I’m frequently asked things like, “I’m in desperate need of a quick-acting OTC medication-like tablet to help give me some fast relief. What do you think about the Tums ingredients? Or is there anything else you’d recommend?”
Well first, let me make this very clear — please don’t use products like this as a staple for “medical help” vs getting some sort of diagnosis. You need to understand the underlying cause and seek actual medical advice for the issue if you’re needing to reach for OTC products every single moment of every single day.
However, no one can argue that sometimes an upset stomach just gets the best of us.
Like you, I always have a dietary supplement on hand for those times.
And you know what?
I’m super embarrassed to admit this but I’ve always had Tums chewable antacids or some generic form of Tums handy just in case.
But I told myself that when I found the optimal alternative, I’d dump the Tums where they belonged – in the garbage.
So when I ran across a brand new + clean alternative to this product, I wanted to investigate it all – for both you and me.
Here is what I found…..allowing me to dump that bottle I’ve always had in the cupboard!
Tums Ingredients {+ a clean alternative}
Click HERE to save this post for later.
There are two main “forms” these products come in:
- chewy bites
- chewable “chalky” tablets
Before I review the ingredients in each, I wanted to talk about what an antacid actually is and what the different types of antacids are.
What is an Antacid?
An antacid is exactly as it states, something that is anti-acid; something that neutralizes gastric acid.
And while mainstream information tells us that we all have too much stomach acid, the truth is that many people actually have too little stomach acid.
HERE are 33 ways to know if you have low stomach acid.
Okay, so moving on. What, then, does an antacid consist of?
Different Types of Antacids
Here are some ingredients to look for to know whether the product is an antacid or not:
- aluminium hydroxide
- magnesium carbonate
- magnesium trisilicate
- magnesium hydroxide
- calcium carbonate
- sodium bicarbonate
While those are the ingredients to look for, you might be most familiar with them by their brand name.
Some of these brand names include:
- Milk of Magnesia
- Tums
- Mylanta
- Alka-Seltzer Heartburn + Gas
- Rolaids
Source: HERE
So now you know what an antacid is and what some of the brand names are, but what’s actually in them?
I’ll break down two for you today:
Tums Chewy Bites
The chewy bites include the following ingredients:
Active ingredient (per tablet): Calcium carbonate USP 750mg – Antacid. Inactive ingredients: acacia gum, alcohol, ammonium hydroxide, beeswax, caprylic/capric triglycerides, carmine, carnauba wax, citric acid, coconut oil, corn starch, corn syrup, dextrin, ethyl acetate, ethyl alcohol, FD&C blue #1 alum lake, FD&C blue #2 alum lake, FD&C red #40, FD&C red #40 alum lake, FD&C yellow #5 alum lake (tartrazine), FD&C yellow #6, FD&C yellow #6 alum lake, flavors, gum arabic, isopropyl alcohol, maltodextrin, methyl paraben, modified corn starch, n-butyl alcohol, phospohoric acid, PVP, propyl paraben, propylene glycol, purified water, shellac, sodium benzoate, sorbic acid, sorbitol, soy bean oil, soy lecithin, sucrose, TBHQ, titanium dioxide, triacetin, vegetable oil
Are you exhausted by that list?
Whew.
Me, too.
Original Tums Ultra Strength Antacid Chewable Tablets
These chewable antacid tablets include:
adipic acid, corn starch, FD&C blue #1 lake, FD&C red #40 lake, FD&C yellow #5 (tartrazine) lake, FD&C yellow #6 lake, flavors, mineral oil, sodium polyphosphate, sucrose, talc
Yes, these tablets contain fewer ingredients. However, I’m not sure about you, but I do NOT want to see those ingredients on any package label for a product that I’m hoping to temporarily reduce signs of heartburn or any other upset stomach.
And right now, you’re likely thinking, “But why? What’s so wrong about it all?” So I’ll lay out some points in a succinct manner.
First, if you’re tracking anything in your food and lifestyle journal, these are INGREDIENT(S) not INGREDIENTS and it’s going to make your detective work a real pain in the a$%.
Next, I recommend you do their own research on these ingredients and come to your own conclusions if they feel said ingredients fits your lifestyle.
These ingredients include:
- Food colorings and dyes
- FD&C Blue #1 = Blue 1
- FD&C Blue #2 = Blue 2
- Titanium dioxide
- Propylene glycol (a common food emulsifier)
- Talc
More on emulsifiers in food HERE.
I could continue on, but we’ll stick to those for now.
The point? Long-term use of antacids should always be consulted with your health professional. is probably not conducive for actual healing. But even in the short term or sporadically, I sought to find an alternative
And so, you’re looking for fast heartburn relief or something to quell that sour stomach but you’re really not interested in the above options.
I get it, and I found us a clean alternative: Wonderbelly.
Enter Wonderbelly
Wonderbelly reached out to me, and like the other thousands of brands that reach out to me, I investigated on them hard core.
The product provides maximum strength, instant relief from heartburn, acid indigestion and upset stomach related to these symptoms.
Because I was already looking for something to replace the Tums in our medicine cabinet, I agreed to review the ingredients.
Here are the ingredients in the Wonderbelly product:
CALCIUM CARBONATE
Naturally mined from limestone and always pharmaceutical grade. This is their active ingredient.
Calcium Carbonate is the same active ingredient used in the leading antacids and is highly effective in neutralizing stomach acid and relieving heartburn and acid reflux symptoms.
VEGETABLE CELLULOSE
Produced from non-GMO purified wood pulp cellulose. As a binder, it helps keep the tablet compressed and intact.
As a diluent, it improves the content uniformity of the active ingredient.
NATURAL FLAVORS
Produced from non-GMO natural flavoring and used to give taste and aroma to the tablets.
VEGETABLE STEARATE
Derived from non-GMO edible vegetable sources. It acts as a lubricant to aid the manufacturing process and ensure that the tablet can be compressed without cracking or breakage.
MAIZE STARCH
Produced from non-GMO corn. As a binder, it keeps the tablet compressed and intact.
As a disintegrant, it helps the tablet break apart easily when chewed and disintegrate faster when swallowed.
SUCROSE
Produced from non-GMO sugar cane. They use this ingredient to sweeten the tablet and give it texture.
Here is more product information for Wonderbelly:
- There are 3 flavors:
- The product boasts these attributes:
- Non GMO
- No Dyes
- Talc free
- No artificial flavors
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Vegan
- No artificial sweeteners
- Plastic free!
Wondering which flavor I liked best? I did a whole unboxing for the product with more information. Check it out!
And here is what I personally LOVE about the product:
- The packaging is UNREAL! Yeah, I’m a packaging nerd and that has nothing to do with gut health, but it is super cool. How that does correlate with gut health, though, is one of those lifestyle factors I’m constantly talking about: replace plastic as often as possible. Additionally, the product is sustainable from start to finish, which is truly unique for a product like this.
- Same active ingredients as leading brands, and with clean ingredients.
- Flavor. Yes, they actually even taste delicious. I tried all three in one sitting, just to be sure that I could say the flavor was spot on. And it is!
- Alignment. The company is aligned with my desire for being open and forthcoming about the gut and what it takes to truly heal. In fact, they have a super fun blog called Guts & Butts where they are not afraid to talk about the hard s#$%. Sound like another website you know and love?! 🙂
If you’re interested in checking them out, I strongly recommend the Variety pack because…..why not have ’em all?! Grab them HERE.
If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:
- Can Acid Reflux Cause Sinus Problems {+ 4 more gut-sinus connections}
- All About Acid Reflux
- A Gutsy Girl’s Bible: a 21-day approach to healing the gut
Disclosure: This post is a paid partnership with Wonderbelly. All opinions stated here are 100% my own. I appreciate your support, as this compensation helps with expenses to keep this blog up and running, and for me to continue sharing all that I can with you. For my full disclaimer and disclosure click HERE. Thank you for your support!
Xox,
SKH
You will heal. I will help.
