We often quote our country as ‘Incredible India’, but we hardly think about the reasons behind this statement. Okay, let me tell you one of the reasons that makes India incredible and silly that it may sound to you now, but that fact that we eat with our hands and not with glittery cutlery, makes us really special. It is such a regular practice that we mostly never give a thought to it and pick the spoon only when we are in company or are eating out in a party or restaurant. According to Vedas, the practice directly benefits our chakras, and the use of hands for eating also increases the blood circulation. These are just to name a few, beyond this; there is a plethora of logic that you need to know about this indigenous practice. So, grab your plate of food and eat with your hands while you read this piece of information which will amaze you.
What Ayurveda Explains
Eating is supposed to be a sensory experience and it is said to evoke emotion and passion. According to the Vedas, hands are the most precious organs of action. The scriptures reveal how every finger is an extension of the five elements. Through the thumb comes space, with the forefinger comes air, the middle finger is fire, the ring finer is water and the little finger represents earth.
Hence, eating with one’s fingers stimulates these five elements and helps in bringing forth digestive juices in the stomach.
The nerve endings on our fingertips are known to stimulate digestion. Feeling your food becomes a way of signaling the stomach that you are about to eat. You become more conscious of the taste, textures and aromas.
Eating with Hands is an Exercise too
Eating with hands increases the blood circulation in the body since it is sort of a muscle exercise.
For all you lazy bums out there like me, you know what to answer when someone asks about your exercise schedule next time.*wink wink*
Helps Manage Digestion Problems
An article in The Tribune talks about how we have a bacteria, known as normal flora found on the palm and fingers of the hand. It is not harmful to humans, it, in fact, protects us from many damaging microbes in the environment. When you eat with your hands, the flora in the fingers is swallowed. It is beneficial for health and for various body parts such as the mouth, throat, and intestine, and it promotes healthy digestion in the gut.
As mentioned above handling food with your fingers releases digestive juices and enzymes. Also, millions of nerve endings in your fingers relay the message that you’re about to eat, including the temperature of the food, level of spiciness and texture of food, thereby prepping the stomach for digestion.
Besides better digestion and muscle exercise (hehe) but two studies published in the journal Appetite found that when people ate by hand while simultaneously reading a newspaper or watching TV, they were less hungry at snack-time and opted for a smaller snack. Researchers concluded that eating by hand promotes a sense of fullness and satiety as compared to eating with utensils.
Helps Prevent Diseases like Type 2 Diabetes
All the above advantages and the fact that it helps prevent type 2 diabetes. A new study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition found that people with type 2 diabetes were more likely to be fast eaters that used cutlery to eat, as compared to people without the condition. Eating with forks and spoons correlates with faster eating, which has been linked to blood-sugar imbalances in the body — contributing to the development of type 2 diabetes.
It is More Hygienic
Contrary to popular belief eating with hands is way more hygienic than with utensils because of the simple reason that you wash your hands multiple times a day while we wash the utensils once a day. We are conscious of the cleanliness of our hands and hence whatever happens our hands will be cleaner at the end of the day.
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