Chewing gum with sugar is really bad for your teeth.  But some of the alternative sweeteners are dangerous, and all of them can cause unpleasant metabolic reactions when the sweet taste makes your body prepare to digest sugar and then there’s no sugar!  I’m very sensitive to artificial sweeteners, but I do like to chew gum sometimes.

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that occurs naturally in plants.  It isn’t zero-calorie, just lower in calories than sugar, but it doesn’t feed dental bacteria.  In fact, xylitol appears to be good for teeth, and it also has other benefits: Preventing ear infections, restoring normal digestive function after surgery, slowing the aging process in skin, and increasing bone density.

I’m not going to replace sugar with low-calorie sweetener in any of my foods and beverages, but I’m sold on xylitol gum!  My family reviewed 6 different brands for flavor, texture, packaging, and healthy/green credentials.  Get all the details in my article at Kitchen Stewardship: Everything You Wanted to Know About Xylitol in Chewing Gum!