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Is sugar-free chewing gum found in most UK stores safe for keto? Well, some brands contain artificial sweeteners and chemicals that may impact ketosis but many are actually keto-friendly. Let’s take a look at what makes a good low carb chewing gum and where you can buy some in the UK.
Why chew gum in the first place?
Chewing sugar-free gum, even when not on a keto diet can be great for:
- Dealing with bad breath – especially that keto breath
- Overcoming cravings – not just for food but other cravings like cigarettes
- Managing hunger – less snacking
- Prevent tooth decay & strengthen teeth – by increasing the flow of saliva and reducing plaque acid as well as remove food particles (more)
All sounds pretty good and on a keto diet using gum to deal with keto breath can be a godsend! However, not all sugar-free chewing gum is suitable for the keto diet.
Sweeteners to avoid in chewing gum
Many sugar-free chewing gums contain artificial sweeteners and chemicals that can impact ketosis and cause other digestive issues.
When looking for suitable keto safe sugar-free chewing gum you want to avoid certain types of sugar replacements that elicit an insulin spike. It’s the crash after one of these spikes that leads to cravings and makes it harder to stay on any diet.
There are many sugar-free alternatives that can cause an insulin spike and you want to avoid them. They include (but not limited to):
- Maltitol – A sugar alcohol that can cause bloating, gas, diarrhoea and spike insulin levels
- Maltodextrin – Higher on the GI list than even table sugar and can cause insulin spikes kicking you out of ketosis
All these have a high glycaemic index (GI) with some even higher than normal table sugar! You can view a table here with a list of all common sugar alternatives and their respective GI value.
One thing to be aware of is how much you consume. Most pieces of chewing gum are small, so even if they did contain bad ingredients they won’t cause too many issues.
However, if you’re like me and have quite a few pieces throughout the day then you need to be wary of these bad sugar replacements. You’ve probably seen the warning on the packets about excessive consumption may cause laxative effects. It’s these ingredients that elicit that reaction!
What to look for in a keto safe chewing gum
Ok, so we now know what to avoid, so what should we be looking for in a good sugar-free keto safe chewing gum? Well, we want the sugar replacement(s) to have a low GI rating that won’t impact our blood sugar levels.
There are many brands that use keto-friendly sweeteners, which include:
- Xylitol
- Sucralose
- Aspartame
- Sorbitol
- Isomalt
- Mannitol
- Inulin
- Erythritol
- Stevia
All these sweeteners have a GI index of less than 12 and while some do contain carbs they are not ones that are digested by your digestive system (so shouldn’t be counted). However, some may cause digestive distress if consumed in sufficient quantities!
Xylitol is a particularly popular sweetener to use in chewing gum as it has been proven to be effective at preventing cavities. It does this by reducing the amount of cavity-causing bacteria in your mouth, you can read more about this here.
For some of the other sweeteners like Aspartame, the jury is still out on whether the potential long-term health risks are harmful enough to prevent usage. You can read more about all these products in our sugar-free guide.
Top keto-friendly chewing gum brands in the UK
Now that we know what should (and shouldn’t) be in a good sugar-free keto chewing gum, let’s take a look at what’s available in the UK.
Peppersmith
Peppersmith is a brand of chewing gum and mint manufacturer that use 100% Xylitol and no artificial sweeteners at all! They come in two flavours and are even endorsed by dentists across the UK, as well as the Oral Health Foundation.
Peppermint
Available at: Amazon, Holland & Barrett, Morrisons, Ocado and other UK stores
Spearmint
Available at: Amazon, Holland & Barrett, Morrisons, Ocado and other UK stores
Pur
Pur Gym is another brand that uses all-natural ingredients with Xylitol as the sweetener of choice. They come in a multitude of flavours and are great at masking that keto breath!
Peppermint
Available at: Amazon
Pomegranate
Available at: Amazon
Wintergreen
Available at: Amazon
Mentos White
Mentos white gum can be found in most UK stores and is sweetened with a mixture of Xylitol, Sorbitol, Mannitol and Aspartame. These are fine for keto so long as you don’t eat too many, otherwise you may experience some digestive discomfort!
Bubble Fresh
Available at: Amazon, Asda and most other UK stores
Spry
Spry gum is made with 100% non-gmo xylitol and comes in three flavours. They can be a bit pricy so you might want to buy in bulk to cut down on costs (where possible).
Peppermint
Available at: Amazon
Other brands
There are so many chewing gum brands that are potentially keto-friendly that it’s impossible to list them all. The popular ones like Wigley’s Extra are usually sweetened with a mixture of keto-safe ingredients just check the ingredient list before purchase.
Other brands like Airwaves use Maltitol syrup, which you should try and avoid but are probably fine in small doses.
Conclusion
Most sugar-free gum is probably fine for keto, so long as you limit your intake to only a few pieces a day. If you like to have a pack or more a day then you may experience unpleasant digestive issues such as diarrhoea, flatulence as well as sugar cravings.
Just remember to avoid high GI sugar replacements like maltitol and maltodextrin and you should be good to go!