Eating with hands has its good old history in India. It was not only a part and parcel of our traditions but was also the simplest way of eating food. In today’s time there are not many people who still eat with their hands. With glittery and fancy cutlery taking over our traditions, most people find eating with spoons more convenient. But do you know that eating with hands has its own list of health benefits?
Here are some good enough reasons to toss your cutlery away and start eating with your hands:
Increases blood circulation
Eating with your hands is a wonderful exercise which further helps in blood circulation. Be it mixing your food together or forming bites of dal and roti, using your hands makes your joints and fingers move, which is equivalent to any hand exercise.
Helps you maintain food proportion
Eating with hands is a comparatively slow process than eating with a spoon. Thus, you not only spend more time chewing the food but also eat lesser than how much you usually eat with a spoon.
Forms a connection with food
Eating using hands has been an old tradition of our Indian culture. In those times, people not only used their hands to eat but also used to sit on the ground during meals. Though it has been advanced to fancy cutlery and dining tables, eating with hands still hold a special connection with each one of us. Eating with hands not only makes us feel nostalgic but also makes us form a connection with what we are eating.
Better digestion
Our hands, stomach and intestine are home to some bacteria which is said to protect us from diseases. Eating with hands help these bacteria enter our body and protects our digestive system from getting exposed to harmful bacteria. Make sure you always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before sitting for meals.
Might prevent type-2 diabetes
Eating with spoons and cutlery correlates with faster eating that has been linked with blood-sugar imbalances in the body. This might give rise to type-2 diabetes. According to a study published in the journal ‘Clinical Nutrition’, people with type-2 diabetes were more likely to be fast eaters who used cutlery, as compared to people without the condition. It has already been proven that eating with hands, slows down the eating process and thus, prevents you from developing type-2 diabetes.
Thus, ditching your spoons and forks is the best way to have a healthier body and gut.