Gum. Gum. Gum. 

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I chew gum all prep long because it satisfies my desire to chew. I break the stick in half and chew it until the burst of sweet is gone and then I throw it away and quickly place the second half in my mouth. All day long. It makes me feel like I’m eating without the added calories. But is that true? 

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My beloved Trident gum states that each stick has less than 5 calories. It does NOT say it has NO calories.  So let’s do some math. 

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I figure I have about a pack of gum a day on the conservative side. That’s 14 sticks or 28 half-sticks each day.  So let’s say each stick is 4 calories (4 is less than 5, right?). That makes 56 calories each day on non-nutritive gum. Something that does not give me the energy boost of carbs or the muscle building benefits of proteins. It doesn’t even give me the regular BMs of vegetables. So why?

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All this math is giving me a headache. And my stomach grumbles. 

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I’ll think about it more tomorrow. 

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Now where is that Trident?