IMO... Extra Sugar Free Gum is the Extra Best

IMO...

This is a new thing I am starting just for fun. I often have fleeting thoughts about things like, "Hmmm, this gum has given me quite a long run of enjoyment." Something you normally wouldn't say out loud, unless you feel the need to talk a lot, but a notion that has enough worthiness to become a transient thought. It normally ends there, and I go about my business of being a mom, etc, but what if I were to take that thought and run with it? Isn't that what editorialist's do? I have lots of opinions on many subjects, many of which are silly, many of which are serious, but all of which are influenced by my life's expereinces and are open for adjustment. I believe opinions that are not open for change, even the most adamant of opinions, are simply judgments - now, again, this is my opinion. And while there are many people who are experts in certain fields whose opinions are deserving of being judgments, most opinions are not backed by that kind of knowledge and expertise. Most opinions are just based on what we feel is true. So what I am saying is that these installments will just be editorials like those in newspapers or like Andy Rooney's musings on "60 Minutes". Andy Rooney gets on my nerves, however, I think because he comes off snooty and pessimistic, not qualities that I find amusing, and I think he is trying to be funny; or is he? So if my editorializing gets on your nerves, just skip the entries that begin with "IMO..." and continue to enjoy our family stories and updates. What's wonderful about the human brain is that you never know exactly what it is going to come up with next. Maybe I'll want to shed light on a serious subject that needs attention. But I think I'll most prefer to keep it light and whimsical; it lifts my spirit. Like today...

First up:

IMO... Extra Sugar Free Gum is the Extra Best

This thought crossed my mind today, although not in those exact words. I changed it up some for artistic measure. I was especially tantalized today while waiting at the checkout stand by a flavor I hadn't noticed before: watermelon.

I picked up a pack, and it is delicious, in my opinion, if you like artificial watermelon flavor. You can't really reproduce the wonderfully unique flavor of fresh watermelon. After chewing my gum for a while, my exact thought was, "This gum sure is lasting a long time," which brings me to this topic to kick around. ("This Gum Sure is Lasting a Long Time" didn't seem aesthetic enough for a title, my thoughts are never as articulated as the words I choose to speak; heck, as a mom of four, sometimes the words I speak are jibberish! So I doubt I will ever use the actual thought that piques my editorial interest as a title).

They keep coming up with all these gimmick gums that promise you fresh breath and better dental health, but they only last about 2 minutes before you want to chuck it. They do give you a big burst of flavor in the beginning, but if you like to chew gum and enjoy the flavor for a while, Extra is your best bet. In my opinion, Extra is the best gum out there.

Here's why:

• It tastes really good for sugar free gum
• The flavor lasts a really long time (20 minutes or more) compared to sugar gums which are devoid of flavor in only a few minutes
• And because it's sugar free, it doesn't promote cavities.

In fact, it prevents cavities better than those gimmick gums, in my opinion, because the flavor lasts longer. I'm no expert, but I believe sugar free gum works to prevent cavities when chewed directly after meals because the flavors cause you to salivate a lot, and that saliva flushes out all those plaque causing bacteria in your mouth. There's probably more to it than that, but I will leave you to research that on your own if you need to know.

An oddity of my own which my husband finds particularly amusing and of which I have yet to find anyone who shares it with me, is that while chewing gum, when the flavor is all gone, upon the exact chew that is immediately following that last chew with the slightest hint of flavor, I invariably gag. Sometimes I can chew a few more times after that before I gag again, but I continue to gag, often after every subsequent chew, until I spit it out. It does not matter what type or brand of gum, I still gag, although I do gag more violently with sugary gums, therefore, I don't chew sugary gums! Occasionally, I am not in a position to remove the gum inconspicuously, although if I do not draw attention by spitting out the gum, I will certainly eventually draw attention with my incessant gagging, so I have to sometimes secretly expel it into a piece of paper or tissue. I refuse to turn it into that disgusting ABC gum (already been chewed) that we all have come to know and despise that you step into on hot asphalt and can never completely remove from the bottom of your favorite pair of shoes or equally ghastly, the ones you find stuck to the bottom of just about every desk at school. Usually, I try to keep the gum wrapper on my person, so I have the ability to stealthily tuck it away until I come across a trash receptacle.

Gum chewing is fun and enjoyable and can be good for you. I've read that it can help with your concentration, the theory being that the act of chewing stimulates your brain, the hypothalamus in particular, which releases hormones that keep you alert. So if you feel yourself dozing off at work or in the car, rather than pump yourself full of caffeinated and often sugar loaded sodas or coffee, pop in a stick of gum! Another plus, in true MacGyver fashion, you never know when you might need that ABC gum to help you get out of a locked room that is about to blow up!