We have a variety of Indian customs that have either been forgotten or have grown over time. It's permissible to state that some of these have improved, while others have not.
One of these customs is the basic practice of eating with our hands, which has largely been replaced by the use of gleaming cutlery.
Most Indians claim that the only way to get a true taste of food is to eat it with your hand.
These are only a few examples; there is a wealth of information about this indigenous activity that you should be aware of.
So, grab your plate of food and eat with your hands while reading this fascinating piece of material.
Health benefiting properties of Hands:
According to the Vedas, the hands are the most valuable organs of action, and each finger is an extension of the five elements:
the thumb represents space, the forefinger represents air, the middle finger represents fire, the ring finger represents water, and the little finger represents Earth.
The nerve endings of the fingertips, according to Ayurveda, are thought to aid digestion.
In reality, when you eat with your hands and engage your fingertips, you become more aware of the textures, flavours, and aromas.
Using your hands to eat provides more nutritional benefits than using spoons. We've got your back if you haven't considered it yet.
Health Benefits of Eating With Hands:
Our bodies are thought to have bacteria or flora that protect us from harmful bacteria growing in the environment and exist in places like our hands, mouth, throat, intestine, and stomach.
The flora in your fingers is swallowed as you eat with your lips. It's good for your eyes and different parts of your body.
As you place the food in your mouth with your fingertips, you unconsciously curve them into a yogic mudra, which stimulates the sensory organs that hold prana in check. As a result, it aids in proper digestion.
Prevents Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes patients were more likely to be fast eaters who ate with cutlery. Faster feeding has been attributed to blood sugar imbalances in the body when forks and spoons are used to feed.
This contributes to the progression of type 2 diabetes. So, instead of using utensils, eat with your hands to ensure deliberate slowing. As a result, it appears to be successful in avoiding type 2 diabetes.
Helps Manage Food Portions
Eating with your hands causes you to eat more slowly and thereby consume more efficiently because you become more mindful of the eating process when you feel it with all of your senses.
Many recent studies have shown how the hand trick can help you manage your portions.
When you feed with your mouth, you have to pay attention to what you're eating, which makes you conscious of how much you've consumed.
Furthermore, using your hands improves and enhances your food experience.
Helps in Blood Circulation
Eating with your hands is a great muscle-building practice that also improves blood circulation. Excessive hand movement can aid in the smoothing of blood flow.
Eating with your hands is beneficial because it can be a great muscle workout that can help with blood circulation. The movements of the hands can help to improve blood flow, which has a positive impact on the body's overall health.
Helps you Stay Fit
Apart from improved digestion, portion control, and muscle exercise, two studies published in the journal Appetite showed that when people ate by hand when reading a newspaper or watching TV, they ate faster.
At snack time, they were less hungry and chose a smaller snack. When opposed to eating with utensils, researchers found that eating by hand encourages a sense of fullness and satiety.
Hygiene is Promoted
Contrary to common opinion, eating with your hands is much more sanitary than eating with utensils because you wash your hands several times a day while we only wash our utensils once a day.
We are aware of the importance of hand hygiene because no matter what happens, our hands will be cleaner at the end of the day. As a result, it encourages overall hygiene.
Eating with your hands may allow you to eat more slowly and deliberately, allowing you to feel satisfied with less food and avoiding binge eating and weight gain.
It also promotes a sense of satiety or pleasure, which is lacking when eating with cutlery. As a result, you'll be satisfied for longer.
Prevents Burning of Turning
Your hands can also be used as temperature sensors. When eating with a fork, a person will not realize how hot the food is because it goes straight from the platter to his mouth.
When you touch the food with your hands while eating it, the nerve endings in your fingertips send a temperature reading to the brain, which prevents you from burning your tongue.
Develops a Connection with Food
If you've ever noticed, when you eat Indian food (daal and rice) with your hands, you get an unspoken bond with the food that you don't get when you eat it with a fork or spoon.
"Eating with your fingers lets you develop a link with what you're eating and therefore, you eat mindfully," says Luke Coutinho, a holistic nutritionist, author, and exercise physiologist.
Exercise for Hands and Fingers
Since eating with one's hands is a type of muscle exercise, it improves blood circulation in the body.
And all you slackers out there, you now know what to say the next time someone inquires about your workout routine.
Side-Effects of Eating With Hands:
There aren't many people who still eat with their hands in today's world. With our rituals being taken over by glittery and fancy cutlery, most people prefer to eat with spoons.
There are also some disadvantages to eating with your hands. Let's take a closer look at them.:
Germs can invade our mouths through our food if our hands aren't clean.
Our hands will cause a burn if the food is hot.
If you have long nails, food particles can get stuck in them.
If you use some lotion, sanitiser, or other substance right before eating, you might get the taste of the substance you used earlier, which can be dangerous at times.
So, what are you waiting for? To ensure a healthier you, throw away the cutlery and start eating your favourite dishes the old-fashioned way!
Also, remember to wash your hands thoroughly before eating.
Hope you liked the health benefits and side effects of eating with hands. 🙏