When it comes to breath fresheners, you’re better off sucking than chewing.

Aside from sticking to your shoes and being incredibly annoying (we’re looking at you, bubble blowers), traditional chewing gum is also incredibly bad for your health (There are some "good" gums though. We'll tell you about our friends at Glee Gum in a moment. They are "naturally delicious"!). 

Here’s why you should quit chewing traditional gums today:

GUM IS FULL OF CHEMICALS

Yes – even the sugar-free kind! In fact, brands that claim to be “sugar-free” often contain toxic artificial sweeteners like Aspartame, which is far worse than sugar. We’ll take our chances with the real stuff, thank you very much.

Other scary but common gum ingredients include:

Titanium Dioxide – It’s used as a whitening agent, but it’s also linked to asthma, Chohn’s disease, and you guessed it — cancer.

Gum Base (what??) – After doing a little digging, this illusive ingredient was found by researchers to be a nasty blend of resins and plasticizers. Manufacturers won’t reveal much more and we don’t trust it. Not one bit.

Butylated Hydroxytoluene – BHT is a toxic preservative used in embalming fluid. Need we say more?

CHEWING GUM CAN LEAD TO TMJ

TMJ, or Temporomandibular Joint Disorder, is an extremely painful condition of the jaw that effects your ability to chew, yawn, and even speak. Chewing gum triggers this nasty disorder by overusing the jaw muscles, causing all kinds of uncomfortable side effects like headaches, toothaches, and earaches.

GUM MAY CAUSE SNACKING 

Have you ever tried to eat a piece of fruit immediately after brushing your teeth? Gross, right? Well, eating fruits and veggies after chewing gum has the same effect. Because the menthol in gum makes healthy food taste bad, studies have shown that chewers are more likely to snack on junk food. We don't have to tell you where that leads.

And remember those artificial sweeteners we mentioned? In addition to causing life-threatening diseases, those little buggers are also known for increasing carb cravings and promoting weight gain. Hmmmm.

GUM IS BAD FOR YOUR GUTS

When you chew, your body thinks it’s getting food. It starts producing enzymes and acids that kick start digestion, but when the food never comes, your body gets confused. Those natural bodily reactions begin to backfire, causing bloating and overproduction of stomach acids. What’s worse is that over time, your poor tummy will start struggling to digest properly, even when you are eating real food. This can cause all kinds of painful and embarrassing problems like diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome.

GUM DOESN'T CURE BAD BREATH

It only masks it temporarily. Meaning after a short while, you’ll be reaching for another stick. This makes marketers happy, but it won’t make your kisses any sweeter. Instead of buying more Trident, check out our list of 5 healthy alternatives to chewing gum.

In a world where we put so much emphasis on healthy living, it’s shocking that the sticky stuff hasn't gotten stuck under the radar. So the next time somebody offers you a stick of gum, pop that bubble with an all-natural mint! 

And, if you've gotta chew because chewing is your thing, then chew Glee Gum. We love them because they're a natural chewing gum made with sustainably harvested rainforest chicle. We know: brilliant.

Animated gif courtesy of: reactiongif.org