ArcaMax

I have found some fundamental problems with gum.

Most gums are filled with sugar. They are pretty much sugar and all kinds of other ingredients that keep the gum from sticking to your teeth and make it chewy. Many gums come with some kind of undefined warning not to swallow it. If it wasn’t meant to be swallowed why would you put it in your mouth to begin with? The ingredients in the gum that they are warning you about remind me of tires you put on your car. So don’t swallow that eraser I earlier suggested either.

Here are the main ingredients in gum. Notice the word rubber?

Chewing gum main ingredients are

•Gum Base - chicle, mastiche (organic), rubber (synthetic)

•Softeners - are added to maintain moisture

•Sweeteners - all kind of flavors. Most use artificial chemical flavoring

•Color - Original color was pink, but today there are practically all colors. These too use chemicals.

Both the Mayo Clinic and Wrigley (the largest gum manufacturer) say it’s okay to swallow gum. They say it will just hang out in your digestive system a few days and then come out the other end. That’s better than the old wives’ tale about it staying in your stomach for seven years. Remember that one?

Mayo Clinic, however does NOT recommend that children swallow gum. They also warn of the choking hazard. Ancient people chewed gum. Their gum was made from tree resin. Do you really want to eat tree resin? And why is that any different than chewing your pencil? The nuns might have been taking this chewing between meals thing a bit too far. (tongue in cheek intended)

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