Answer: Yes.
You can find Tums on the racks of most grocery shops, but as a vegan, can you take them if you have a stomach ache or heartburn? The quick answer is yes. However, there are other flavors to choose from, and calcium carbonate may be a concern.
So, we’ll take a deeper look to get to the bottom of all the components of how Tums are considered vegan and which varieties are not as well as their health effects.
Table of Contents
What Are Tums?
Tums is a calcium carbonate-based antacid. Many retail outlets, including grocery stores, pharmacy stores, and mass merchandisers, sell it over the counter and in the digestive health section. It relieves heartburn, acid indigestion, and a sour stomach.
Tums’ Ingredients – Are They Vegan?
Tums’ ingredients include table sugar or sucrose, mineral oils, calcium carbonate, organic acids, natural and artificial tastes, and vegan food colorants.
Tums’ active component is calcium carbonate, but is it harmful? It acts quickly to neutralize the acidity in the stomach, which can cause stomach distress and heartburn. It may be found on rocks that have high amounts of the compound, such as limestone, but also on travertine, chalk, and marble. There are additional sources that might render a calcium carbonate-containing product undesirable for vegans. Tums would be non-vegan if they contained eggshells, oyster shells, or snail shells.
Nonetheless, calcium carbonate is not as disapproved of as other possible non-plant-derived substances. The majority of businesses rely on natural resources.
You won’t ever find calcium carbonate on PETA’s list of animal-derived substances, which is updated regularly.
Tums’ calcium carbonate is made from pure limestone, which is treated to ensure its purity. This, fortunately, makes it vegan.
Vegan Tums Options
Tums are available in various flavors and with a variety of ingredients. Here are some vegan-friendly choices:
Tums Regular Strength
Tums Regular Strength is the most popular and common Tums. They are the go-to alternative for anyone suffering from excessive acidity.
The components list for the various fruit flavors, as well as peppermint, contains active calcium carbonate and other inactive vegan components in the various fruit variants, resulting in anyone following a plant-based diet having no concerns with this version.
Tums Sugar-Free
Tums Sugar-Free are relatively close to standard strength Tums expect for the absence of sugar. The Melon Berry version does contain one component that will raise a vegan’s eyebrows: stearate or static acid.
Stearate, also known as static acid, is formed from triglycerides and can be obtained from either animal or plant sources. It’s hardly the most contentious item, and most people will continue reading the ingredients list without pausing. It is an important component of cocoa butter and shea butter, although it can be challenging to determine where a company gets theirs from.
Anyone who wants to be extra careful will avoid this substance, but for the most part, it is tolerable.
Tums Smoothies
Tums Smoothies are available in the same flavors as the previous two versions, including various fruit, peppermint, and joyful berries.
Expect starch sources like cornstarch and dextrose in each of their component profiles, as well as vegetable gums like microcrystalline cellulose and guar, sucrose, stearate, and sorbitol.
Again, the presence of stearate may turn off some vegans, but otherwise, they are acceptable for vegan consumption.
Other Non-Vegan Tums
Tums really have a variety of flavors to choose from. However, the following Tums include a blend of carmine, beeswax, and shellac, which makes them nonvegan:
- Tums Chewy Bites, Assorted Berry – Shellac, Beeswax, and Carmine
- Tums Chewy Delights Gas Relief, Lemon and Strawberry – Beeswax, Carmine, and Shellac
- Tums Chewy Bites Cooling Sensation – Beeswax and Shellac
Because beeswax is an animal-derived substance, most vegans avoid it, while others take it as part of a plant-based diet.
Carmine is a synthetic culinary color derived from crushed beetles. That’s accurate, the cochineal beetle is utilized for its red pigment, which is frequently used in cosmetics and cuisine.
Shellac is produced by lac bugs as they ingest and excrete tree sap. Shellac is extracted from the bark; however, this procedure may require the removal of dead lac bugs. Many vegans are still concerned about insect-derived products.
Are Tums Dairy-Free?
There is no dairy in any of the variations we’ve looked at. However, one variety of Tums does, and that is their Chewy Delights collection. Very Cherry, Orange Rush, and Smooth Peppermint are the three flavors available.
Nonfat milk is something they all use. Because of the inhumane treatment of dairy cows, they are not vegan. Cows are frequently separated from their one-day-old calves, and the stress of dairy farming can lead to sickness and a faulty reproductive system, rendering the cows useless and forcing them to be killed.
Are Tums Gluten-Free?
Even though gluten is not used as filler for TUMS antacid, there may be tiny levels of gluten in the tablets due to components provided by third-party suppliers.
Are Tums Safe?
“How do you deal with heartburn or indigestion?”
“Of course, take Tums.”
Now is the time to reconsider your response.
Taking Tums or other antacids to relieve heartburn has become habitual. It’s the adult equivalent of smarties, those teeny little candy tablets you used to consume as a kid and thought were medication. Oh, how things have changed: we now treat medicine as if it were candy.
Certainly, over-the-counter antacid tablets, such as Tums or the generic equivalent, aren’t bad; they can help lower acid in the stomach and make you feel better after eating a meal that just doesn’t cooperate with you. They also include calcium, which is fantastic. However, too much antacid might be harmful to one’s health.
Precautions
Antacids are generally considered safe by the majority of individuals. People with specific medical issues, on the other hand, should see their doctors before using some antacids containing magnesium carbonate and aluminum hydroxide.
People suffering from heart failure, for example, could be subjected to salt limitations to reduce fluid accumulation. Antacids, on the other hand, are frequently high in salt. Before using antacids, these persons should see their doctor.
After using antacids, those with renal failure may acquire an aluminum accumulation. This can result in aluminum poisoning. Electrolyte balance issues are common in people suffering from renal failure. All antacids include electrolytes, which may aggravate electrolyte balance issues.
Before giving your kid antacids, consult with your child’s doctor. Because children do not usually experience symptoms of high stomach acid, their symptoms might be due to another issue.
Natural Vegan Alternatives To Antacids
While antacids are often effective, some people have adverse effects or discover their symptoms do not improve. Also, if you have regular instances of indigestion, purchasing antacids each time might soon add up.
Research has compiled a list of different natural alternatives to antacids that you may use to successfully prevent and manage indigestion.
Read on to find more about the natural vegan alternatives to do.
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile is well-known for having a relaxing influence on your mental wellness. What you may be unaware of is that it has a similar impact on your stomach.
While it does not definitely prevent acid reflux, it can minimize the following swelling in your throat and has pain-killing qualities that can help relieve your symptoms.
Chamomile’s ability to alleviate stress also addresses one of the primary reasons for indigestion.
Ginger
Ginger is an antiemetic, which means it can help with vomiting and nausea. It accomplishes this by lowering the number of stomach contractions, which is beneficial after a heavy meal since it prevents acid from being pushed down your esophagus. It, like chamomile, has anti-inflammatory qualities.
You can eat ginger raw, but it’s frequently more enjoyable to brew it into a tea or add it to meals like stir-fries.
You should consume no more than 4 g of ginger each day. It is, after all, a spice, and we all know that spicy food may cause indigestion. Too much could worsen your heartburn and indigestion.
Rest And Relaxation
As the expression goes, “prevention is better than cure.†There are several things you may do to lower your chances of heartburn or getting indigestion.
Stress is a known cause of indigestion, so if you’ve been feeling stressed recently, this should be one of the first things you address.
You might also try:
- Consuming less calories;
- Avoiding foods that are known to induce indigestion;
- Eating more slowly;
- Large meals should be avoided immediately before going to bed, as reclining down might put a strain on your stomach;
- Quit smoking because cigarettes can cause the hole between your throat and stomach to weaken, enabling acid to pour back through more readily;
Takeaways
Antacids neutralize the acid produced by your stomach. This may help you feel more at ease. This can help your stomach and esophagus recover, and Tums is a good recommendation.
However, not all Tums are suited for a plant-based diet. But there are choices for treating heartburn and when acidity causes discomfort. Avoid the animal-derived variants and stick to the sugar-free, standard strength, and smoothies options to still follow your vegan diet.
Aside from taking drugs, there are also natural alternatives to help lessen your indigestion and heartburn.
Learn about your over-the-counter treatments if you suffer from acid reflux or other symptoms caused by stomach acidity, and consult your doctor to determine which option is best for you.
