether it is from the sugar, the xylitol or the aspertame.


I love to chew gum after a meal...

Personally, I would check out my addiction to what? The chemicals in the gum? The need to chew something?

As Rhazula says... gum is not raw and, I don't care how "natural" it says on the package.. it is a processed product designed to sell to people who addict themselves to it.

I think, as it's much like any other addiction ~ focus on raw and, as Casperlynn says, the urge to chew will go away.

[lukster9]

Be really careful if you purchase products with xylitol. This is actually a pharmacitical medication used to treat constipation.....you get the idea:(

It is 'natural', but 'natural' does not mean that it is not toxic....

[Lizzy-Bee]

Sooo... I quit the gum thing for a while. Everything you guys said scared me a little and I got super paranoid about the digestion-starts-in-your-mouth/leads-to-stomach-problems thing. I get freaky like that in regards to anything I find out about things that go into my body... which is actually a blessing because it's the whole reason I'm RAW now! It wasn't because of the health benefits or the taste or the sense of peace that comes with eating this way.... (and oh, there's so much more, I know! The extraordinary developing intuition, better eyesight and hearing... I swear I can smell when my cat enters the room - and she's very very clean) Anyway, it wasn't those things that got me completely committed to this diet. It was the things I learned about cooked foods that immediately scared me away from them. Completely.

COOKED FOOD IS POISON. Literally.

And under that understanding, I suppose, so is gum. Now I see, Revvell, where this addiction thing comes in. Because, personally, I might have to attribute any indulgence in something that a one whole-heartedly knows is poisonous to an addictive behavior.

Regardless, I have to admit, that after the initial repulsion towards gum due to the shock of receiving all your helpful information and ideas, I've come to terms with the fact that sometimes.... you just don't have a toothbrush.
I've also come to the conclusion that my body is much, much stronger than I think I give it credit for sometimes, and the indulgence in a couple sticks of gum every so often is NOT going to kill me.

I have, however, made some changes in my gum chewing habits:

1. I only chew when absolutely necessary -- garlic breath before meeting new people that I will have to talk to face to face, for example. (I normally don't give a rats bum about garlic breath - I revel in how full it makes me feel for hours, and my DH is surely used to it and half the time expects it, lol)

2. I only chew about 1 stick a month, if that... and
3. I spit out the sugar and such, be it in public or not :)

So there are only a few reasons to chew for me... I'm a freak about my teeth, so I like to chew after eating dates or other sugary foods if it's been a while since I've brushed and i don't have a toothbrush (or an apple, for that matter) because, as we discussed, gum can stimulate production of saliva and increase salivary flow, and saliva is a natural buffering agent which washes the teeth and neutralizes some of the acid produced by bacteria. (I think my family has weak enamel, so I've always had to be really careful about tooth decay.... does this diet help that?) This is really just a desperate measure. I would be perfectly content chewing a naturally tooth-cleansing apple, or peels of any sort. It's strictly a matter of circumstantial availability most of the time...
I tried the orange peel thing but then realized that food manufactuers PAINT their oranges ORANGE so they look prettier for us consumers! (maybe unless you buy organic, but lately I don't know how much I trust that term either...), so I was turned off to that whole idea... especially after it turned my mouth orange. Does that happen to you, Riiiya? Do u buy organic oranges?

But I digress...
I've also found chewing gum helps with heartburn... which I get very, very rarely, and I'm sure there are other, more natural remedies out there. Gum has always worked for me...

Now that this post is a million miles long, I'd like to thank you all for your suggestions, advice and support - you don't know how much I love this board and all the people on it!! Thank you!!! :D
May you walk all the paths you choose with loving grace and harmony, and in so doing, live all the joys of life.

:)

Blessings,
the Bee

[rawererin]

Personally I don't think it would affect you that much, I have stomach issues and mint gum really helps with my nausea, even when I was 100% I drank iced tea (that was heated first) and chewed gum and still experienced amazing results.
I wouldn't suggest Bubbilicioius or anything super sweet, but Doublemint/Extra/Trident ect. seem safe enough for me...