They say it takes 21 days to break a habit...
Well, I am HAPPY to announce that I have officially made it 21 days without 1 single piece of sugar free gum!!!!
You may find that RIDICULOUS and anti-climactic, but GUM was that one vice that I couldn't quite let go of after years of cleaning up my eating habits.
I remember trying The Green Extra Gum for the first time in college over 10 years ago and I was immediately HOOKED. I've been chewing some form of gum non-stop ever since. And it's almost ALWAYS the Green Extra, but I'd take what I could get.
As my health habits changed in recent years, and I began to understand that I was essentially chewing on EXTREMELY toxic ingredients which were being delivered straight to my bloodstream pretty much 24/7, I started to feel a bit guilty.
I knew better. WAY better
I also began to realize that chewing gum was a crutch for me. It was my "go to" way of satisfying a craving that was usually linked to a restriction of some sort.
As I have moved into a RAW way of living that follows the principle of eating to heal, I no longer feel restricted, and I have finally been able to kick the gum habit.
This is SERIOUS business you guys. All of the ingredients in your sugar free gum are endocrine disruptors that mess with your hormones, metabolism, and brain chemistry. Not to mention they are full of carcinogens and neuro/reproductive toxins.
The way I chewed this gum up until 21 days ago....well, let's just say that I may as well have been hooked up to an IV drip. That's embarrassing to admit, but if you want to get all AA about it....honesty and admission is the first step to change. ;)
I truly believe that kicking this gum habit has brought about immense changes in my health already.
My sugar cravings are ZERO
I have less headaches,
and
My digestive system is much more at ease.
Please read the following information about gum if you are chewing it regularly! It will open your eyes and hopefully help you kick the habit too!
XO!
The Truth About Sugar Free Gum.
If you thought that either toothpaste or red meats laced with sodium
nitrate were the most dangerous things at the grocery store, then you
should guess again.
People do not typically swallow gum, and thus they give very little
attention to their ingredients. After all, if it is not swallowed, then
ingredients should not be a concern, right? Wrong. The ingredients in
gum go into the bloodstream faster and in higher concentrations than
food ingredients, because they are absorbed straight through the walls
of the mouth, and they will not undergo the normal filtration process of
digestion.
Gum is typically the most toxic product in supermarkets that are made
for consumption, and they are very likely to kill your pet. Commercial
gum products contain roughly the same list of toxic ingredients, with
differing labeling, which is virtually always designed to be deceptive.
Common Ingredients of Gum
After looking at several different brands of chewing gum, we found that these were the most common ingredients:
• Sorbitol
• Gum Base
• Maltitol
• Mannitol
• Xylitol
• Artificial and 'Natural' Flavoring
• Acacia
• Acesulfame Potassium |
|
• Aspartame
• BHT
• Calcium Casein Peptone-calcium Phosphate
• Candelilla Wax
• Sodium Stearate
• Titanium Dioxide (so cancerous that external skin contact is enough) |
When you consider that all of these ingredients are absorbed directly
into the bloodstream unaltered through the mouth tissues and saliva, it
is at least slightly disturbing to most rational people. It should
be. We will be analyzing some of these ingredients in-depth, because we
intend to debunk the myth that chewing gum is harmless and even good
for you (ie. "it strengthens the teeth").
The "Sugar Free" Sugar Alcohols
Sorbitol, Maltitol, and Mannitol are sugar alcohols. These are
usually made from sugar, and they frequently increase the blood sugar
just as much as eating sugar straight. However, they allow
manufacturers to make deceptive "sugar-free" claims, since these
ingredients are not pure sugar anymore. (Nothing up this sleeve) While such sugar derivatives are technically
"sugar free" when the manipulative word games are employed, they
nonetheless remain dangerous for diabetics, who by the way, are the very
audience that these gums are marketed to. Let's not forget that the
sugar alcohol containing gums are also marketed to improve our dental
health, either; since they are so "sugar free", after all. The sugar
alcohols are even more chemically bastardized than "white" sugar is
(more toxic), so we have reason to believe that these forms of sugar
will stimulate even more weight gain and inflammation than
regular sugar. All the evidence points in that direction. Furthermore,
these chemically bastardized sugar alcohols are documented to cause
abdominal pains and diarrhea, whilst aggravating various health
conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome; so the immune system takes
a huge hit from them. This immuno-suppression will, in turn, cause
greater yeast development in the body to actually cause cavities.
There is no wonder about why such gums are so well loved by the
American Dental Association. It's like the thing with fluoride
supposedly "stopping cavities" instead of actually causing more, along
with various other dental problems.
Gum Base
Instead of telling customers what they are really eating, 'gum base'
is used to generalize a list of ingredients that is never published. As
the name implies, it is the foundation agent of chewing gum. We have
tried exhaustively to find exactly what 'gum base' is made from. On one
website after another, we found the following babble, which is
obviously meant to derail serious research:
"Gum base is produced through a blend of raw materials which can be categorized in five classes:
- Elastomers, act as the key ingredient and provide elasticy
- Resins act as binders and softeners
- Plasticizers render the elastomer soft to ensure thorough blending of the gum base
- Fillers contribute to the overall texture
- Antioxidants prevent oxidation of the gum base and flavors during shelf life"
Since this was repeated identically at all websites that we looked
at, we can only assume that all of these companies are actually owned by
the same people, or at least they are working together as a cartel to
cover-up an honest disclosure of what is in their gums. We found out
that the gum base is usually a commercial trade secret. None of the
websites told us the full ingredients. For instance, exactly what
plasticizer is used? Are people chewing on super-toxic PVC? The
plasticizing agents could contain dioxins for all we know, and quite
frankly, they probably really do.
"It is made of several food grade raw
materials, which are rubber (food grade), glycerol ester of rosin,
paraffin waxes, polyvinyl acetates, talc powder and calcium carbonate."
Glycerol ester of rosin is often made from the stumps of pine trees.
It is used industrially to create fast-drying varnishes. The Internet
is riddled with stories of people who had severe allergic reactions to
it, usually causing a swollen throat that led to difficulty breathing.
Glycerol ester of rosin is now being added to soft drinks, though
federal limits ensure that its quantity remains under 100 p.p.m.. This
safety limitation does not apply to chewing gum.
Talc has been linked to lung cancer, ovarian cancer, and fibrotic pneumoconiosis
with just transdermal exposure. It is very rarely put into products
that are to be consumed. In fact, the only other consumable products
that we have seen containing talc is diet aids (most are extremely
toxic). Talcum powder was once used on small children, but it has now
been replaced with cornstarch, due to safety concerns. It's too
dangerous to touch the skin, but absorbing it straight into the
bloodstream -- that's okay! It sounds like we must be talking about
vaccines again, doesn't it?
Polyvinyl acetate is not quite P.V.C.. It's P.V.A.. P.V.A. is
frequently referred to as 'Carpenter's glue' or simply 'white glue'.
Remember that this is not being used as an industrial product, but as
something that children are frequently given to chew on ('gum base' is
in bubble gum too). This goes quite well with the paraffin wax, which
is derived from refined petroleum.
Aspartame and Acesulfame Potassium (otherwise written as Acesulfame K)
Aspartame is one of the most controversial additives of all time, and
sits alongside M.S.G. and saccharin in terms of both consumer trust and
safety. Its presence in foods has nothing to do with safety, but everything to do with politics and money.
Aspartame has been linked
to just about every health condition known, from seizures to brain
tumors. Some epileptic patients have recovered from their condition
simply from the elimination of this toxin from their diets. It is found
in diet foods, diet drinks and sugar-free products as an alternative to
sugar. Aspartame is a cure that remains worse than the disease.
Aspartame is an excitotoxin, which means that it over-excites the
neurons in the brain, until they burn out, causing lowered intelligence
and a host of neurological problems.
Dr. Russell Blaylock is the leading expert on the dangers of aspartame. He helped produce the documentary, "Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World" which catalogs the health problems caused by Aspartame. Aspartame can cause diabetes, fibromyalgia, lowered I.Q., obesity, multiple sclerosis, asthma, insomnia, muscle spasms, and a total of 92 known symptoms.
Acesulfame Potassium has similar properties to aspartame, and is believed to be a cancer risk. The Center for Science in the Public Interest
(CSPI) has petitioned the F.D.A. for a stay of approval, due to the
lack of testing done on this substance. Studies on animals have shown a
correlation between acesulfame potassium and various tumors.
Calcium Casein Peptone-Calcium Phosphate
While we would love to be able to provide lots of information on this
ingredient, we can't. We simply don't know. It's only appearance is
in Trident gum (the worst brand), and thus we were unable to find
studies or any other information about it. It could be a whitening
agent. It's important to note that casein is a milk-extractive that was
linked with the Chinese baby formula poisonings. Trust this ingredient
at your own risk, but we would never put something in the mouth that
has its research hidden from the public.
BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene)
B.H.T. is a preservative which has been linked to cancer, and is
banned in the United Kingdom and Japan. It is unbelievably sold as a
"dietary supplement", and some people believe that it has anti-viral
effects. So does gasoline and rat poison for that matter. We do not
recommend it, because of the safety implications. It causes kidney and
liver damage. Benjamin Feingold (creator of the 'Feingold diet') linked it to hyperactivity in children in the 1970's, as a large component of A.D.H.D..
Epilogue
For the sake of brevity, we will not continue to examine all of the
ingredients in most chewing gum. Chewing gum is easily one of the most
toxic products available, and it is difficult to ever know exactly what
it contains due to vague terms such as 'gum base' and 'artificial
flavors'. They're trade secrets, and probably include hundreds of
ingredients that they are unwilling to disclose. You have no right to
know.
You can purchase natural gum, which is made from chicle, a tree that
is native to central America. There was a time when all chewing gum was
made in this manner, but it is more expensive, and thus less popular
among companies. Natural gum can be purchased online or from health
food stores.
