Not Just Enjoying, It Turns Out That Eating Directly With Hands Has Health Benefits

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JAKARTA - For people who are used to eating with eating utensils, trying a direct approach without eating utensils may be a completely new dining experience.

Written on the Medical Daily page, staggered from ANTARA, director of Nagarjuna Ayurveda Hospital in Kerala state, southern India, Dr. Pallaperi Nambi Namboodiri said eating by hand contributes to maintaining metabolic balance, which is an important factor for overall well-being. When using hands, each senses gets nutrition.

"The touch is a very important sense that is associated with health. When we eat, we see food, smell food, and also talk about food. The four senses take part in the process. If we eat with our hands, we also include a touch sensation," said Dr. Namboodiri to Medical Daily.

Regarding its potential benefits, Dr. Namboodiri shows that mixing food with hands is the best way to produce the right taste, which has therapeutic benefits in balancing "tridoshas" (three basic energies governing the human body, called "vata, "pitta" and "kabha" in Ayurveda).

Dr. Namoboodiri explains the introduction of taste to different textures occurs when we use our hands to taste food. Eating food first with our fingers helps us ensure the food temperature because too much hot or cold food on the tongue is not good for the taste sense. It is also useful in improving the coordination of smooth movements.

A 2019 study, published in the Journal of Retailing, found that when people with good self-control touch food directly with their hands instead of using utensils, they will not only feel the food is better and more satisfying but also eat more.

"Our results show that for people who regularly control their food consumption, a direct touch triggers an increase in sensory responses, making food more desirable and attractive," said researcher Adriana Madzharov ofTEN Institute in New Jersey.

Eating hand helps a person gain useful information about food, including freshness, maturity, and temperature, according to a 2022 study published in the International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science.

When a person uses his hands, it will slow down the rate of eating because this is a more conscious process. This gives the brain enough time to respond when full, improve digestion, and balance blood sugar so as to reduce the risk of diabetes.

For the elderly who experience motor difficulties in regulating eating utensils, switching to meals by hand and switching to small snacks may be beneficial for them.