If you have noticed that you're having a hard time digesting some foods, chewing gum may be your solution. Before you try using chewing gum to improve digestion, you should always consult a doctor to make sure that you don't have a more serious condition. As you get older, your body produces less and less stomach acid to help you digest properly. Chewing gum at the appropriate times can actually help give your digestive system a boost and help you digest your meals.
Improving Digestion With Chewing Gum
Chewing gum made from xylitol, which is a natural sweetener, is the best way to see digestive benefits. In order to improve digestion, try chewing gum that includes xylitol just before you eat a meal or right after you finish. When you do this, you help your body to create more saliva. As a result, you build up the amount of acid that is in your stomach. With this acid, your body can then digest your meal much better than it could if you didn't chew the gum. Though most children, teenagers and young adults have no problem digesting meals with the acid that's already present in their stomachs, you may find that you have more trouble with digestion as you get older. That's because the your levels of acid start to decrease when you are in your late 30s. Therefore, chewing gum can help build those levels back up before and after you eat. You can then improve your digestion as a result of chewing it. Try carrying a pack of gum with you for a week or so to see if it helps you improve digestion. If it doesn't, you could have a more serious problem with your digestive system.
No Gum Between Meals
While chewing gum can help improve your digestion, you don't always need acid in your stomach. Between meals, your digestive system, for the most part, is not working. It can digest what it has to, but there is no strain placed on it. So if you decide to chew gum between meals, you will be creating stomach acid that won't get used. This can actually cause you to feel pain in your stomach. So rather than chew it between meals, wait until you are just about to eat or, better yet, save your stick of gum for after your meal.
Though you may usually associate chewing gum as something that does little more than provide you with fresh breath, the truth is that gum can help you improve digestion. There are a number of things that could be wrong with you if you find yourself struggling to digest almost every meal. If this is the case, speak with your doctor. But if you suffer from the occasional stomach ache after a meal, you may just be lacking the proper amount of stomach acid. Trying chewing some gum and see if it doesn't improve the digestive process in your body.
