Do you chew gum? Millions of people around the world do. It’s a 9,000-year-old human habit. The earliest chaw was birch or spruce gum, which archeologists have discovered complete with teeth marks.

More than 100,000 tons of chewing gum is consumed worldwide every year. Making and marketing chewing gum is a $19 billion industry in the U.S. alone. You can read more fun facts here.

So, if chewing gum this popular and pervasive, why do we do it? Should we do it? This is my chewing con-gum-drum today.

Putting Away Gummy Ghosts of the Past

When I was a girl my mother said chewing gum made women look like “cows chewing their cuds.”  Thinking back, I see that she was only trying to avoid sharing her Beecham’s with her brood.

Teachers and librarians weren’t fond of a juicy chew either. Remember, “Do you have enough for the whole class?” But their main concern was the layers of hardened goo beneath schoolroom desks.

This was more than enough discouragement for me. Chewing gum was a habit I never developed in hopes of pleasing the powers that be. I eschewed chewing.

Sure, I savored the odd piece of Double Bubble from my Halloween haul or dusty Dentyne from the depths of my grandmother’s purse, but I never “packed” myself.

Years later I mentioned this gum issue to my husband. It was probably as I was watching some happy wanderer chewing gum rapid fire as he or she walked down the street.

He agreed with my mother! It was a sign that I was well brought up, he said, whatever that means. I smell a spearmint conspiracy!

It’s time to lay mindless chewing gum myths to rest. I’ve discovered evidence that chewing gum is far from a bad habit, it’s good for baby boomer brains and bodies. And here’s why.

Gumming Up …Works

Articles abound about how chewing gum can make you smarter and healthier. Now I know you weren’t born yesterday and you have a right to be skeptical of so-called hard science sponsored by The Wrigley Science Institute. Some of their claims have overstepped a bit and have been challenged in court.

But recently their “tests have shown” that chewing gum can improve classroom performance of eight-graders.  Think of what chomping it could do for memory-challenged, easily distracted boomers?

Soldiers have been supplied with chewing gum since WWI because it helped with concentration and stress. New formulations are in the works that include antibacterial agents and caffeine to keep our GI’s wide-awake and minty fresh.

Ball players of all sorts are known to chomp their favorite flavor in the field. Who knows if their team spirit will sink without spitting and Sugarless Bazooka Joe?

Indulging your craving for your favorite chew can:

-Improve memory by boosting insulin and blood flow to the brain,

-Reduce stress and increase alertness through gentle jaw movement,

-Help manage weight, improve digestion and reduce acid reflux,

-Improve overall dental health by stimulating saliva and preventing teeth clenching and grinding, and

-Relieve boredom.

What’s not to love about all of that?

My Chewing Gum Gamble

I was cruising the towering aisles of Cost-Co picking up a few hundred dollars worth of things I didn’t really need when I wandered past a small mountain of chewing gum.  I ducked my head for a covert look and considered the “serious” gum for grown-ups… you know, teeth whitening, low sugar, in slim blue purse friendly packs.

My choice was to buy 24 packs or none. I paused to consider the “goo taboo” of my early life, then slipped the shiny carton full of secret peppermint pleasure into my overflowing cart and headed for the long line at the register.

I hid my chewy contraband in the center console of my Subaru, where a nosy girlfriend peaked in and spied my silver wrapped stash. I muttered an impromptu excuse for my excess, something about sons who steal my stuff. Her eyebrows lowered and she happily accepted a piece.

We were rebels without a cause chewin’ in contentment and cruisin’ in my car. As far as I know, not a single motorist was offended by our unseemly behavior. We felt wild and free as we snapped and mashed our way to brighter smiles.

The Perfect Pick-Me-Up

I have become more relaxed practicing this new gum chewing health habit in my car or at my desk.  I’m no James Dean with Double Bubble, but I’m trying hard to curtail my inner voices that say gum chewing is VERBOTEN.

So I say, go for it. It’s cheap, it’s legal, and it’s good for you. Scan the grocery store checkout lane for some pliable pleasure and stop censoring your chewing. You can:

-Go NOSTALGIC pick some Wrigley’s Spearmint (1893), Juicy Fruit (1893) or DoubleMint (1914) and smack your gums like your grandparents did.

-Opt for MODERN and sample Topp’s Grape Rage or Watermelon Whirl. Who knows, your appeal to the younger generation could grow as you dole out bright chunks of gum with goo in the center.

-Play it safe and healthy with TRADITIONAL tastes like Eclipse (1999) or Orbit (2001). If you’re a stickler about avoiding additives, stay away from the sugar free.  Even ten tasty Chiclets have fewer than 40 calories.

-Seek out INTERNATIONAL sensations like Mentos (The Netherlands), Stimorol (Denmark), Vibe Energy Gum (U.K.), Lotte (Japan),  or Chicza (Mexico).  When you travel, scour the newsstands and corner shops hunting for that precious foreign flavor that makes a perfect small souvenir.

-Opt for a MEDICINAL mouthful of Nicorette or other stimulating chew to temper your cravings or help you “stay the course” for health reasons.

-Be OUTRAGEOUS and stuff your gob with Bubble Yum or Bazooka and be a kid again. If you’re caught in your office with an awkward mouthful, go ahead, be fearless, blow a big bubble and smile!

Who knew that such an innocent pastime could boost your brainpower, your energy and your heath? How about it, are you ready to get snappin’?

Tags: baby boomer, brain, chewing gum, habits, health, multisensory, People pleasing