Well I personally chewed gum all the time, because I felt it helped me from wanting to snack and eat all the time. I started to realize, however, that I was never really satisfied. I contantly thought about food and still wanted to snack, especially on something sweet! My other two observations were that my jaw was sore, so I had mild headaches and my stomach was constantly bloated. While this may not be a concern for the guys, I know us ladies freak out at the idea of being bloated....So I spoke to a reliable source and did some reading about it and thought hmmmmm maybe I should quick chewing gum altogether.
Well I learned 3 things about why chewing gum can actually be unhealthy.
1. Chewing gums are usually sugar free, which means there are laced with artificial sweetners. We apparently do not have the right enzymes to effectively break down these sweetners, un real sugars....which puts an enormous amount of pressure on our liver and pancreas to counteract.
2. Also when we chew gum, we send signals to our stomach that we are eating food. In preparation, our stomach produces HCI...hydrochloric acid, that helps break down your food in your stomach. But as we know, it's not food that we are chewing it's GUM. So we are basically cheating our stomach out of food, and now that unused, excessive amount of HCI could potentially cause stomach ulcers, burning pain in the stomach or worse stomach cancer. No fun.
3. Last of all, which is what I noticed....was the bloatedness. Chewing gum all day...you are sucking a lot of oxygen into your stomach. Naturally this will cause bloatedness and gas. It can be very uncomfortable.
Once I personally stopped chewing gum...I noticed this change immediately. Also, I felt my weird cravings for something sweet significantly reduced, if not went completely away. So, if you feel like giving this a whirl...let me know. I'd be interested to learn if you noticed any differences.
Just a "chew" for thought! Until next time-
Coach Dee
Still holding strong! hardest part to me is the dairy in my coffee! been doing BLACK iced coffee since its getting hotter. but my diet is still doing good!
ReplyDelete8am- 3 Eggs with chopped green peppers/spinach/onions/tomatoes
Snack - Apple
11 - 2 Chicken Thighs with green beans/snow peas/spinach/broccoli
Snack - Jerky with Cucumber slices
Drank about 40oz of water before the gym
did HELEN at 4:30 with NEW PR!
Post WOD snack - Whey Isolate 28g protein/3 carbs/.5g fat
6:30pm - Two Salmon big slices and 5 strips of bacon
:)
Hotter!? Yesterday was downright cool!
Deletevery true, but i am just in the habit for most days that are hotter lol
DeleteI am living in a hotel for a week and miss cooking and eat at home. Tuna packets are getting old I stopped by commissary and picked up steak and chicken strips, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado and a coconut yes family a coconut wish we had more in Virginia beach. It's been also tough going out to eat and watching everyone else indulge and I'm not gonna lie I am having some cravings especially since I have a sweet tooth. I am having more fruits this week due to limitation and to satisfy my sweet tooth. Any suggestions while in the field? I do feel awesome otherwise and it's showing at the gym here in Cali
ReplyDeletetry beef jerky packs, nuts (not too much) and chow down on bell peppers and literally whole cucumbers. Just a few suggestions to help while you are traveling. Add your avocados too!
Deletehttp://www.epicmealtime.com/videos/2011/1/18/meat-salad.html
ReplyDeleteThis meal is almost completely paleo, you have to leave out the dressing and the JD and it is 100% Paleo. Maybe make it with all grass-fed animals.
Probably not too good for the nutrition challenge though at 28,000 calories.
Isn't gum also filled with dextrose which is corn based and makes it non paleo? Look up corn based products and it is amazing what all contains corn. Anything that says dextrose. The list is outrageous!!
ReplyDeleteYeppers! Technically gum isn't paleo at all...but it's 2012 so on a long term basis we do bend in some areas, like this. But, to be quite honest it's been a life changer taking gum out of my day to day chew fest.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI most of the time I chew gum to freshen my breath, but try not do use it too often. I have recently made the switch to a gum with Xylitol, which is a natural sweetener, but I realize it still isn't allowed for this challenge. However Xylitol has been shown to be very beneficial in the fight against tooth decay. Xylitol has been shown that it can actually help reverse early tooth decay. A study published in Pediatrics in 1998 showed that chewing gum (with xylitol) help children, which had chronic ear infections, reduce the number of ear infections by 92%. Xylitol inhibits the Staphylococcus bacteria- which is a contributor to tooth decay and ear infections. And it is natural. Just something to think about.
ReplyDeleteIs GU paleo friendly? if not, what do you guys use during long runs for fuel?
ReplyDeletethanks,
Faby
GU is not Paleo.
DeleteYou should continue to fuel your body with all the right nutrients...all day...unless you are doing a marathon or more on a consistent basis your body will be just fine with lots of fluids and healthy carbs hours leading up to your run.
..I'm gonna miss my big red...though I can't say I've had any gum in the last two months..
ReplyDeleteBought a grill last night! So im really excited to start grilling for most of my meals now.
ReplyDeleteIm thinking some chicken breasts served with some avocado and spinach pesto.
Grill some steak and try it with avocado. I tried that last night for dinner and it was delicious.
Deletegoing to start cutting down a little on each meal, i have basically been eating 6 meals a day, and not so much snacks, i just to make sure i get enough protein and when trying to keep it all balanced the more protein i eat the more veggies i need to pile on!!
ReplyDeleteI have noticed the same things Coach Dee talks about in the post. I usually chew on gum after I eat a meal. It definitely wants makes you intake air a whole lot more.
ReplyDeleteMeals have been going good so far. Need to make sleep a priority.
Don
Things are going well....I felt fast today which was really nice for a change. Luckily I only chew gum every once in a blue moon.
ReplyDeleteStill loosing weight. not to sure why yet. gonna try to add some more fat and see if that helps, thanks for the advice Ryan!!!
ReplyDeleteI had a crazy nightmare last night that I was eating pizza and nachos. It was pretty weird having a dream about food.
ReplyDelete