Can Chewing Gum Make Me Fat?

Photo courtesy of sweets.goodeats.com

I was asked this question today. "Can chewing gum all the time, or a lot...everyday, make me fat and be the reason I'm not losing weight?"

So while some of you might laugh and think no, I would say that this is an incredibly legitimate, and actually great, question. I chew gum nonstop, because it's a trick I use to help when I have a dessert or sugar craving and it helps me when I'm trying to be strict with my food intake, preventing me from eating out of boredom...and yes, those two things can and will cause you to gain weight if you're doing them everyday. So I buy gum that comes in different flavors...they even sell gum that tastes like apple pie now...I know right. When you look at the nutrition facts, next to calories, most gum packs say that 1 stick of gum has 5 calories. You never think about it...you just chew it. But if you actually do stop and think about it...say you chew gum all throughout the day. Maybe that's 10 or more pieces. So are you intaking an extra unnecessary 50 calories+ every single day!?

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No. And Yes. The actual calories, from chewing gum, will not cause you to slowly gain weight. It isn't
like when you eat five pieces of chocolate cake in a day, and those extra calories really kind of put a damper on your progress for the week. But here is what is true. When you chew gum, you produce saliva...especially if it tastes really good! The same action happens while you're consuming food. So chewing gum makes your body feel like it's eating, and yet nothing is going into your stomach! So sometimes, when people are hungry and start chewing gum, they end up overeating and binging on food when they do in fact eat a meal. That causes weight gain.

However, another good point...some gum has sugar in it. There is sugar free gum, and there is gum with sugar. Since I'm not a dentist and this website isn't about healthy teeth, I'm not going to address thatttt issue...but we all know what sugar can do to your pearly whites. Sugary gum (like the gum in children's colored gumballs) does contain unnecessary calories, so there is a difference in both calories and ingredients that you need to be aware of. Luckily, sugary gumballs tend to lose flavor quickly, so they're pretty unappealing to most people. If you're chewing on these all the time, you really might as well be shopping at a candy store and popping jelly beans throughout the day. It's a no go.

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On the other hand, chewing sugar-free gum can also do the opposite of making you hungry...it can help curb appetitite and therefore prevent you from eating at times of the day when you really don't need to be. If it comes down to reaching for a bag of pretzels in your kitchen to munch on while watching a movie or chewing a 5 calorie stick of orbit mint gum...I would pick the second option.

You may feel that chewing gum causes weight gain, because excess air is swallowed when you chew, leading to bloating. So, chewing gum can indeed make you a little more bloated than usual.

Don't be the girl who obsesses over every single calorie, every single day, and turn down a piece of gum because you're worried about any extra calories. If you use gum like I do as a trick during strict training times to help you along the way...I would suggest it. It's a great dessert replacement hands down. Don't worry about gaining weight from gum, don't worry about overdosing...

Don't sweat the small stuff. Live your life in moderation, and you will be ok.

-Lil Miss Strong