Chomp, Chomp Away!

A while back, our daughter became a little obsessed with chewing gum. Well, at first she was imitating a behavior she’d seen. One night at dinner she took a bite of her food and…CHOMP, CHOMP, CHOMP. Her face was so adorable. Daddy and I glanced at one another, not quite sure what was going on. Our neighbor down the street babysits for us once in a while, and now that I was thinking of it, I couldn't recall a time I had ever seen her sans chewing gum. Ding! That must be where she got it.

“Mommy, look! I’m chewing gum.” Yep. She’s three going on twelve alright. For awhile my husband and I just ignored it. But when it escalated from food to obsessive paper chewing (toilet paper, drawing paper, a torn corner in the book I was reading!), we gave in and offered the real deal.

Thankfully I had some Spry gum on hand in the cupboard. This gum is made with xylitol, and is one of many Spry Dental Defense Products. Since it is sugar-free, has no artificial ingredients, and is actually recommended by dentists, my only concern was now a question of where I might be finding abandoned lumps of chewing gum around my house! To my surprise, our little one is quite responsible with her chewing gum habit. Now I can feel great about allowing her to have fun with this special treat, while fighting cavities at the same time.

I recently read an article in Healthy Living by Dr. Lon Jones, the physician who pioneered xylitol's use in a nasal spray for allergies, asthma and sinus problems, as well as middle-ear infections. Wow! I knew it had a reputation for helping fight cavities, but this is great news. Studies have confirmed that xylitol fights off pathogens in the nasal passages, promoting sinus and respiratory health. I also learned that xylitol not only reduces cavities in children and adults, but also actually starves the bacteria that cause cavities.

So what xylitol products are in my cupboard? In addition to the gum, my little one likes the mints and Sparx candies, I occassionally use granulated xylitol as a lower glycemic sweetener, and now we are using the Xlear nasal spray. For more details on the many benefits of xylitol, visit http://www.xclear.com/ or call 877-599-5327.

Here's to sweet and natural health defense!