Gum

On Christmas Eve, I was out of ideas for a Newbie having demolished brain cells through extensive Bailey's cheer and crushed creativity with the sheer weight of the food I'd put into my mouth. And when all else fails, Google is like the rock of salvation. I went back to the website I'd visited last Friday, and I looked for new exciting things to learn.

Did your mother tell you not to swallow gum cuz it would stay in your system for 7 years? First, why didn't I ever ask, "Who cares?" And second, why didn't I ever find out whether that was really true? So, on Monday, I finally uncovered the answer to the mystery:

Generally, gum is made up of four general components, and our bodies can
easily break down three of these. The gum's flavorings, sweeteners and softeners
are all no match for human digestion. It's the gum base that sticks around. Gum
base is made mostly of synthetic chemicals, and these chemicals give gum its
chewy property. It's designed to resist the digestive properties of the saliva
in your mouth. But once it's swallowed, even the gum base is subjected to the
same treatment as regular food, and after it's recognized as useless by your
digestive system, it goes the same route as any waste product.

That would be: out the poop shoot.

So, MDoc, did you really believe that gum would be stuck in there for 7 years? Hmmm, now I wonder if my eyes will stay crossed if I leave them that way for too long....