Induction Sugar Free Chewing Gum

Hey all,

Seeking quick advice on sugar free chewing gum and whether it's allowed in induction or not.

Chewing gum tends to be 70g carbs per 100, although you don't exactly eat it, the carbs are just for elasticity of the gum.

I've been told that the sweetners in it can cause the body to produce insulin so it's a no. I've also been told that even if this does happen, the amount produced would not be noticeable, and the body produces 100x more through stress/sleep loss etc anyway.

Anyone know what the real deal is? I'd much prefer to eat it to keep my breath fresh!

Josh

Hi Josh,

You have to bear in mind that we're all different, what throws one person out of ketosis may not for someone else. I have found that sugar free gum in moderation, and the same with diet Pepsi, don't affect my ketosis, but then artificial sweeteners and citric acid can totally wreck Atkins for others. Best thing is to try for a week, if you lose nothing or gain then you'll know you're sensitive, if you still lose then it's a bonus! In the grand scheme of things, risking one week to get the answer isn't so bad, just make sure you're only testing one thing at a time or you'll not get accurate results.

Jayne

Hi Jayne,

Thanks for your reply! I'm actually in my first week of induction now - I guess I will just chew the odd bit of gum at work and see how I get on! At least it's not a clear no to chewing gum, that's a start!

If you go to the pharmacy Josh you'll be able to get some breath freshener strips which people use whilst on Lipotrim which have been specially formulated not to affect ketosis. If you find a pharmacy that sells LT then they'll know exactly what you're talking about I'd be a bit wary of deviating from the strictness of induction for the first 2 weeks to be honest, so these strips might be the answer.

Cheers - I've consulted the book again and a couple of other people. I think as long as I don't have more than 3 pieces of gum a day I should be ok. I'm going to carry on like this for a while and then see how I get on, those strips sound useful though!

Thanks
Josh