The Benefits of Chewing Gum

I currently have a pack of Wrigley Extra in my car, my desk and my backpack. This gum helps me in three key ways:

1. My body has been trained to have sugar after a meal. I can’t help it right now, when I eat I need to have a dessert or something else sweet. I’m hoping over time that I get over that but for now a piece of gum replaces all the bad stuff I would normally have eaten. I have conditioned my mind to be as happy with a stick of gum as I am a 500 calorie large chocolate chip cookie - and that’s a real good thing.
2. When I have a piece of gum in my mouth it is much less likely that I will graze or impulse eat. This is because I have to think about getting rid of my gum first, which is an extra step that helps stop the reactive eating.
3. I have found that when I am in meetings or other group gatherings where food may be offered that I can more easily decline by saying “no thanks, I just put in a fresh piece of gum.” That seems like an easier excuse than “no thanks, I am a big fat slob who really shouldn’t eat that doughnut.”

I’m certainly not suggesting that a piece of gum should replace a piece of fruit or any other good for you food, but if you need a little something to get you past tough food situations a piece of gum just may be the ticket.