Can you chew gum while intermittent fasting or NOT? Chew it up or spit it out? Discover the juicy truth about whether you can chew gum while intermittent fasting or not.
Chewing gum is like a tiny, tasty trampoline for your taste buds. It’s a fun little treat that can be munched, bubbled, smacked or popped!
But can you have this tiny treat while your are intermittent fasting or will it actually break your fast?
In this post, we’ll sort out the stickiness when it comes to chewing gum while intermittent fasting!
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Let’s first define intermittent fasting and discuss some of the benefits of fasting that go along with this lifestyle!
What is Intermittent Fasting?
There are many different types of fasting, however, Intermittent Fasting is a food schedule that focuses on WHEN you eat, not WHAT you eat. Intermittent fasting alternates between a fasting period and a feasting period. It’s become super popular because it’s pretty flexible and can fit into many lifestyles. Additionally, it has helped many people reach their weight loss goals and improve their overall health.
What are the Benefits of Intermittent Fasting?
The list is long when it comes to intermittent fasting benefits. One major advantage is accelerated fat loss and weight management.
When we give our body regular periods of not eating, we can help control our calorie consumption and promote weight loss and fat burning. Intermittent fasting also helps boost energy levels, improve insulin resistance and stabilize blood sugar levels.
Additionally, intermittent fasting has been shown to contribute to various health benefits. Some of these benefits include reducing body inflammation, lowering cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of heart disease. It might also help our brain function better, enhancing mental clarity and memory. Overall, intermittent fasting offers a holistic approach to health, addressing various aspects of our well-being and potentially contributing to a healthier and more energetic life.
Using Gum to Lose Weight
It’s true that people have been using chewing gum as a weight loss strategy for years. It has been shown to act as an appetite suppressant, by keeping their mouths and taste buds occupied. This is helpful because it reduces the urge to snack on high-calorie foods. Chewing gum can also provide a sense of fullness without adding many calories, making it a low-calorie alternative to high-calorie snacks.
In recent years, however, with intermittent fasting becoming such a popular weight loss method, many have questioned if chewing a piece of gum breaks a fast and disrupts the fasted state, as well as the potential benefits associated with fasting.
Gum Ingredients
Before we can figure out this gray area and decide if a stick of gum will break a fast or not, we need to dive into the ingredients found in the two main types of gum: regular and sugarless gum.
Both regular and sugar-free bubble gum share a few basic key ingredients.
The first is the gum base, which gives the gum it’s chewy texture. Then, there’s sugar (sugar alcohols) or other sweeteners, which makes the gum taste sweet. Flavorings, like mint or monk fruit extracts, are added to give it its yummy sweet taste. Sometimes, softeners such as glycerin are used to prevent the gum from becoming too hard. Lastly, fillers like calcium carbonate or talc might be included to adjust the texture or volume of the gum.
These ingredients work together to create the gum we enjoy chewing.
Regular Gum vs Sugar-Free Gum Ingredients
Regular gum and sugar-free gum share some common ingredients, like the gum base for chewiness and flavorings for taste. However, the key difference is in the sweeteners. Regular gum typically uses sugar or high fructose corn syrup to make it sweet, while sugar-free gum replaces these with artificial sweeteners like aspartame or xylitol. This swap allows sugar-free pieces of gum to taste sweet without adding calories, possibly making it a better option for those trying to reduce their calorie intake.
Does Gum Have Calories?
Regular chewing gum typically contains calories because it’s made with sugar as a sweetener. The number of calories in a single piece of regular gum can vary. However, it’s usually around 11 calories per piece. In contrast, sugar-free chewing gum is specifically designed to be low in calories. It uses artificial sweeteners instead of sugar, which contribute very few, if any, calories. So, sugar-free gum is a much better choice for those who want to enjoy chewing gum without adding extra calories to their diet.
How Can an Intermittent Fast Be Broken?
For a fast to be broken during intermittent fasting, you need to consume something that has calories. In other words, if you eat or drink anything that provides your body with energy, like food, sugary drinks, or anything containing calories, it breaks the fast.
However, if we’re getting technical, an intermittent fast can be broken in several ways other than just consuming calories:
- Protein Intake: Even if the food or drink is low in calories, a significant intake of protein can potentially break the fast. Protein is known to stimulate insulin release and may disrupt the fasting state.
- Stimulating Digestion: Consuming foods that stimulate digestion (even if they have minimal or zero calories) can signal your body to switch from fasting to fed mode.
- Blood Sugar Spikes: Certain foods or drinks, even those low in calories, can cause a rapid increase in blood sugar levels. This can trigger sugar cravings, as well as an insulin response, and break the fast. This is especially true for high-glycemic foods and sugary drinks.
- Impact on Gut Microbiome: Some ingredients or additives in foods or drinks may affect the gut microbiome and potentially disrupt the fasting state.
- Medications and Supplements: Some medications or supplements may contain ingredients that affect insulin levels or have a metabolic impact, potentially breaking the fast.
So Does Chewing Gum Break a Fast or Not?
Chewing gum might seem harmless, but it can surprisingly break your fast due to its impact on digestion and metabolism. While gum itself might not have a significant amount of calories, the act of chewing stimulates digestive enzymes and signals to your body that food is incoming. This can lead to a slight insulin spike, even in the absence of calories from gum. Additionally, some chewing gum contains artificial sweeteners that can raise blood sugar levels, further disrupting the fasting state.
Then What Can I Consume During My Fast?
If you want to take all of the guesswork out of fasting and achieve the absolute best health and weight loss results possible, keep it simple and stick to consuming these 4 “clean” drinks ONLY while fasting: WATER, PLAIN HERBAL TEA, PLAIN SPARKLING WATER and BLACK COFFEE! Nothing else! PERIOD!
It really works! I promise. When I discovered intermittent fasting, I learned the science behind fasting from Dr. Jason Fung, author of the Obesity Code.
Additionally, I learned about the “clean fast” from Gin Stephens after reading her book Fast. Feast. Repeat. I chose to stick to these 4 approved drinks ONLY during my fasting window and successfully lost 46 pounds in 4 months with intermittent fasting! And, I have kept the weight off for over two years now. Click HERE to learn how you can Lose Weight Fast with “CLEAN” Intermittent Fasting!
The Final Chew!
So, can you chew gum while intermittent fasting? Ultimately, it’s your body, and your fasting journey, which means, the choice is yours. However, I hate to burst your bubble, but if you sink your teeth into what we’ve uncovered today, I think you’ll agree that it’s probably best to save the gum chewing for your eating window.
Just remember, your intermittent fasting journey is as unique as the flavor of your favorite gum. Stick to what works best for YOU!
Can You Chew Gum While Intermittent Fasting or NOT?
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