Conventional chewing gum is plastic that you put in your mouth

Chewing gum is helpful, there’s no denying it. Thanks to the gum we can enjoy fresh breath after each meal, and it is also said that chewing chica facilitates digestion and even stimulates brain performance. But have you ever wondered What do you have between your teeth when you chew gum?

Chewing gum is not a modern phenomenon. more than 9,000 years ago the Scandinavians chewed birch wood. And the very term chicle that we use in Spanish is a word from the Nahuatl language that has been spoken in the territory of Mexico since the 5th century. Nahuatl chicle is a gummy material obtained from the Manilkara zapata tree.

The original chewing gum from which the American Amos Taylor registered the first patent in 1869 it also consisted of the mass obtained from the sap of this tree. Today, chewing gum consists only in rare cases and in small proportions of natural chewing gum.

What is modern chewing gum made of?

A look at the ingredient list on gum packets rarely informative after all, “gum mass” is not a precise term.

The reality is that chewy dough is made up mostly of synthetic plastics that are ultimately products derived from petroleum, like polyvinyl acetate. Adhesives and rubber gloves are made of very similar substances.

In summary, conventional chewing gum does not only have the plastic container. when we chew gum we have plastic in our mouths.

Chewing gum can harm the environment and health

Conventional chewing gum ingredients suggest that It is not healthy and it also pollutes the environment. A strip of chewing gum contains a lot of plastic, which is not biodegradable and hardly rots. We can see it in the indelible stains that adorn the sidewalks of the streets and you become aware of their persistence when you have the misfortune of stepping on a fresh one. That is why chewing gums cannot be thrown away as organic remains.

Whether gum is harmful to your body largely depends on how often you chew it. sugar free gum often contains sorbitol, a sugar substitute, which has a laxative effect and can cause diarrhea if consumed in excess.

synthetic sweetener aspartame (E951), on the other hand, it can modify the intestinal flora in a way that facilitates weight gain and blood sugar levels. Aspartame is also not suitable for people suffering from the metabolic disease phenylketonuria. For this reason, foods that contain aspartame must be labeled as “contains a source of phenylalanine.”

Other substances in chewing gum

A study carried out by the Danish Consumer Council (The Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals) indicates that in 157 chewing gum brands analyzed, two out of three contain endocrine disruptors. These are found in additives such as E320 or BHA and E321 or BHT. Both are artificial dietary antioxidants. They have been shown to cause harm in animal studies and are suspected to cause harm in humans as well.

Natural chewing gum as an alternative

If you like to chew gum and have fresh breath, it is better that you go to natural gum. characteristics of the different natural chewing gums that you can find in the market are:

The gum is obtained from vegetable resins, carnauba wax or beeswax. instead of sugar, contain xylitol or steviol glycosides.Are vegan and biodegradable.Does not contain synthetic substances, only ingredients from organic farming and often fair trade. They come in sustainable packaging recycled cardboard.

If you can’t find any alternative that convinces you, you can always chew licorice sticks or fennel seeds, if you like slightly stronger flavors. Of course, you will not be able to make balloons.