The Hemp Connection + women's health

Be sure your chewing gum is petroleum-free!

I learned at Natural Products West this past weekend that many popular chewing gums are made with petroleum-based ingredients. If your chewing gum ingredient label says it is made of a"gum base," it may legally contain any of the following: petroleum, lanolin, glycerin, polyethylene, polyvinyl acetate, petroleum wax, stearic acid, or latex. In essence, you might as well cut a piece of inner tube off of your bicycle tire and chew on it, because that is what has been packaged and sold to you!

Vegans beware! There are some animal-based products in that list. And for everyone, there are endocrine disruptors up there.

When I learned this I immediately thought of all the chewing gum promoted by weight loss experts and shows such as The Biggest Loser. BIG OUCH. It's a well-intended recommendation, but in this situation, it's not the calories in the product that are the problem. That is often the case with PCOS, you need to look past the obvious to get to the answer.

Old-style chewing gums are made of chicle, which comes from the rubber tree. Over time, manufacturers switched to the cheaper and more readily available ingredients listed above. I saw chicle-based gum at the Natural Products Expo, made by a company called Glee Gum. In addition to being made with chicle, it is also GMO- and gluten-free. The chicle they use is sustainably harvested and creates an incentive for rainforest preservation. So you're doing a lot of good outside of yourself when you purchase this product.

I encourage you to take the time to learn where you can purchase it locally; if you cannot find it, here is an ordering link.

Glee also has a really fun Verve Chewing Gum Kit, 6.5-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 2) kit for any of you with budding scientists in your house. Bookmark this post and put it in your Christmas shopping file!

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Be sure your chewing gum is petroleum-free! + women's health