Hey there! I want to share a story about a little mistake I made today and what I learned from it. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, and that’s okay. The important thing is to learn from them so we can do better next time.
So, here’s what happened: I was chewing some gum right before lunch. I was chatting with a friend, and I accidentally swallowed the gum like it was regular food! At first, I was worried because I’ve heard that swallowed gum stays in your stomach for seven years. But guess what? That’s not true!
Even though you shouldn’t swallow gum on purpose, it doesn’t stay in your stomach for seven years. It actually comes out of your body in just a few days, just like everything else you eat. The reason some people think gum stays in your stomach is because gum isn’t regular food. It’s made of rubber, similar to rubber bands, mixed with sugar or sweeteners. This rubber makes gum chewy, but it’s not meant to be swallowed.
Your body can’t digest the rubber in gum, which means it can’t break it down for energy. So, if you swallow gum, it stays as one big blob. But don’t worry, it moves through your body and comes out as poop, just like other food.
Here’s what happens when you swallow gum: When you start chewing gum, it becomes softer, and your saliva takes out the sugar, making it taste sweet. Your body can use the sugar for energy, but not the rubber. Normally, when you’re done chewing, you should throw the gum in the trash. But if you accidentally swallow it, the gum goes down your throat into your stomach, where it mixes with other food.
In the stomach, other food starts breaking down, but the gum stays the same. Next, it moves to the small intestine, a long tube in your body. The small intestine digests food and absorbs water, but the gum just keeps moving along. This is where swallowing gum can be a bit risky. Sometimes, gum can get stuck in a kid’s small intestine, and they might need a doctor to help. But for grown-ups, it’s usually not a problem.
After the small intestine, the gum goes to the large intestine, which is shorter and wider. By now, most food is digested, but the gum still doesn’t change. The large intestine absorbs more water, and what’s left, including the gum, becomes poop. And you know where that goes!
So, it only takes a few days for gum to pass through your body, not seven years. I’ve learned my lesson: no more chewing gum right before lunch! Thanks to Diana, one of our viewers, for asking about this. If you want to keep learning and having fun, don’t forget to subscribe and check us out on the YouTube Kids app. See you next time!
Gum Journey Drawing: Draw a picture of the journey gum takes through your body. Start from when you chew it, then show it going down your throat, into your stomach, through the small and large intestines, and finally out of your body. Use different colors to show each part of the journey. Share your drawing with a friend or family member and explain what happens at each stage.
Experiment with Chewing: Try chewing a piece of gum and notice how it changes in your mouth. What happens to the flavor after a while? Why do you think that is? Discuss with a parent or teacher what happens to the sugar in the gum and why the gum itself doesn’t break down like regular food.
Observation Challenge: Next time you eat a meal, pay attention to how your body digests the food. What foods do you think are digested quickly, and which ones take longer? Talk about why some things, like gum, don’t get digested at all. Think about other things you shouldn’t swallow and why.
