Is there any raw substitute for gum?

[DrPr]

Sometimes I eat a garlicky meal and remember the times I used to chew gum to mask the odor. I hate to not be able to have garlic away from the house, but since gum is full of chemicals, is there a substitute? I've tried parsley and mint leaves and they were awful. :(

[Sheryl]

In Juliano's book he semi dehydrates mango and strawberry and calls that gum! You could try that. Maybe rinsing with water and eating something with a gentler smell would be good. Parley is the one I hear again and again though.

I guess there is always the old stand by of brushing teeth! Maybe a drop of peppermint essential oil would be good when out?

Cheers,
Sheryl

[rawpriestess]

DrPR, I am a strong proponent of mint leaves, cardamon buds and cinnamon sticks, but since you didn't care for the mint leaves, I'm not sure, except Sheryl's idea of essential oils sounds great.

peppermint essential oil is very strong, I know clove oil and cinnamon oil is good too.

You can make your own gum, as suggested with watermelon or any kind of melon, but you will actually eat it, I personally think eggplant is the most disgusting thing dehydrated in the world, so I would never actually swallow it, it would make a good gum, if you put peppermint oil on it, and chewed away, at least this is my experience, as I made the eggplant bacon ONCE, and my dog loved it.

[Mookie]

I went to the store last night and saw gum... was wondering the same thing.. :confused:

[Vandy]

What about Jason's mouth wash or how about a tongue scraper? Does anyone have any opinions on these? I also hear an oz of Apple Cider vinegar before your meal can help. I have not tried it though. I think I will tonight.

Personally, although I have been raw for 7 months now, my breath stills smells sometimes (and I don't usually eat garlic). Does anyone know a reason for this, because I thought bad breath was supposed to disappear. Although, I use both the mouth wash and tongue scraper before I go out and they do a pretty good job of keeping my breathe fresh all night :)

[beelzebubble]

if you are talking food smells, i can't help you. but, if you are talking halitosis-type bad breath, then you may want to look at your tonsils the next time you have it. i have something called cryptic tonsils which is sort of a persisitent low grade tonsilitis. i get pockets of infection that you can see, they look like white spots. and i've heard they can give you bad breath. i don't notice that, but i do notice a mildly funky taste in the back of my mouth.

just a thought.

edit: arg, i just reread your post and had to laugh at my own comprehension skills. i'll leave this up just in case it helps someone else.

[shakti17]

tongue scrapers are great, i use one every morning. you can use the edge of a spoon to scrape your tongue if you don't have a scraper - tho the scrapers are about $6 in the health stores.

chewing on licorice root can help with a chewing fix. :o

[exurb]

DrPR, I used to carry a tiny bottle of food grade pure cinnamon oil in my purse. It tastes sort of like Big Red gum. I also like the taste of wintergreen.

I'm also careful what I eat at lunch and save the garlicky stuff for my evening meal.

[RawTruth]

If you core the garlic, you won't have residual garlic smell the next day.

[Aasyah]

Thanks everyone for the subsitution tips, i use garlic and onions in various dishes, and i find myself brushing after and eating a bunch of eclipse mints :eek: .

Now i know of other alternatives i can save some money on the unhealthy breath mints.

Aasyah

[Kris]

RawTruth,

Forgive my ignorance, but how do you "core' garlic? Do you mean core the individual cloves?