A Faker Appearance
Hey everyone! How’s your day going??
Thank you so much for making my first OpenSky promo a success! If you haven’t gotten your glorious foam roller yet, you have until tomorrow at midnight to get the $16 deal.
Today has flown away from me! I can’t even say anything crazy has happened, but before I knew it, it’s 5pm. Wowzers.
Some of today’s eats:
Butternut squash fries and salad
Gum.
That’s right guys, I brought the faker back for this week.
As in, fake sugar.
You all know that I prefer to chew mint leaves instead of gum, which has been pretty bueno since I gave up gum quite a while ago. I love Spry (which they have at Whole Foods and it’s sweetened with Xylitol), but since it’s not sold in Valdizzy, I roll with mint leaves.
I’m not sure if it’s the “giving up sweets for Lent” thing or that I’m a little stressball lately, but this week I really wanted some *real* gum. So Stride it was…and it was delicious.
I have mixed feelings about gum:
-I used the chew a pack a day (Orbit was the choice) and it really helped me during my weight loss journey. If I wanted to chew on something instead of snacking out of boredom, I had gum.
-While it tastes great, many sugar-free gums have aspartame which has led to the development of cancer in laboratory rats.
-Sugar-free gum can make you bloated and also sends false signals to our brain. Our brain expects calories when we eat sweet foods, and when we don’t receive them we can often end up searching for calories in other sources, like a bag of chips
-Chewing gum can also stimulate brain function and increase concentration (maybe this is one of the reasons why I did well in school??)
-I really think that there are worse things that we could be doing to our bodies than chewing gum
So as ya’ll know, I prefer real foods instead of fakers and have really re-vamped my diet in the past couple of years to get rid of processed and artificial foods. I used to be the fat-free, sugar-free, low-carb QUEEN. I’m very happy to have taken off my crown for that one 😉
Do you chew gum?? Do you love it? Hate it? Are you a gum-aholic like I used to be???
Mint leaves really do make an awesome substitute, but like I said, I think that there are far worse things than chewing gum in the world.
I’m off to meet the girls <3
xoxo,
Gina
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I used to chew a lot of gum, especially at school, every day.
I sort of stopped when I started going to uni as my parents usually bought the gum and I was/am on a tight budget.
I totally get the air thing as I sometimes feel like I swallow too much air and it gets a bit uncomfortable.
Also, I can completely confirm the sweetener and calorie craving thing!
Whenever I eat too much fake sweetener I get complete sugar cravings and I have to eat sweets, that’s why I try and steer clear from fake sugar.
I eat too much gum! You should do a post on giving it up!!
I only chew a piece a day now – I have TMJ so I can’t do much more than that. I only chew it when I’m running – gum is perfect for runs in keeping your mouth from getting cottony!
Naw-can’t do sugar free gum and just don’t do regular gum.
The sugar free stuff kills my tummy and chewing ANY gum doesn’t satiate me, but makes me HUNGRY! Like I need to be hungry even more! ha! 🙂
I used to chew a pack of sugar free gum a day too. I would take one piece out and put another in just to get the intense flavor again.
I gave it up completely because it was giving me gas and a bloated belly. Now I chew a piece every now and then. I typically just bum a piece off a friend instead of buying it because I don’t want to fall back into the habit of chewing it all the time.
I’m with ya though, there are much worse things out there..
Oh man, gum to me was like what I imagine cigarettes are to a heavy smoker… as soon as I finished one piece I was ready for another! I seriously used to chew each piece for a solid 3-4 hours too because I didn’t want to go through my gum too fast. Ridiculous! I try not to eat it too much now bc I’m sure all that sugar is awful for my teeth and body although I do get the stuff with Xylitol as well.
I chew organic crystallized ginger instead of gum or mints now. Eliminating gum and mints with artificial sweeteners and chemicals, was by far the most difficult part of my get healthy plan.
I’m not a huge gum chewer (it makes me not drink enough water!) but I have a friend who is OBSESSED. Like as soon as one piece gets old, she’ll spit it out while opening another piece. It’s just contant gum chewing. I’d worry about that…plus she puts splenda in everything, so that’s a little much. I wonder if we can get addicted to artificial sweeteners the same way we can get ‘addicted’ to sugar?
that’s exactly what i used to do. i was chewing gum basically 24/7.
I don’t chew gum, mostly because my jaw gets sore…an annoying little friend, TMJ. I think I would if I didn’t have to feel it for the next 3 days. I’m a mint girl, and currently am on Dentene Ice mints.
omg i chew a pack a day as you said it helps to stop you snacking to much , the last couple of years i have cleaned up my diet but still couldn’t give it up the cancer thing it makes you think and now it can cause wrinkles so they say, but please to say i have not eaten any this week, i have a love hate thing with chewie i love it but it does bad stuff to you. could you please put a trianing programm on for doing a half marthon in oct you have insipered me to do it.
A new study said chewing gum constantly may cause premature wrinkles!
whaaaat?! yikers
I used to chew so much gum but about 6 months ago I quite the stuff and may have had 1 piece since then. I’m glad to be off that habit.
Does anyone have any good ideas for quitting “the gum”? I am definitely a gum addict. I chew it constantly at work especially at times when I am not so busy. When I am out of the office, I rarely chew it unless I am under a lot of stress or after a meal when my breath is not so fresh. I have tried a mint every now and then or brushing my teeth at work but nothing seems to satisfy my need to chew. I might give the mint leaves a try but I doubt I would do that at work. Any other ideas out there? Thanks!
I had braces about two years ago and couldn’t chew gum. Then I noticed how bad people look when they chew gum. Now that I have my braces off I haven’t gone back.
you’re right, it really is an unattractive habit
Once I start chewing gum, I can’t stop!! I can polish off a pack of gum in a mere morning! This week I have actually been craving it non-stop. I’ve decided to curb this little habit, so haven’t indulged – but can feel my jaw aching just thinking about it…
I chewed so much gum in high school my jaw started popping all the time and one time it popped out of joint- which was incredibly painful. So I have long since ditched my gum habit.
However, I took a defensive driving class and chewing gum was listed as something you can do to help you pay attention while driving if you’re tired.
I used to be a gum addict before I cleaned up my eating about 4 years ago. I remember even “sneakingly” chewing gum in class back in high school. I was so obsessed that as soon as a piece lost it’s flavor, I’d get a new one. Stride and Orbit fruit flavors were my favorite. I think I used it as my “sugar fix” to keep from eating other things. The only problem was, when I went off it I was constantly craving sugar all the time! I agree there are much worse things in life than a chewing some gum… we can be putting much worse into our bodies (gum isn’t even ingested all the way anyway) and I also think people shouldn’t get so fanatical they won’t allow one “un-clean” food/treat into their lives. I really like your attitude about not worrying too much. We aren’t all perfect and stressing about those things is just as unhealthy!!
Love the b-nut fries, I have been having them so much lately! Nom Nom.
*raises hand* I’m a HUGE gum chewer! I quit smoking 7 years ago and ever since chew at least a pack a day. I never gained any weight and attribute that to the gum chewing. Some times my jaw aches from constant chewing but it keeps me from snacking too much and it was my success to quitting the cancer sticks.
Please post on how you gave up fake sweetners!!! I need so much help in this area : )
excellent idea- thanks!
Hi Gina,
I on occasion buy natural gum from the health food store or Whole Foods. I usually end up making ginger or mint tea instead of gum, I feel like it has the same effect as chewing gum in that it helps clean my palette:)
that’s a great idea- i LOVE minty gum
I used to REALLY chew gum, a pack of day like you. Now I go through a pack a week. I use it for similar reasons you did- boredom, and after meals to avoid over-eating or snacking too much. I have a love hate relationship with it. I hate that it’s fake, but I almost can’t live without it!
xo
K
I chew cinnamon Spry and love it. I’ve heard the ‘increase concentration’ rumor too, so I chew when I study or have to take a test and hope that its working its magic.