If you are addicted to chewing gum or just chomp on it a lot, try this healthier alternative that won’t use up valuable digestive enzymes and wreck your teeth long term.
When I was a kid, I loved to chew bubble gum. I remember becoming quite proficient at blowing very large bubbles at summer camp one year. From then on, chewing bubble gum became a favorite childhood pastime of mine.
While chewing gum once in a while is certainly not a cause for concern, chewing gum every single day as a habit definitely can be detrimental to health. As I covered in detail in a previous post about chewing gum, habitual gum chewing wastes valuable digestive enzymes and can contribute over time to TMJ and other jaw problems among other issues.
Fortunately, there is a very healthy chewing gum alternative to brands laced with aspartame or GMO sugar.
Even xylitol gum should be avoided on a regular basis as xylitol is produced by the heavily industrial process called sugar hydrogenation, the long term health effects of which are unknown. Xylitol also contributes to gut imbalance/candida problems, exacerbates acid reflux, and can trigger seizures in susceptible individuals.
In addition, oral surgeons at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas contend that too much gum chewing causes jaw stress. Dr. Sinn, a UT Southwestern oral surgeon, warns that jaw soreness, jaw “clicking” or pain in the jaw, head, or neck can be signs of TMJ syndrome and that gum chewing should be discontinued should such symptoms emerge.
Given that gum chewing is commonly used to relieve stress, Dr. Sinn suggests other methods for reducing tension such as squeezing a ball, relaxation techniques or regular exercise to avoid the risk of chronic jaw problems.
Probably the most important reason to abstain from chewing commercially made gum is that it releases mercury from dental amalgam fillings. A Swedish study found that people with silver fillings who chew gum for 5 hours or more each day had significantly higher levels of mercury in their blood and urine than those people with silver fillings who chewed gum infrequently.
Mercury levels in the blood, urine, and breath at exhalation increased in proportion to the number of silver fillings each study participant had.
So what to chew?
In this video, I show you a healthy chewing gum alternative that we use in our home when we just want something sweet and tasty to chomp on – honeycomb!
Have you tried chewing honeycomb before? If not, check out the honeycomb we like to chew as I describe the benefits you get from enjoying this age old practice. Chewing a piece of honeycomb is not only healthy, but it is good for you too because the chewing doesn’t last too long, it adds enzymes to the digestion rather than removing them and is safe for those with amalgams.
DEAR SARA,TODAY I HAD A UTILITY WORKER TELLING ME ABOUT REMOVING MY OLD METER AND REPLACING IT WITH A SMART METER I REFUSE AND HE RES PONDED THAT HE WILL COME BACK . WHAT D I DO REGARDING HIS MATTER .I REMEMBER YOU HAD AN ARTICLE REGARDING SMART METERS
Maria, check back shortly for a reply I posted with some good info on how to handle this situation. It includes some links so it needs to be approved by Sarah first.
Thanks, Sarah!
🙂
THANKYOU , BETH I’LL BE LOOKING OUT FOR YOUR’S AND SARAH’S REPLIES
Smart meters are anything but smart as they emit constant radiation within close range to our bodies. I just attended a very troubling lecture on the dangers of electromagnetic radiation exposure which has spiked dramatically due to cell towers, cell phones, cordless home phones and smart meters.
Here’s one resource that gives information on how to deal with your utility company to opt out (see her various articles on the subject):
non-toxicnurse.com/the-dangers-of-smart-meters-hit-home/
Check out the information on EMFs on this website:
intentionalenvironment.com/
Share these two position papers of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine with your utility company and neighbors:
and
I also encourage people to write a letter of concern to their local freebie neighborhood newspapers (and include some of the info above) so it can get published and spread the word about the threat of smart meters.
But wait! There’s more!
I just discovered an excellent short video on Smart meters and a PDF on how to opt out:
Here’s an interesting bit of info from the PDF –
“The World Health Organization (WHO) recently classified radio frequency
radiation as a possible carcinogen, putting it in the same class as lead and DDT.”
(Gotta go get some honeycomb now – yum.)
I am chewing gum as I am reading this! I don’t chew alot of gum though!
mmmm honeycomb…..thanks again!!:)
I learned a lot on this post!
What about xylitol in toothpaste? What do you use for toothpaste Sarah? Even Earthpaste has xylitol in it…and I thought I was doing good!
Apparently we are ahead of the game on this one. After tending our bees, my daughter loves to chew “honey gum”
Alot of gum contains some latex…I know b/c I am allergic.
It is terrible for your jaw!
Since I gave up sugar and artificial sweeteners, gum is the one thing I miss the most. Thanks for the suggestion!
This is very helpful info because I use to chew gum a lot I had to stop due to upset stomach and sugar content in regular gum.
The great thing is that the honeycomb completely dissolves and you swallow it bit by tiny bit within about 15-20 minutes so you don’t chew too long contributing to those TMJ and jaw issues that chomping on gum constantly can lead to over time. Chewing on honeycomb has a built in safety mechanism so to speak so you don’t absentmindedly end up chewing longer than is healthy for your jaw.