CHEWING GUM FOR WEIGHT LOSS?

Your Weight Loss Solution: Gum Chewing
YOUR DAILY DIET TIP
By James Beckerman, M.D.
Published April 24, 2011

Recent research regarding gum chewing has found that the small increase in energy expenditure related to the rhythmic “exercise” of chewing could have some ramifications for weight loss. The act of gum chewing may also reduce appetite for snacks throughout the day. Realistically, you have to be pretty inactive to have gum chewing play a significant role in your weight-loss plan. But the research is intriguing.

Gum chewing may play a role in weight loss in two different ways. The first is the calories burned by chewing the gum. When researchers from the Mayo Clinic measured calories burned at rest and then after chewing gum for 12 minutes, they found that calories burned per hour increased by about 20%. Gum chewing is similar to the difference between sitting in a chair and moving around your house. Small, but it adds up.

The other potential benefit of gum chewing is that it will keep you away from chips, pretzels, candy bars, and other high-glycemic foods that go straight to your waist. One study found that people who chew gum once an hour are less hungry for snacks, have less of a sweet tooth and consume fewer calories at snack time than people who do not chew gum.

But chew in moderation. Regular chewing gum typically has fewer than 10 calories per stick, but they can add up. Sugar-free gum contains about 1.25 grams of sorbitol, a sweetener also used in sugar-free candies. Eating more than 20 grams daily (around fifteen sticks of gum) can cause the gum to act as a laxative, which can lead to diarrhea – which is not good for your health. So if you are interested in chewing gum to burn some extra calories and hopefully reduce snacking, limit your chewing to right after lunch and dinner, and as a snack mid-morning and mid-afternoon when you might be having other cravings.

Always look up,
Jamie

MY THOUGHTS

Looks like we need to make a choice - do we prefer to look like a goat or a pig?  Have you ever seen a goat which needs to lose weight?