Thursday, February 19, 2009

Xylichew Mints Raspberry and Chocolate


I have been looking for a replacement breath-freshening gum (up till now I preferred Arm & Hammer's Whitening gum, which, while having some of these bad sugars, was better than the alternatives, and, while I could never find a good source for it, now I can't find it at all), it seems that most if not all gums these days contain aspartame and other artificial sweeteners, which I will avoid, because I'm not at all convinced of the safeness of them; in fact, from what I've read, aspartame could be the cause of lots of health problems in many individuals. I came across this brand, they have a gum as well (more expensive), this is their mint (which, despite being called Xylichews, are not chewy at all, they are hard and seem like they even could chip a tooth!).

Xylitol, as I have discovered on the 'Net, is a sugar alcohol found in the fibres of many fruits and vegetables (such as birch, raspberries, plums and corn), that has less calories than sucrose, virtually no aftertaste, and is advertised as safe for diabetics and individuals with hyperglycemia. It is also a "tooth friendly" sugar, with a plaque-reducing effect, and an ability to attract and "starve" bacteria in the mouth. The box also has a claim on it, that Xylichews fights dry mouth. So, it appears to be a good alternative to other breath-freshener gums out there (with their suspect sugar substitutes).

The two flavours I got where raspberry and chocolate, both have fairly good flavour, though I think that the raspberry tastes a little better; the fakeness of the flavour is better in the raspberry, in other words. It seems to freshen my mouth after a meal, though I have to wait for any long term positive effects on my teeth (which would be great!). I think that I have found a good alternative to standard breath-freshener gums and will continue to use them.

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