Can You Chew Gum on a Carnivore Diet?

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November 8, 2020

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As with any question about health, it’s all in the detail! Do you love chewing gum? Have you always chewed gum? Do you think life is not worth living without chewing gum?

And of course…can you chew gum on the carnivore diet? Answer – No, of course not! Reason – It is a plant food.

The carnivore diet allows you to eat any animal food, but it also means you have to avoid any plant food.

There the article is over, haha.

But we live in the real world and not the matrix (well we think we do), and we are humans with differing philosophies and personalities.

So, let’s ask the question again applying a bit of common sense, as we should not be zealots about such things.

We should be open and accepting of all people and all opinions, otherwise, we are no better than the crazy town vegans who say you are eating rotten flesh and raping cows for their mucus!

Can you chew gum on the carnivore diet?

Answer – If you can tolerate it, you probably can have it occasionally without causing too much harm, but it is certainly not required for health and is likely non-optimal.

Reason – The sicker you are, the stricter you should be. If you are obese, have numerous autoimmune and mental health issues most carnivore diet docs would probably recommend a strict carnivore diet of just beef and water, with no condiments, spices, and sauces.

If you just want to tighten up your body composition a little or have less smelly farts then occasionally having some chewing gum is not gonna kill you, is it?

Alleged benefits of chewing gum

Regardless of what diet you are on, why might you like, want, or need to chew gum:

Freshens your breath, which might be a benefit if you are suffering from keto/carnivore breath in the initial transition period.
Help break other more harmful habits, with smoking being the obvious example. Where chewing gum has been shown to help distract you when you are attempting to give up smoking. (1)
Burns calories while walking, if you are chewing sugar-free gum you will likely burn a few more calories than you are consuming. Plus, you are more likely to not opt for other snacks higher in calories instead. (2)
Improves memory and alertness, probably because it helps increase blood flow as it increases the heart rate a little. (3)
Helps lower anxiety and stress, as it has been shown to have small positive effects on cortisol production. (4)
Improved digestion, it helps boost saliva and stimulates the digestive system as a whole and has also been shown to improve things like nausea. (5)

But to be frank, these are probably only going to offer marginal gains. I don’t think anyone could suggest that chewing gum is a health food with a straight face.

However, it may not damage your health if you use it sparingly.

Problems to look out for

Considering the only marginal gains of chewing gum, you could be putting your health at more risk and therefore outweighing the benefits:

Sugar

I think most people have moved past sugary gums and use sugar-free gums especially if you have an interest in low carb diets.

However, just to clarify… sugar is bad for all sorts of reasons so avoid gums that contain sugar, regardless of what name they give to that sugar on the packet.

Fake sugar

If you are going for sugar-free gum it may actually be just as bad for many reasons. One is that it will likely be filled with artificial sweeteners.

These have been shown to drive the same bliss centers that normal sugar does, and you will crave more real sugar in the process. This could be the reason why some people on keto and carnivore never lose their sweet tooth.

Aspartame is a prime example of an artificial sweetener which looks good because it is basically calorie-free, but is 20 times sweeter than sugar, and imagine the havoc that can cause in the sugar receptors in your brain.

It has also been shown to trigger autoimmune responses and could be cancer-causing. You may actually be better just having the sugary gums, as crazy as that sounds.

Filled with artificial flavoring,

Yes, you might have chosen a nice tasting mint gum. But there aren’t chopped up mint leaves in that gum is there?

No, you are just getting an industrially made flavoring. These are the bane of the food industry and should be avoided.

One of the beautiful things about the carnivore diet is that you naturally avoid all forms of highly processed junk food.

Digestive distress

Whilst occasionally chewing gum has been shown to help digestion for some people, chewing gum excessively has been shown to cause issues such as bloating, gas, diarrhea, and IBS.

TMJ issues

This is a joint issue with the jaw caused by the overuse of the jaw muscles through the act of over chewing. Think of chewing gum as like trying to run a marathon when you have never done more than a 5k.

Tooth issues

Sugary gums are obviously linked with tooth decay but whatever gum you are using. You are effectively bathing your teeth in a water solution of whatever is in that gum. So, make sure you know exactly what is in that gum before using it.

Tips on how to use gum safely

If you must use gum and couldn’t possibly live without it, then you need to realize it is not optimal and use it in a manner that is the least harmful as possible:

Treat

Use gum as occasionally as possible, only when you really want some, or the good outweighs the bad. If you are stuck somewhere and you are hungry but there isn’t any appropriate carnivore food available, then having some gum could save you from a worse choice.

Be mindful

Do you really want some or is it just a habit? Carnivore ticks all the nutritional boxes, and it should regulate your hunger extremely well.

So, if you are just having gum because you always have, then it may be time to move away from it gradually.

Types of gum

Choose gums made from natural ingredients and natural flavorings, rather than most of the commercial gums which basically just chemical s***storms.

Xylitol is a reasonable choice and ingredient to look out for. Look I don’t think anyone is going to chew a plain flavorless gum, so there is going to have to be some sweetness and flavors added.

So, try to use gums that have the best ingredients possible.

Keto brands

Unless you count beef ligament as chewing gum, technically there is no chewing gum that is carnivore appropriate.

However, Keto is very close friends to carnivore and share a lot of the same philosophies. Therefore, if you must use gum then a good option is to find one that is targeted at the ketogenic diet community. For example:

Conclusion

The carnivore community should be a helpful and inclusive group, that recognizes everyone is dealing with their own battles.

There should be no hard and fast rules, it should be a lifestyle template which can be experimented with individually.

For some people having occasional chewing gum, will probably have no ill effects.

For other is could trigger some arthritis.

So, it is not for others to deem if you can have gum, that is for you to decide and if you do decide you want to try this whole carnivore diet thing out we have some recommendations on where to start.

First invest in this book by Dr. Shawn Baker titled, “The Carnivore Diet.”

Then read these popular articles:

And if you want to go to the next level get yourself a carnivore diet coach at MeatRX! I’m also a carnivore diet coach for MeatRX and you can book me here.

And finally, have fun with our YouTube channel where you will find carnivore diet recipes and overall lifestyle content. Here is a quick sample video on organ meat burgers!

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor. Consult with and ask your doctor about any diet or medical-related questions. No information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease or condition.