Does Chewing Gum Make You Fat? Well... It May Do the Opposite
Chewing Gum Regularly May Have an Unexpected Effect...
These 2 Studies May Surprise You
You’re turning violet, Violet!
If there’s anything that we’ve learned from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, it’s that chewing gum excessively can lead to some rather unpleasant circumstances — specifically some very round circumstances.
Fortunately, what happened to Violet Beauregard in the classic Gene Wilder film (or, for younger audiences, the Johnny Depp film) is an isolated incident.
Chewing gum won’t turn you into a giant blueberry.
Better yet, chewing gum doesn't make you fat.
We’re going to break down some of the biggest misconceptions about chewing gum and how it impacts your weight and diet.
Chewing Gum Doesn’t Make You Fat
Because It Doesn’t Contain Enough Calories
Think about it.
The average chewing gum that you will find in a grocery store has roughly 10-15 calories per stick, whereas most sugar-free chewing gum averages around 5 calories — or less — per tasty morsel.
Other types, like Mastic Gum (shameless self promotion here) don’t have any calories at all, making them a totally guilt free treat that doubles as a workout for your masseter muscles.
Weight gain occurs when you regularly intake more calories than you burn.
Considering that even the sugariest of chewing gums usually only have ~15 calories per stick, less if it is sugar-free, you would have to chew massive amounts of chewing gum to result in weight gain, even if you aren’t exercising regularly.
To put this in perspective, a Big Mac from McDonald’s — just the sandwich, nothing else — is 563 calories.
You would have to eat four packs of Juicy Fruit chewing gum, at 10 calories per stick, 15 sticks per pack, to intake the same amount of calories as a Big Mac.
Not to mention, you’d need to eat almost triple that amount of sugar free gum to even get close to a Big Mac’s calorie count!
Few people are capable of chewing that much gum in only one day, so you shouldn’t worry about whether or not your chewing gum is making you fat, because it’s not.
However, if you are a gum fiend, to the tune of multiple packs a day, switching to sugar-free or zero calorie gum makes it far less likely that you will gain weight from chewing gum.
Swallowing Chewing Gum Won’t Make You Fat
You may have heard the age-old adage that you should never swallow chewing gum, because it will stay in your stomach for seven years.
Fortunately, that is not true.
However, there are many ingredients in chewing gum that your body simply cannot digest, but that doesn’t mean your swallowed gum just sits in your stomach.
It moves through your body over the course of a day or two and ends up in the sewer like everything else you eat! It’s just like corn — you can safely enjoy and swallow it, but you may see it again later, if you catch my drift.
Additionally, the gum itself contains zero calories.
All the calories come from the added sugar and flavors, so swallowing chewing gum doesn’t make you more likely to gain weight, either.
That being said, you shouldn’t make swallowing your chewing gum a regular habit.
Since it isn’t easily digested by your stomach, large amounts of chewing gum can build up in your stomach before it is passed, which can lead to uncomfortable bloat and constipation, which can make your midsection appear larger.
Chewing Gum Can Actually Help You Lose Weight
That’s right — not only does chewing gum not make you gain weight, it has been proven that chewing gum can help you lose weight!
The biggest benefit chewing gum offers those who are trying to lose weight is that it can help serve as an appetite suppressant, serving as a tasty treat between meals when you start to get a craving.
Instead of reaching for a calorie dense, ultra-sugary snack, a stick of (preferably sugar-free) gum can help curb the urge until dinnertime.
If the many online testimonials from dieters who have successfully used this method to lose weight aren’t enough, there have been studies done to prove its effectiveness.
One study conducted at the University of Rhode Island required participants to chew sugar-free gum for a total of one hour every morning, broken up into three 20-minute sessions.
The study found that the subjects who chewed gum each morning reported that they felt less hungry after their chewing sessions.
Additionally, they consumed ~67 fewer calories at lunchtime, compared to those who were part of the non-gum-chewing control group.
Despite consuming fewer calories, the participants who chewed gum didn’t compensate by eating more throughout the course of the day.
Another study from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center of Louisiana State University asked participants to chew sugar-free gum for 15 minutes every hour for three hours after eating a nutrient-rich lunch provided by the researchers.
Three hours after lunch, participants were offered snacks of all sorts and allowed to eat whatever and however much they wanted.
When compared to the control group, the gum chewers reported “significantly decreased feelings of hunger and cravings for something sweet.”
As an added bonus, this group also reported higher energy levels during the study.
Though markedly less effective than other types of workouts, munching on your favorite sugar-free gum can technically count as low-impact exercise.
In fact, chewing gum burns about 11 calories an hour.
That being said, chewing gum is a great jaw exercise!
Regularly chewing gum can help grow the masseter muscles on your jaw, which can help give you the appearance of a sharp, defined jawline.
Not all chewing gum is created equal, though.
To do this, you need something that is both tough and tasty — like mastic gum.
🏁 SUMMARY 🏁
It’s a myth that chewing gum makes you fat.
As some of the studies suggest... chewing gum could actually help you lose weight.
Of course, not all chewing gums are equal.
Many contain sugar that is harmful for your teeth.
And many contain artificial sweeteners, which is harmful to your gut microbiome.
🍀 GOOD LUCK 🍀
P.S not only does chewing gum NOT make you fat... but it can actually REDUCE fat in your face👇