Finding conflicting info on chewing gum before and after meals. Does it stimulates stomach acid or neutralize it? Should I chew gum after full meal or before?
Responses (1)
Acid is neutralized by a class of chemicals called bases. Bases taste bitter. You can taste some baking soda to see what that means. Neutralizing acid also releases CO2 bubbles which force the cardiac (esophagus) valve open so you belch. Chewing gum has none of those effects. If it did, you wouldn't buy it.
Black pepper stimulates stomach acid. Acid tastes sour. If chewing gum stimulated acid, you would feel some of the same sensations that black pepper causes, and you probably would not buy it. (Although some brands of gum contain citric acid specifically to make them taste sour.)
When you find conflicting information, you just have to remember that a lot of people pretend to know things when they don't. And a lot of those people have PhD after their names. So everything you read has to be checked against common sense.
I have not studied gum carefully, but as far as I know it has only sugar, no other nutritional value at all. And some brands don't even have real sugar. Gum is not food; it's entertainment.
Thx for your feedback...so are there any suitable times to chew gum that would benefit digestion? Or simply no?