The immense benefits of eating food with hands
What's the story
Eating food with hands has been an age-old tradition in several cultures. It is believed that this is how you can really taste it. Ayurveda says that every finger symbolizes each of the five elements. Thus, when a person gathers all five fingertips while eating, they possibly ignite the five elements (earth, water, fire, space, air), enabling them to experience food with more awareness.
#1
Engages all senses
When you use cutlery to eat your meal, you are limiting the feel of the texture of your food to only the mouth. But eating with hands allows you to experience a whole different dimension of food by engaging all your senses. The touch and feel of the food gives us an impression of the taste and eventually affects how much we eat.
#2
Promotes mindful eating and discourages overeating
Eating with hands lets you eat slowly and mindfully which can help you feel full even with less food, thus preventing binge eating which might cause weight gain. Type-2 diabetes individuals are likely to be fast eaters, according to research. Fast eating has been linked to blood sugar imbalances in the body, making it a factor in the development of type 2 diabetes.
#3
Provides healthy bacteria
Several healthy bacteria dwell on our skin. These good bacteria from our hands can defend the body from the attack of other vicious bacteria that invade us from outside. Eating with hands can help boost the natural immunity of the digestive system. However, you must wash your hands properly before eating and also ensure to keep your nails clean.
#4
Beneficial for our chakras
While placing the food in our mouth, the fingers usually curve in a yogic mudra, stimulating the sensory organs that retain the prana balance. According to Vedas, the fingertips are correlated to the third eye, throat, heart, sexual, solar plexus, and root chakras. So, when we consume food with our hands, the action triggers the chakras and profits us immensely.
#5
Improves digestion
As soon as we touch food with our fingers, the nerve endings in the fingertips signal the brain that we are about to eat. The message is further communicated to the stomach which prepares for digestion by releasing enzymes essential for digestion. The nerves in our fingers determine the texture and temperature of the food, telling the brain to release suitable digestive juices.