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The quest to be a more conscious consumer starts with one area of your life and slowly trickles into the rest of it.
Slowly being a key word. Trying to tackle everything in one go is way too overwhelming. Eliminating single use plastic, buying only ethical and sustainable goods, using natural/plant-based cleaners, eating more fresh produce, living a low waste life, bringing reusable water bottles, straws, and silverware with you everywhere and so on.... It could be overwhelming to your brain and wallet. So try to make one small swap at a time. Once you have adjusted to that swap and you are comfortable, go ahead and add a new swap. That's what I am trying to do.
The truth is, sometimes I still get overwhelmed. But when I do, I try to step back and remember that every step I take is progress. And I try to look back at all the ways I have made improvements and cut down on waste in the past couple of years. Taking the time to redirect your thought process can go a long way to helping you continue to improve.
So what am I tackling next? Natural chewing gum. Why Do People Like Chewing Gum?
There are a variety of reasons why people chew gum. Here are a few:
Why The Need To Be Selective With Chewing Gum
I never gave much thought to chewing gum in the past. I bought whichever flavor I liked, that lasted a long time and maybe was on sale. I generally prefer minty flavors as I like to feel fresh. While I like some of the fruity flavors, I am just not a person who chews gum for a sweet taste.
It turns out there are some weird things in a lot of chewing gums. Many gums contain aspartame as an artificial sweetener. This is very controversial as some claim it can cause problems like headaches, obesity, and even cancer. YMMV. I generally like to stay away from artificial sweeteners. Aspartame, though I don't like it, didn't surprise me all that much. What did surprise me, however, was to learn that most chewing gum contains plastic. What?!
Yes. On your gum package when they list "gum base" it very well may contain ingredients like polyethylene or polyvinyl acetate. Disturbing! These ingredients cannot be digested should you swallow the gum. But the thing to remember is once you pass it or spit it out and dispose of it... those plastics are not water soluble and do not break down.
There are some cool companies who are finding ways to recycle chewed gum into other useful products. Check out gum drop and gummy bin, for example. But even better is to reduce the waste to begin with. Better Chewing Gum From Amazon
I scoured the internet for a list ofchewing gum options that would be an improvement over the orbit that I usually chew. Here are the brands I found most often:
I acquired more than a few of these brands and several flavors of each and embarked on a rigorous chewing campaign for science. And for you. Here's what I have found:
Glee Gum Review 
Glee Gum comes in fully recyclable cardboard boxes with a fun retro design. I snagged the combo pack so I could try all of these flavors: Peppermint, Spearmint, Mixed Berry, Tangerine, Cinnamon, and Bubble Gum.
Glee Gum pieces are small squares that remind me of chiclets. 
Glee Gum Plastic Free and Aspartame Free Chicle Base Chewing Gum
What I Like About Glee Gum
I love that Glee Gum is fully plastic-free. Their gum base is made with chicle and candelilla wax. No plastics there! They also do not use artificial sweeteners and their flavors are all natural. To get the variety in color they use natural tints from the likes of carrot, beet, and black currants.
What I Dislike About Glee Gum
Unfortunately, the flavor does not last long with Glee Gum, in my opinion. Within 5 minutes the majority of the flavor was gone for me. I found the flavors to be mild to begin with and they quickly dissipate. Since I chew gum mostly for freshness, this doesn't suit my needs.
Do I Recommend Glee Gum?
Yes. It is a huge improvement over most popular gums on the market today. The ingredients are safe and the packaging is conscious.
Pur Gum Review 
Pure Gum is Swiss made and prides itself on being Aspartame-Free, Non-GMO, and Vegan. At one point it was on other lists of plastic-free gums, but I cannot confirm that from the company website. (please point me in the right direction if you know otherwise.) I also reached out to Pur Gum via email as well as on social media inquiring about their gum base and received no reply.
I triedPur Gum in the following flavors: Peppermint, Spearmint, Coolmint, Wintergreen, Pomegranate Mint, Cinnamon What I Like About Pur Gum
Pur Gum is an improvement over other gums by using natural flavors, no unecessary coloring, and xylitol instead of aspartame. The texture is familiar and the flavor lasts a bit longer. Each piece is like a small, rectangular chiclet.
What I Dislike About Pur Gum
I dislike that the company did not get back to a customer's inquiries - at least 3 times. This makes me think that their base does, indeed, contain plastics. Which promptly kicks them down my list.
While their bulk bag of 55 pieces says it's recyclable, this is still not the most ideal packaging as it can be difficult to find places that accept this type of bag to recycle. Do I Recommend Pur Gum?
Meh. It may be an improvement over what you're chewing now, but it's not that impressive overall, imo.
Spry Gum Review 
Spry Gum is a Xylitol sweetened gum with no artificial flavors or colors. According to MyPlasticFreeLife, the company confirmed in email that the gum base itself is plastic-free. I tried the variety pack of flavors: Peppermint, Spearmint, Green Tea, Fruit, Cinnamon. Rectangular Chiclet style.
What I Like About Spry Gum
Xylitol has been shown to reduce the risk of tooth decay in clinical studies. By the way, if you were wondering "what is xylitol?", Xylitol is a naturally occurring alcohol that comes from plants often used as a sweetener and also known as "sugar alcohol". The flavor seems to last a little bit longer than the Glee Gum. Love that the gum base does not contain plastic!
What I Dislike About Spry Gum
The packaging has so much plastic! The tubes of 27 pieces come in a "Recyclable" plastic tube with flip top lid. This seems like so much more plastic than the Pur Gum plastic bag. In my locality, I can't recycle #2 plastic in this shape. :-( And you can only repurpose plastic tubes so many ways before your house is overflowing with random plastic containers.
Do I Recommend Spry Gum?
Meh. If they would change their plastic-heavy packaging then yes. For now, it is again an improvement over a lot of gums especially on the lack of plastic within the gum. Just ironic that they took the plastic out of the gum but left it on the packaging..
Simply Gum Review
If you search "natural chewing gum", Simply is definitely going to pop up in your results. Priding themselves on transparent ingredient listings, being completely plastic and synthetic-free, and biodegradable, Simply Gum will catch your eye from their fresh packaging to their fun flavors: Cleanse (prickly pear + grapefruit), Revive ( maple + lemon + cayenne) Boost (lemongrass + turmeric, cayenne ) and their classics: Ginger, Maple, Fennel, Coffee, Cinnamon and Peppermint. [p.s. they also have mints!] They are the most unique in appearance though. They are little brown pellets, for lack of better word. They are also softer and a tad more sticky than traditional gum.
Simply Gum Biodegradable Gum Packaging
What I Like About Simply Gum
Simply gum is really working it! They have very few ingredients. Those ingredients are all natural. No plastics or any other synthetic ingredients will be found in their gum. They do not send their gum out in any type of plastic packaging. Everything from the gum, to the box, to the wrappers are biodegradable. The reason they use organic raw cane sugar over xylitol is that, while it has some dental benefits, xylitol can also upset the digestive system of some individuals.
Oh wait. Go back to the wrappers. They include wrappers! All of the other gums contained no way to dispose of the gum when you're done chewing. Sometimes you just need something to spit the gum into! Simply has you covered.
Additionally, they have some unique flavors for the more refined palate. :p
What I Dislike About Simply Gum
The main thing I wish Simply could improve, I'm not sure if they can- I just wish the flavors could last longer! The flavors are definitely milder than traditional chewing gum, but that's because traditional gum is made with synthetic flavors and these are natural. Logically natural flavors can only last so long.
Comparison Chart
Best Aspartame- Free Gums Ranked!
I can't really call them the best "natural gums" since some contain plastics in their bases. I can't really call them "plastic free gums" for the same reason and plastic packaging. *eyeroll* So now I'm reduced to calling this the best aspartame free gums list.
1. Simply Gum is the best aspartame-free, plastic free, and natural gum on the market!
(at least that I've tried)find simply gum here 2.Glee Gum is the runner up. I wish their flavors lasted longer, but at least they are also aspartame-free, plastic free, and totally natural. 3. Spry comes in third place because while their gum base is said to be natural and plastic free, they fall by having so much plastic in their packaging. 4. Last place is Pur Gum. The Gum texture and flavor is great, but it seems likely that their gum base contains plastic. And that's what I'm trying to get away from. What are your Gum Recommendations?
Hope you have found this post helpful and interesting!
Let me know if you have any recommendations forbetter chewing gum options? Especially if you know of any that are plastic free in their packaging as well as the gum itself. I don't mind if it is xylitol or cane sugar. I think for teeth cleanness/freshness xylitol is better. But if it upsets your stomach then go with the cane sugar!
Estimated Product Expense For This Post: ~$78
If you would like to help offset this cost at no additional cost to you, click here if you shop on Amazon and click here if you shop on Etsy. Thanks!
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