Why should we eat with our Hands?
- Roopashree Sharma
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It’s not against your table manners
As per Modern Science (the one we often believe easily), the hands are a major center for tactile sensations which are processed by the most advanced portion of the brain — the cortex. A more recent discovery states that tactile sensations also involve other portions of the brain to give us a 3D image of what we are touching
so it is no wonder that those who eat with their hands insist the food tastes much better!
So add it right away to your table manners.
Earlier, I spoke about ‘The Art of Eating‘ – factors of the food intake process that help us benefit from a wholesome diet. The most important of those factors is eating food by hand.
The Vedic system states that our hands and feet are the conduits of the five elements – Space, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth.
One of these five elements courses through each finger as mentioned below –
• through the thumb, Angushtha, comes Space;
• through the forefinger, Tarjani, Air;
• through the mid finger, Madhyama, Fire;
• through the ring finger, Anamika, Eater and
• through the little finger, Kanishtha, Earth.
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Hence, eating with one’s fingers stimulates these five elements and helps generate digestive juices in the stomach
Some of the major benefits are listed below
- Better Digestion
The nerve endings on our fingertips are known to stimulate digestion. Feeling your food becomes a way of signaling to the stomach that you are about to eat. You become more conscious of the taste, textures, and aromas. - Beneficial for other body parts
Researchers have also discovered a good bacteria, known as normal flora found on the palm and fingers of the hand. It 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. - Prevents overeating
A few surveys have also indicated that eating by hand promotes a sense of fullness and satiety as compared to eating with utensils.
If you wish to understand the various Mudras involved in the process and their benefits, read here.
Do spare your cutlery for a while and try your next meal with your own hands.
Bon Appetit!