I have been off gum for 2 years now. Before that I could be seen chomping gum around town, pretty much everyday. My new oral fixation of choice? Altoids. Oh yes, the curiously strong mint. It will leave you with some minty fresh breath. I have even heard that it will cover up the smell of alcohol if you happen to pop over the the pub on your lunch break. But, that is neither here nor there. The real reason you should make the switch to Altoids over traditional gum can be found in the ingredients. In this example I compare the ingredients of Altoids to Trident (4 of 5 Dentists recommend it!)
Trident – Original Flavor
Ingredients: Sorbitol, Gum Base, Xylitol, Clycerin, Natural and Artificial Flavoring, Manintol, Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame, BHT, Soy Lecithin and Suracralose
Altoids:
Ingredients: Sugar, Gum Arabic, Oil of Peppermint, Gelatin
The first thing that should jump out to you is the number of ingredients. Altoids has four, Trident has eleven. Two of the ingredients in Trident raise a red flag right away. Those being Aspartame and BHT. Here's a little about those:
Aspartame: Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death. To see some of 90 documented symptoms caused by Aspartame, click here.
BHT: BHT is being investigated for it's ability to damage genetic material. In addition, research has shown that this compound can rupture and damage red blood cells as well as stimulate symptoms of chemical sensitivity.
Wow, those sound like some great ingredients I want going in my body. Maybe that one dentist who didn't recommend Trident was on to something? It's not just Trident that has Aspartame, most gums do too, as well as Diet Sodas.
So, the next time you go to reach for the pack of gum at the store, reach for a tin of Altoids instead!
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