Black Jack chewing gum is back in 2018 and is as delicious as it has ever been. This old-fashioned gum established multiple “firsts” upon its invention in 1884 in the United States. With its black licorice taste, Black Jack was the first flavored gum available in America. It was also the first chewing gum offered in the now-standard stick form.

On your mental list of foods to pay special attention to, gum probably falls near the bottom (if it makes the list at all). But that stick you chew every day could contain a bunch of stuff that’s not exactly great for you.

Gluten Free Without Xanthan Gum

Licorice-flavored Black Jack Gum is one of those incredibly hard-to-find but always-popular treats for licorice lovers. For many years, it was produced sporadically but in 2019, an enterprising entrepreneur decided to start making it again. The gum is slightly softer than the original, but the flavor is essentially the same. 5 sticks per pack. Thankfully, you’re in luck because many gum companies and manufacturers actually create gluten free gum. And best part of all, most of them are already naturally gluten free. Gluten Free Gum List – Ultimate Guide. Gluten free gum list that’s separated and categorized by gum manufacturer. If you enjoy chewing gum and you follow the gluten-free diet, it's important to find gluten-free gum to chew.Yes, it's true that you don't actually swallow the gum (usually, anyway), but you will swallow enough of the juices and flavoring to give yourself a reaction if it's not gluten-free. Personalized health review for Black Jack Chewing Gum: 10 calories, nutrition grade (C plus), problematic ingredients, and more. Learn the good & bad for 250,000+ products.

Even sugar-free gums aren’t perfect, as nearly all major brands contain artificial sweeteners like aspartame. This can be problematic because they’ve been linked to heart disease and obesity, explains Jessica Cording, M.S., R.D., author of The Little Book of Game-Changers. Artificial sweeteners can also throw your taste buds out of whack. “Because they’re so sweet, they condition our taste buds to expect a higher level of sweetness,” she says. “That makes it harder to feel satisfied with things that are naturally sweet, and can ramp up cravings for sweet stuff in general.”

Is Extra Gum Gluten Free

Most gums are also made with a base that contains synthetic rubbers, emulsifiers, the controversial preservative BHT, and a plastic called polyvinyl acetate. What’s more, some gums contain titanium dioxide, an ingredient commonly found in sunscreen, says Scott Keatley, R.D., of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy. (Research has found that can dampen the ability of cells in your small intestine to absorb nutrients and act as a barrier to germs.)

That’s all led to the rise of a new group of “clean” or “natural” gums. “The term ‘clean gum’ implies it is organic, allergen-free (minus soy or gluten), and devoid of any artificial sweeteners,” says Julie Cho, D.M.D., a dentist in New York City. Many of these gums are made with natural sugar alcohols like xylitol and erythritol. These “decrease the acid production of oral bacteria, which is what causes cavities,” Dr. Cho says.

Some brands even swap out the gum base for chicle, a natural latex made from the bark of the sapodilla tree. (It’s what gum used to be made out of in the 1950s.)

How to choose the best natural gum

Unfortunately, there’s no FDA-backed label to spell out which gums are clean, but experts say there are a few important things to look out for.

✔️Consider sugar alcohols.

Gums don’t need to be sugar-free to qualify as clean, but dentists prefer you go this route—especially if you go through a lot of gum. “Sugar-free is important but not 100% critical,” says Mark S. Wolff, D.D.S., Ph.D., dean at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. The sugar in gum actually disappears after about 10 minutes of chewing (which is why it tends to lose flavor after a while), Dr. Wolff says. “If you’re a serial gum chewer, it’s best to go sugar-free,” he says. “It’s one less source of sugar that might cause tooth decay.”

✔️Avoid ingredients like aspartame whenever possible.

“There’s nothing out there that says it’s good for us,” Cording points out. Instead, look for gums that feature sugar alcohols like xylitol and erythritol. If you’re an occasional gum-chewer, more natural sweeteners like cane sugar and agave syrup are OK, Dr. Wolff says.

✔️Learn what the gum base is made of.

For what it’s worth, studies (mostly done on animals) have shown that the use of emulsifiers, BHT, and polyvinyl acetate is safe, says Keri Gans, M.S., R.D., author of The Small Change Diet. But it’s understandable if you’re not exactly excited about the idea of chomping on these ingredients. That’s why gum bases with chicle are a good option to consider, Cording says.

The best natural gums to try

Simply Gum

Simply Gum is mostly organic and non-GMO. It’s made with just chicle, dried cane juice, vegetable glycerin, sunflower lecithin, rice flour, and natural flavors. “I tend to recommend that clients who want to use chewing gum, try something with a short, simple ingredients list,” Cording says. Choose between flavors like peppermint, cinnamon, fennel licorice, maple, ginger, and coffee.

Pür Gum

Gallery: 13 Foods Bad for Your Teeth that Dentists Never Eat (The Healthy)

Cording says she regularly recommends this to her clients who love gum. It’s totally free of nuts, soy, dairy, and gluten, sweetened with xylitol, and contains gum base, gum arabic, glycerol, and natural flavors. Choose from flavors like chocolate mint, bubble gum, cinnamon, pomegranate mint, peppermint, wintergreen, spearmint, and cool mint.

© Amazon Marybelle’s Real Good Gum

Marybelle’s Real Good Gum

Marybelle’s says their gum is “always gunk-free” as it’s made with five ingredients: organic cane sugar, chicle, organic glycerin, organic sunflower lecithin, and natural flavors. It’s also soy-, nut-, and peanut-free, which means it’s great for those who have certain allergies. If you go for a gum like this, chew it in moderation due to its sugar content, Dr. Wolff says.

© Amazon Glee Gum

Glee Gum

This natural gum is free of artificial flavors, coloring, sweeteners, and preservatives, and it’s also verified as a non-GMO product. Glee Gum’s sugar-free flavors contain xylitol, which you can’t digest, Keatley points out, so it just passes through you. It has a chicle base that’s “sustainably harvested” from Central America and their packaging is recyclable. Flavors include everything from bubble gum to lemon-lime to peppermint to mixed berry.

Tree Hugger Bubble Gum

This gum comes shaped in balls that will make you nostalgic for the stuff you chomped on as a kid. Tree Hugger’s gum is sweetened with cane sugar and glucose and contains no artificial colors. Choose between flavors like bubble gum, lemonade, pomegranate, wild berry, and watermelon. Just bite into this gently—gums with hard exteriors like this can be tough on your teeth if you have underlying dental issues, Dr. Wolff says.

Xylichew

Is Black Jack Chewing Gum Gluten Free Brownie Mix

This is Keatley’s go-to option. Xylichew is sweetened with birch xylitol and is made of vegetable glycerin, gum arabic (sap from an acacia tree), sunflower lecithin, and carnauba wax. The company makes a point to state that their gum is plastic- and preservative-free. Flavors include cinnamon, fruit, spearmint, black licorice, spearmint, and peppermint.

Peelu

This gum get its sweetness from isomalt (a sugar alcohol), xylitol, and stevia, and comes in flavors like spearmint, cinnamon, citrus, and peppermint. It contains peelu tree fibers, which have been used in oral hygiene for thousands of years.

Chicza Organic Rainforest Gum

This gum is certified USDA organic and made with evaporated cane juice, chicle, glucose, agave syrup, and natural flavors. It’s also vegan and made without a whole host of potential allergens, which can come in handy if you have sensitivities, Cording says.

Support from readers like you helps us do our best work. Go here to subscribe to Prevention and get 12 FREE gifts. And sign up for our FREE newsletter here for daily health, nutrition, and fitness advice.

Try 200+ at home workout videos from Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Prevention, and more on All Out Studio free for 14 days!

Black Jack is an aniseed-flavored chewing gum currently manufactured by the Gerrit J. Verburg Co.^[1]

In 1869, exiled former Mexican president and general Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (famous for losing the Texas War of Independence) was living in New Jersey.^[2] He brought Mexican chicle with him in hopes of selling it to raise funds to help him return to power in his home country. He persuaded Thomas Adams of Staten Island, New York, to buy it. Adams, a photographer and inventor, intended to vulcanize the chicle for use as a rubber substitute. Adams' efforts at vulcanization failed, but he noticed that Santa Anna liked to chew the chicle, which the ancient Mayans had done.

Disappointed with the rubber experiments, Adams boiled a small batch of chicle in his kitchen to create a chewing gum. He gave some to a local store to see if people would buy it; they did and he began production.

Gluten Free Chewing Gum List

In 1871, Adams received a patent on a gum-making machine and began mass-producing chicle-based gum. His first product ('Snapping and Stretching') was pure chicle with no flavoring, but sold well enough to encourage Adams in his plans. He began to experiment with flavorings, beginning with sarsaparilla. In 1884, he began adding licorice flavoring and called his invention Adams' Black Jack, the first flavored gum in the U.S. It was also the first gum to be offered in sticks.

Black Jack Gum was sold well into the 1970s, when production ceased due to slow sales.^[3] It was re-introduced in 1986^[4] and again in 2019.^[5]

Ownership[edit]

Warner–Lambert acquired the American Chicle Company, including the Adams brand, in 1962. The American Chicle Company was renamed to Adams in 1997. Pfizer, which had bought Warner-Lambert in 2000, sold Adams and all of Pfizer's other candy brands to Cadbury in 2003. This unit became Cadbury Adams.^[6]

In 2019, Gerrit J. Verburg acquired the Black Jack gum brand among several others from Mondelez International, the parent company of Cadbury^[7]

In popular culture[edit]

In the book Deviant, author Harold Schechter mentions that American serial killer Ed Gein chewed Black Jack gum during his sanity hearing.Black Jack gum was also used in the television show Boardwalk Empire. It was featured in Nucki's flashbacks in Season 5, Episode 6.

In Seinfeld Season 3, Episode 5 ('The Library'), Seinfeld is reminiscing with an old friend. He asks if they were chewing Black Jack gum. She says, 'Ugh licorice gum? Never!'

In the 1990 movie Pump up the Volume, Christian Slater's character prefers Black Jack gum .

Referenced in the song 'Back to the Hotel' by SF Bay area group N2Deep.

In the Sanford and Son episode 'Coffins for Sale' Fred makes a reference to Black Jack Gum being chewed by General Pershing.

In Season 3, Episode 10 of the Showtime original series Homeland, acting director of the CIA, Saul Berenson ensures his secretary has an adequate supply during a tense moment. (Later it is referenced as his lucky gum). 'I'm out of Black Jack. Anymore out there?' Secretary brings him a pack from her desk. 'Is this the last pack?' Secretary: 'I've got you plenty more. Don't worry.'

Rage (1977) by Stephen King. In chapter 22 the lead character, Charlie Decker, says: 'Black Jack gum - there is no finer.'

In Season 3, Episode 16 of the American TV series Northern Exposure, 'Three Amigos,' Ruth-Anne offers Maurice a pack of Black Jack gum to bury with their late friend, Bill. She said he always liked it. Then, before they completely finish Bill's burial in the wilderness, Maurice offers Holling a stick and then he stuffs the pack of gum between the rocks that are covering the burial mound.

Is Black Jack Chewing Gum Gluten Free Cornbread Mix

References[edit]

Is Black Jack Chewing Gum Gluten Free Candy

1. ^https://www.candyindustry.com/articles/88327-gerrit-j-verburg-acquires-classic-gum-brands-from-mondelez-international
2. ^http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/6-things-you-may-not-know-about-santa-anna
3. ^https://www.oldtimecandy.com/collections/walk-the-candy-aisle-black-jack-gum
4. ^https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/25/business/new-revival-old-time-gum.html
5. ^https://www.candyindustry.com/articles/88327-gerrit-j-verburg-acquires-classic-gum-brands-from-mondelez-international
6. ^https://www.oldtimecandy.com/collections/walk-the-candy-aisle-black-jack-gum
7. ^https://www.candyindustry.com/articles/88327-gerrit-j-verburg-acquires-classic-gum-brands-from-mondelez-international

What Gum Is Gluten Free