Group · Sweet foods
Sugar-free chewing gum
Sugar-free chewing gum is a gum in which traditional sugar is replaced by intense sweeteners or polyols such as xylitol, sorbitol or maltitol. It comes as pellets, slabs or sticks, in a wide range of flavours: strong mint, spearmint, red fruits, citrus or cinnamon. Very popular for freshening breath after meals, it belongs to the sugary foods family but has a particular profile. At around 206 kcal per 100 g, its nutrition facts are mostly theoretical: you do not swallow the gum, and a pellet weighs barely more than a gram. Its real calorie contribution is therefore minimal, which sets it apart in this category.
Macronutrient breakdown
Nutrition table per 100 g
| Calories | 206 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 861 kJ |
| Protein | 0,3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 76 g |
| Fat | 0,3 g |
| Fibre | 2 g |
Micronutrients per 100 g
All measured nutrients, ranked by share of the daily reference intake.
- Calcium3700 mg463 %
- Iron5,2 mg37 %
- Magnesium130 mg35 %
- Vitamin B51,73 mg29 %
- Vitamin B931,5 µg16 %
- Manganese0,2 mg10 %
- Vitamin B10,11 mg10 %
- Copper0,09 mg9 %
See the other 4 nutrients
- Phosphorus60 mg9 %
- Potassium73 mg4 %
- Vitamin E0,16 mg1 %
- Zinc0,09 mg1 %
Anses Ciqual 2025. Source: Anses, 2025, Ciqual food composition table
Tips
Sugar-free chewing gum is best chewed after a meal or snack to keep your mouth feeling fresh. Because it contains no sucrose, it limits your intake of fermentable sugars, unlike conventional sweets such as sugared almonds or caramel sweets. Its sweetness comes from sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame K) or polyols, which provide almost no calories as long as you spit the gum out.
- Reasonable portion: one or two pellets are enough. Beyond that, polyols eaten in large amounts can have a laxative effect and cause bloating.
- Storage: keep the pack or box somewhere dry and cool, away from heat, which softens the gum.
- Key moments: ideal after a coffee, a quick lunch or before a meeting to freshen your breath.
In terms of nutrition facts, the 76 g of carbohydrate and 206 kcal shown per 100 g are misleading: that weight represents dozens of pellets, and most of it is not ingested. In practice, the intake is negligible. Chewing gum contains no notable protein or fat, and its real glycaemic index is very low because there is no sugar. That is why it is often presented as an appetite suppressant or a light weight-loss aid, as the act of chewing can help you hold out between meals. Be careful not to treat it as a substitute for a balanced meal, though: nothing replaces a proper snack. For better-planned treat breaks, see our protein snack recipes.
For active people: chewing sugar-free gum can help with a dry mouth during moderate exercise, but it provides neither energy nor hydration. Before or after training, choose real carbohydrate and a source of protein, for example in a post-training shaker. Chewing gum does not help recovery or muscle gain, it simply adds comfort.
If you are watching your weight, sugar-free chewing gum remains one of the lightest options in the sugary foods family, as long as you stay sensible with polyols. To compare its figures with other everyday foods, take a look at the food calorie table. In short: a handy little pleasure, guilt-free, but one that replaces neither a varied diet nor good hydration.