Sugar-free, but is it healthy?
The quick answer, NO! But that would be shortest post ever.
A lot of the bigger chewing gum brands carry that little ‘dentist approved’ logo.. It’s lies, it’s all lies! Put your hand up if you’ve been tricked by it.. *sheepishly raises arm*.
I can’t believe they can get away with it. Oh, wait a second, we’re part of the fast-food generation, where everything is toxic for our health..
Of course I can believe it! I’ve been posting about my toxic-free journey for a few months now. As you can see, still learning about the next toxic product to avoid.
Basically, the big brands and other ‘sugar-free’ brands are toxic. They may not contain sugar but they sure do contain ‘extras’ to make the gum taste of something half decent. However, I should probably come clean before I continue.
I haven’t researched too much about the ‘bad sweeteners’ because I spent most of my time researching about the good ones. If a product doesn’t contain the good ones, then it doesn’t matter if I know the full list of side-effects of what the bad ones do because I will just avoid them.
Anyway, I am aware of aspartame. It’s found in a lot of products, as are a whole range of sweeteners, however, these are anything but natural. I believe the body has a hard time digesting these sweeteners, in short, we are not meant to consume them.
Lets not dwell on the bad for too long because there are actually many safe gum and mint alternatives.. and imo, they taste grrreeeaaaaaatttttttttt! (& all are gluten-free, hurrah!)
Coincidentally, all the healthier alternatives in this post are xylitol based. Xylitol is a little super food which is basically healthy sugar. Healthy sugar??? Yes!
How does it work?
If you don’t want to read the ‘proper informative bit’, then basically, xylitol can be used just like sugar (in baking, to sweeten tea, etc.,) but it’s actually healthy for us, so consuming mints and gums made from the natural by-product is recommended for long-term use.
- So I read a couple of books that mentioned Yin/Yang foods & suddenly I feel like a know-it-all
oh bore off Lara.. Yang foods (alkaline foods) are a real treat for the body! They are not acidic and thus, usually do not cause damage to the body, if anything they heal the body. Xylitol’s positive side-effects would be considred a yang food.
- Helps prevent tooth decay by actively killing bacteria in saliva (xylitol can be consumed after brushing teeth for optimun results).
- Also helps prevent ear infections!
Peppersmith Gum in ‘Fine English Peppermint’. £1.99 for 15 g.
Pretty happy with these little pellets. Although, let’s not beat around the bush. £1.99 for 10 pieces, whattt! Are they made from gold?
Joking aside, I liked the flavor and it lasted pretty well without drying up. Try picking these up when Holland and Barrett have their half price sale.
Pur Gum – ‘Spearmint’. £4.99 for 80 g.
I bought this smallish bag on Amazon because it seemed better value for money. I’m happy with the ingredients list and of course, this is another xyliot based gum.
Decent sized gum sticks and I think the flavor lasts longer than the other brands I have reviewed. Spearmint is ‘only okay’ tastewise for me but this is just subjective. I usually prefer spearmint over peppermint but in this case I’d like to try their other flavours. However, I probably will buy from this company again.
I have to admit, £4.99 for some gum is not cheap! This, coupled with the taste is why I am awarding Pur Gum with:
Peppersmith mint in ‘Sicilian Lemon & Peppermint’. £1.99 for 15 g
Yummy. Yummy. Yummy. Best accident ever. I picked these up thinking they were gum.
Seriously the best mints I have tried. They are not overpoweringly minty yet refreshingly lemon.
I really recommend these!!
Spry Gum in ‘Green Tea’. £1 for 10.8g
The initial taste is worthy of one hundred elephants, I seriously thought I’d been missing out big time when I tried my first Spry pellet. However, before I had time to get more sentimental, the flavor disappeared quicker than a packet digestive biscuits. Such a shame!! I picked these up in London for a quid. They cost a lot more online and to be honest I don’t think they are worth it unless you want to chew a whole pack in 2 minutes. They also dry out really quickly so even if you can get over the no flavor situation, it quickly becomes a chore.
If only this flavor existed in mint-form, that would be amazing!!
