Sorbitol

When I first started competing I met several women who said they couldn't chew gum. Because of their diet!

I was really blown away, I mean, come on, it is sugarless.

Also, I have no trouble dropping body fat and I think that is for two reasons:

I am a stubborn coot and if I decide to do something, I will do it!

 I don’t cheat on my diet.

I have been reading BodyOpus and the diet is a total ketogenic diet for 5 days, then a carb fest for 2. Sounds super easy to me but when he started discussing the fact that you couldn’t even chew gum due to the carbs, it piqued my interest.

Now it all depends on how crazy, nuts, anal you want or need to be on your diet. Me? I have no problems weighing out my food; I do that year round anyway.

I have been known to eat a cookie (1) every few months. I eat chocolates rather frequently, but never when on a diet.

What’s the deal with gum?

 Sorbitol

Yes, most sugarless gum’s first ingredient is sorbitol. What is sorbitol? It is a carbohydrate! Sorbitol is a sugar substitute. It may be listed under the inactive ingredients listed for some foods and products. Sorbitol is referred to as a nutritive sweetener because it provides dietary energy: 2.6 kilocalories per gram versus the average 4 kilocalories for carbohydrates. It is often used in diet foods (including diet drinks and ice cream), mints, cough syrups, and sugar-free chewing gum.

It also occurs naturally in many stone fruits and berries from trees of the genus Sorbus.

This is a pretty high calorie “substitute”!!!

Sorbitol is also a laxative, it is not absorbed by the body well, and it can cause gastro-intestinal issues and if you eat a lot, like if you chew gum all day long, can cause weight gain!

I chew this gum every day, two on the way to the gym and two on the way home. I better pick up a new habit! At least before I go on the BodyOpus diet!