Hands over forks

If you think eating with your hands is pedestrian you are missing out on some serious health benefits, finds Faye Remedios

As a child, I remember sitting at the table being taught to hold a spoon and fork correctly. But for many foods, like the dosas that formed the most intriguing lace-like patterns on my plate or her perfectly round chapatis my mother would ladle out steaming hot, I remember the fun of just digging in with my hands. Somewhere along the way, I dropped this habit relegating it to something to be avoided in public. Until I learnt that it is a part of the ancient science of Ayurveda, and comes teeming with a multitude of health benefits.

Cutlery such as spoons, forks and knives certainly make the process of eating tidier but in the yogic tradition, eating with one’s hands has its own set of benefits. The advantages you stand to gain are many. Of course, no one here would bat an eyelid at seeing someone eating with their hands, but it’s interesting to note that several restaurants all over the globe now urge their patrons to dig in and indulge in this manner. This is quite a change from the earlier notion questioning the primitiveness of the experience that often abounded. Remember Oprah Winfrey during what is now her ill-famed first trip to India some years ago, asking if Indians still ate with their hands? Yes, thanks to the furore she evoked over this, Ms Winfrey knows that we definitely do. But as common a practice as this is for us, still, not many are aware that it dates back to the Vedas in Indian philosophy. It is believed that the same actions used in eating with your fingers have been taken from the mudras or hand positions that form the basis of Indian classical dance, meditation and yoga.

“In Ayurveda, food holds a special place in the Vedic scriptures and is regarded as the ultimate nourisher for the body. Eating with your hands allows mind-body coordination to understand the value of food,” says Dr Arun Pillai who has over 20 years of experience in Ayurveda. Holistic lifestyle coach, Luke Coutinho agrees and says, “According to both, Ayurveda and Naturopathy, our body is made up of five elements: air, water, earth, fire and space, and each finger in our hand represents a specific element. Ayurveda believes that the involvement of these five elements through our hands help nourish the food, purify it of any negative vibes, and in this way, prep the food before we eat.”

Dr Pillai details the Panchamahabhutas (five elements) of each finger and its properties: Thumb finger: Fire (Agni); Index finger: Air (Vayu); Middle finger: Space (Akash); Ring finger: Earth (Prithvi); and Little finger: Water (Jala).

Apart from eliminating negative energies, it is also believed that a combination of all the five elements enhances the cosmic energy in food, which eventually ensures a harmonious flow.

When food is touched with our fingers, the nerve endings located at our fingertips, determine the kind of food, its nutrients, and sends signals to the digestive system to start secreting the relevant enzymes, which are responsible for digesting that particular food.

“In the same way, the nose also has certain sensory processing, which triggers the secretion of saliva and digestive juices. This is why even a tiny aroma of food sensed by the nose immediately sends signals for the secretion of saliva in the mouth. Depending on the kind of food that is touched, the relevant digestive juices and enzymes are released, enhancing digestion,” explains Dr Pillai.

“Normally, when people choose to eat any food with their hands, it’s a messy affair and they tend to pick easy options that allow them to multi-task like finger foods and sandwiches. Eating is a sacred act and must be done with complete attention and mindfulness. When we use our hands, we automatically allow ourselves to slow down. We tend to relish and appreciate the taste more, and focus on the task at hand, which in this case, is eating,” says Coutinho. But it doesn’t end here, he adds. “It enables portion control. We tend to eat less when we eat with our hands because it helps in bringing the satiety level much faster. Also, our hands contain bacteria and not all bacteria is bad. When we eat with our hands, we also ingest the good bacteria that benefit our digestive system, gut and immunity,” he adds.

Of course, this is no excuse to not maintain the strictest form of hygiene and it goes without saying that thoroughly washing one’s hands before consuming or touching any food is basic hygiene.

There is no taking away from the fact that it’s neither easy nor practical to use your fingers to eat at all times and in all settings. But when possible, if you don’t do it already, put down that spoon, knife or fork, tear off a piece of bread and dunk it in a lip-smacking gravy, or scoop up that bite of rice that has soaked up all the surrounding accompanying flavours on your plate, and just feast, knowing that in the process you are doing your digestive system a huge favour.

And there’s no denying that the heady, tactile, unfettered deliciousness of eating with all your senses is unbeatable.