Chewing gum can be such a pleasurable and delicious experience.
As a kid do you remember being at the supermarket checkout with your parents and begging them for a pack of hubba bubba or juicy fruit? Such fun and tasty treats they were!
Maybe now you're a mint gum chewer to cover that morning coffee breath or keep you occupied throughout the day.
Sadly, standard gum on the market is vastly different to what it was years ago. Being informed about what's in your gum and how it affects you and the environment is really important to know.
Nat McGrath, founder of Brew Chews, has shared with us some vital gum knowledge to help you make better informed decisions when buying your next pack of chewy!
What is in gum base?
To make gum you need to have a gum base, but did you know that most brands use one that is made up of polymers, plasticizers, and resins?
Polymers, including elastomers, are responsible for the stretchy and sticky nature of chewing gum, it is allowed to be used in gum as it's not designed to be swallowed. But as most of us have likely swallowed a piece of gum by accident at some point, what we've unknowingly done is ingest some of these plastic and harmful ingredients. YUCK!
This is where a plant-based chewing gum option is ideal. Trees such as the Sapodilla, naturally produce a gum like substance that can be used in place of these harmful plastics! How clever is nature?!
There are also environmental implications of plastic based gum...
Singapore brought in drastic measures by banning chewing gum because of the environmental impact it creates.
We’ve all come across chewing gum that’s been disposed of in interesting places. Under school desks, on sidewalks and park benches.
As standard chewing gum is made of plastic, it's not biodegradable and can take up to 500 years to start to break down. So that chewing gum on the sidewalk could potentially be there for many generations to come. Your great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandchildren could possibly stumble across it.
If you are kind enough to throw your chewy in the bin, it's only being added to the estimated 250,000 tonnes of gum already in our earths landfill (which is already overflowing!).
So, the next time you want to have some gum, take a moment and reflect what ripple effect purchasing another pack of standard gum may be having on your health and the environment. And remember how good nature is - it can offer us an amazing alternative to standard gum! Plant based chewing gum tastes delicious, has no nasty ingredients or plastic and is 100% biodegradable.
It’s good for you and the planet!
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Nat McGrath is a Perth based Naturopath with over 16 years of clinical experience, and founder of Brew Chews. Nat has also studied Environmental Biology, so the wellness of people and the planet is close to her heart.
Receive 20% off your first order at brewchews.com.au using the code RYDISCOVERY (valid till 31/8/21).