Healthy Chewing Gum?

There was nothing better as a kid than chewing a big ol' wad of bubble gum!  There was also, probably, nothing worse for our teeth.  This week I am reviewing a good alternative to sugary chewing gum.  Spry gum, claims that it is the 'healthy' chewing gum.  Can it really be good for us, and taste good?  Let's find out.

First at hand, is this chewing gum actually healthy?  In so many words, yes.  Spry gum is made with xylitol.

Pure xylitol is a white crystalline substance that looks and tastes like sugar. It is a naturally occurring 5-carbon sugar alcohol found in many fruits and vegetables and produced in small amounts by the human body. It has the same sweetness as sugar but with 40% fewer calories and none of the negative tooth decay or insulin release effects of sugar. Xylitol also has a low glycemic index (7) and has little effect on blood sugar levels.

Xylitol is recommended by dentist, medical doctors, periodontists, pediatricians, and many health organizations and health professionals worldwide as a sweetener for anyone concerned with dental health, upper respiratory health, and sugar consumption, in general.  It is believed that chewing a piece of Spry after meals may reduce your risk of tooth decay.  I was convinced of these benefits further when my own dentist recommended Spry and their tooth gel for my 15 month old son.  He loves the strawberry-banana tooth gel.

So far, so good.  But the real question is, does it taste good?  Since my little one is too small for gum, to fully answer this question, I enlisted the help of my friends kids to get an accurate answer.  Lily (12), Ava (10), and Sam (8) are my test group.  I knew they would not disappoint as they are never afraid to be brutally honest.  Spry gum is available in 5 flavors: cinnamon, fresh fruit, peppermint, spearmint, and green tea.  Not exactly bubble gum flavors, but they held thier own.  After some serious chewing the votes were in.  Fresh fruit was the crowd favorite with spearmint coming in second.  Being a mint girl, myself, I prefer the peppermint and spearmint flavors, but the fresh fruit was reminiscent of Juicy Fruit.  The major complaint from my little testers was though the flavor was good, it didn't last quite as long as they wanted.

My opinion, Spry gum and mints are a win.  Both offer a variety of flavors for any palate and offer great benefits to help maintain a healthy mouth.  The gum, though a little tough to chew initially, softens and last quite a while.  The mints are easy to pop and go.  Both are great options for busy families on the go!

Xlear Spry Mints and Gum:

Kid Tested, Mommy APPROVED!

Spry is available online, at Amazon and many local health food stores.