Some of you may know that I love chewing gum and my favorite is Orbit. Since starting my internship, I have learned that some of the ingredients in conventional chewing gum may not be so good for me. The ingredients in Orbit that cause some alarm are Sorbitol (a known laxative), Aspartame (known to be dangerous to children and can cause headaches in adults), and Acesulfame K (which has been found to cause cancer in animals). Therefore I have vowed to make the switch to all-natural chewing gum and have conducted a little experiment: The Gum Test.

I took a trip to Whole Foods and picked out three different types of chewing gum and came up with six criteria by which to judge them: Initial Taste (max of 6 points), Taste after 15 Minutes (max of 6 points), Bubble-blowing potential (max of 3 points), Tooth Health (1 point for Sugar used, 2 points for Sugar-free), Calories (max of 2 points), and Social Responsibility (1 point for participating in Social Responsibility Programs, 0 points for not).

If you lost count, the max total of points that could be earned is 20 points.

Spry Sugarfree Spearmint Chewing Gum

- Initial Taste: 6/6

- Taste After 15 Minutes: 4/6

- Bubble-blowing potential: 1/3

- Tooth Health: Sugar-free claims that incorporating 8-10 grams of xylitol may reduce the risk of tooth decay and improve overall health: 2/2

- Calories: 1 serving size= 1 piece = 10 Calories: 1/2

- Social Responsibility: 0/1

- SCORE: 14

Glee Gum Peppermint

- Initial Taste: 5/6

- Taste After 15 minutes: 4/6

- Bubble-blowing potential: 2/3

- Tooth Health: Cane sugar, 1/2

- Calories: 1 serving size = 2 pieces = 5 Calories: 2/2

- Social Responsibility: 1/1

- SCORE: 15

Project 7 Peppermint Vanilla Sugar-free Gum

- Initial Taste: 3/6

- Taste After 15 minutes: 3/6

- Bubble-blowing potential: 3/3

- Tooth Health: Sugar-free claims that incorporating 8-10 grams of xylitol may reduce the risk of tooth decay and improve overall health: 2/2

- Calories: 1 serving size = 2 pieces = 5 Calories: 2/2

- Social Responsibility: 1/1

- SCORE: 14

We all chew gum for different reasons: to curb an appetite, freshen the breath, blow bubbles or to help us focus. After this little experiment I suggest Glee Gum to help you do all of those things; it’s the one I keep reaching for!

Is there a gum brand you think will help me make the switch to all-natural? Let me know which natural gum brands you like and whether you agree with my scoring.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oakleyoriginals/3135903908/