Eating with hands was quite prevalent practice in most ancient civilizations like Indus Valley, Greek and the Egyptians, Even today, many people in India, Africa or the Middle East prefer to use hands for having their meal. According to Ayurveda, using hands for eating nourish mind, body and spirit. Here’s we will discuss benefits of eating with hands & why it is a healthy habit.
As per Vedas, every finger is an extension of the five elements – The thumb finger connects to fire. The index finger represents to air, the middle finger denotes space the ring finger connects to earth. And finally, the little finger represent water. It is believed that the nerve endings of the fingertips boost digestion. By using hands while eating make you aware of the of the taste, textures and aromas of the food we eat.
Why Having Meals With Hands Is A Healthy Habit ?
According to ancient Indian texts, the practice of eating with hands directly benefits our energy body & chakras, As our fingers place the food into the mouth, they tend to make a curve as a yogic mudra. This posture invigorates all the sense organs that support the pranic balance. Moreover, it also stimulates the fingertips which are associated with the third eye, heart, throat, solar plexus & root chakras.
1. Provides Healthy Bacteria
According to The Tribune, we have bacteria called ‘Normal Flora‘ on our palms and fingers that safeguard our skin and body from harmful microbes. When we eat with hands, we also ingest these healthy flora with food help that improve digestion. Although, eating with hands would boost our gut’s natural immunity, that doesn’t mean you forget to wash your hands before and after you eat.
2. Improves digestion
When you touch the food with your hands, nerves endings in your fingers communicate to your mind that you’re going to have meal. It stimulate your stomach to release the digestive juices and enzymes that are needed for proper digestion. Thus, It promotes healthy digestion in the gut. Furthermore, the nerve endings of your fingers can even sense the temperature and texture of the food you are going to eat.
3. Promotes mindful eating
According to Luke Coutinho, a holistic nutritionist, author and exercise physiologist, eating with your fingers helps in creating a connection with what you are eating and thus, it help in mindful eating It elevate mindfulness for the taste & convey a temperature reading to the brain, Thus stopping you from burning your tongue. Studies suggest mindful eating support proper digestion and better absorption of nutrients.
4. Helps Increase Blood Circulation
Different hand’s movements while Eating with hands increases the blood circulation in the body & it has proved to be a great muscle exercise. Moreover, we can move our hands, joints & fingers in different ways like forming bites of dal and roti or mixing them food together. It is equivalent to a hand exercise which positively increase the blood flow & impact the overall well-being of your body.
5. Help to Lose Weight
As per journal ‘Appetite‘ eating by hand promotes satiety and sense of fullness for long when compared to eating with any other cutlery. It also discourages mindless & overeating and thus prevent weight gain. On top of that, eating food with hands is comparatively a conscious & slower process than eating with a spoon or fork.
6. Helps Manage Food Portions
As discussed above, witless eating is one of the biggest factors of gaining weight, Managing food portions plays a key role in mindful eating. Moreover, using hands makes your eating experience enjoyable. It also curbs binge eating which often lead to many health diseases due to loss of control on food.
7. Might prevent type-2 diabetes
According to a study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition concluded that many fast eaters who used cutlery to eat were more likely to suffer from type-2 diabetes at later age. As, eating with spoon often correlates with speedy eating that has been linked with blood-sugar imbalances. This results in development of type-2 diabetes. Thus, eating with hands slowly help to keep type-2 diabetes at bay,
Points To Remember
- Do clean your hands before and after eating food with a gentle antibacterial soap.
- Always use one hand for eating & keep second stays clean for drinking.
- Engages all senses while eating with hands which will promote mindful eating.
Conclusion
As per Food Republic shows eating with hands is a practice very frequent in India, Africa and The Middle East. Eating with hands is more hygienic than with any other utensils as we are conscious of the cleanliness of our hands and wash them quite often.
So, avoid using utensils as much as possible and instead eat food with your hands that will help in proper digestion & boost immunity . The benefits of eating with hands would prevent different life threatening diseases. So pick up this simple habit to be healthy ever.
Read also: 9 Benefits of Walking barefoot on grass
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