6. Chewing Gum
You know in the movies, where the cool chicks, the stressed-out football manager or the unscrupulous cop are always nonchalantly chewing gum? We can’t help but watch wondering why on earth they’re not constantly looking in the fridge, because chewing gum makes us super hungry!
Chewing without swallowing (which is essentially what we’re doing when we chew gum) stimulates the digestive process. Digestion actually begins in the mouth, as the salivary glands produce saliva which contains digestive enzymes that begin to break down our food (or more specifically, amylase, the digestive enzyme that begins to break down carbohydrates).
Chewing gum tricks our mouth into producing more saliva and therefore digestive enzymes. The stomach is then tricked into thinking that food is on its way and when it doesn’t appear, the stomach is expectantly calling up, “hello, anybody up there?” The brain then thinks hang on, no food? But we’re hungry! Cue, a rumbling tummy. If you want to freshen your breath, opt for sugar free mints instead, or chew gum for a short period only.
