Last updated on August 21, 2024 by Dr. Subashri Thanigaivel
People from India have always followed this tradition of eating food using their hands. Eating food using cutlery is a modern method of appreciating food; sometimes it is called “manners”. But somewhere around the corner, the present generation has forgotten to look into the benefits of eating food with hands. Both scientific and health reasons shake hands to build a healthier body when you eat food using your hands. Have you ever tried to know the reasons?
Here are some very common reasons why one must eat food with hands and not with stylish cutlery.
Activates All Senses
When you touch the food, all your senses – sense of touch, sense of smell, sense of sight, sense of hearing, and your sense of taste are activated. As soon as the nerves in your fingers feel the texture of the food it sends a signal to your brain, which notifies your tongue that the food is about to enter the mouth. And when you are hungry, you always tend to smell the food before tasting it. Have you ever noticed it? This activates your sense of smell.
Have you ever felt what happens to your body as you see a delicious meal that smells so good with an appealing texture?
Hey!
Your mouth is watering.
Hold it back.
So, when you eat food with your hands, all your senses get activated making your salivary glands secrete a good amount of salivary enzymes for healthy digestion.
Improves Digestion
As we have seen in the previous context, when a good amount of salivary enzymes are produced along with some mucus, it will help in healthy digestion. Your senses get activated by neural reflex, which is an involuntary action. But this action activates your brain which not only sends signals to your tongue but also to your stomach. So all digestive enzymes are ready for digestion.
That’s why elders say that one must not leave a meal in between until they have enjoyed the meal completely. Never waste the efforts of your stomach. Because it has prepared the necessary digestive enzymes needed to digest the food you are going to eat.
Forms Connection With Food
According to your body, food is an external substance that is about to be digested. But what makes it feel that it is a necessary nutrition for your body?
It is the sense of touch. When you hold the food in your hand and take it closer to your mouth, your brain senses that it is you who is bringing it inside the body. So it is your sense of touch, your neural reflex which makes your system feel that it is the nutrition that you supply to your body. This also reminds our brain of what we are eating.
RELATED: What is the connection between food and mindset?
Maintains Food Proportion
Whenever you eat your meals with spoons or forks you don’t even know how much you are eating. You just pick the food, drop it in your mouth, and swallow it sometimes without chewing it properly. And we end up eating more because we didn’t spend time either mixing the food with our hands or chewing the food properly. That’s the main reason for poor gut health which most of us come across.
Don’t be one among those crowds!
When you are eating food with your hands, you spend much more time than having your food with spoons. Hence, this helps you realize your capacity and lets you control how much can go into each bite and thereby helping to attain satiety and satisfaction after the meal.
Increases Blood Circulation
Eating food with hands becomes an exercise. It is a slow and steady exercise for your fingers. This exercise stimulates good blood flow in your stream. And good blood circulation is very much needed when you are having your meal. As it helps in the faster distribution of nutrients to all the cells in your body.
Prevents Overeating
As already mentioned, you can maintain the right proportion of food when you are eating food with hands. Overeating is avoided, which can sometimes lead to weight gain too. Also, overeating can cause blood-sugar imbalances leading to diabetic conditions. So avoid eating with spoons. Eating food with hands gives a sense of fullness.
Always remember these three things whenever you sit down to have a meal;
How much food you are eating?
With what mindset you are eating?
And, at what time you are eating?
A conscious and calm state of mind will always support good digestion and helps in better assimilation of nutrients in your body and enables you to form a connection with your food. Engage all your senses for better focus on food. Eating food with hands will always be the best hygienic and healthy way to have food.
RELATED: 6 Simple Ayurvedic Steps To Maintain Your Gut Health
Is it necessary to hold on to those manners that can harm your gut health?
Think about it!
