Spry Sugarfree Chewing Gum with Xylitol - Review

Spry Sugarfree Chewing Gum is a chewing gum that is sweetened with all natural xylitol and is free of sugar and artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame and sucralose. According to the California Dental Association, xylitol is a sugar alcohol that may prevent cavities. Spry Sugarfree Chewing Gum advertises that it may benefit your dental health, but how does the taste and price measure up compared to other popular chewing gums?

Spry Chewing Gum: Price

Spry Sugarfree Chewing Gum is similarly priced to most gums. Spry Chewing Gum's price varies from store to store, but it's usually no more than a couple dollars for one pack, though some health food stores may mark it up somewhat high. It also comes in 100 piece jars for around $5 to $7. So compared to other chewing gums, Spry Chewing Gum is neither particularly cheaper nor more expensive.

Spry Chewing Gum: Taste and Chew-ability

Spry Sugarfree Chewing Gum comes in five flavors all of which are sweetened exclusively with xylitol. They are fresh fruit, spearmint, peppermint, green tea, and cinnamon. Green tea and fresh fruit are unique gum flavors, which is a plus for those looking for variety in their gum chewing habits. However, the flavor of Spry gum does not last for very long, usually only a few minutes of chewing. Though the flavor is amply sweet and pleasant while present, the temporariness can be disappointing for users.

Another downside to Spry's chewing gum is that several hours of consistent chewing can lead to the breakdown of the gum base, which becomes a liquid-y, bad tasting mess. However, this can be avoided if you chew a new piece every couple of hours.

Spry Chewing Gum: Bottom Line

Spry Chewing Gum's main selling point is its dental health benefits. Spry advertises on the back of its gum's package that you need 8 to 10 grams of xylitol daily to reduce your risk of tooth decay; however, Spry Sugarfree Chewing Gum with Xylitol only contains 0.72 grams of xylitol per piece, so you would have to chew 11 to 14 pieces of gum per day to achieve this. Though Spry's claims of tooth decay prevention may be exaggerated, the FDA does allow companies to say that xylitol does not promote tooth decay, unlike sugar, which gives Spry Chewing Gum a leg up on sugary gums.

Spry Sugarfree Chewing Gum is especially attractive to people wanting to avoid artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and aspartame for health, taste, or other reasons. Spry Sugarfree Chewing Gum is one of the few sugar free gums to not contain artificial sweeteners. Xylitol is all natural and tastes like sugar with two thirds the calories.

Spry Sugarfree Chewing Gum has great taste, but is unfortunately short lived in flavor and texture, which, if you are uninterested in the health benefits, means Spry Chewing Gum is not one of the best gums available. However, if you enjoy one of its unique flavors such as green tea or fresh fruit, it is irreplaceable by the competition.

California Dental Association, "Xylitol, The Decay-Preventive Sweetener," CDA.org

FDA, "Code of Federal Regulations Title 21," FDA.gov