{"id":143113,"date":"2025-09-14T10:38:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-14T10:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/143113\/"},"modified":"2025-09-14T10:38:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-14T10:38:07","slug":"nhs-surgeon-reveals-3-surprising-health-benefits-of-eating-with-your-hands-mini-workout-for-your-gut-immune-axis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/143113\/","title":{"rendered":"NHS surgeon reveals 3 surprising health benefits of eating with your hands: \u2018Mini workout for your gut immune axis’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is eating with your hands unhygienic<\/a>, or could it actually be good for your health? While many associate the practice with tradition or culture, experts suggest it may have surprising benefits for digestion and mindful eating.<\/p>\n

\"Eating Eating with hands can actually be beneficial for your gut health and improves digestion.(Unsplash) <\/p>\n

Also Read | NHS surgeon reveals 4 simple daily foods that can reduce the risk of colon cancer: \u2018Just 10 extra grams of fibre a day\u2026\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr Karan Rajan, a UK-based NHS surgeon<\/a> and health content creator, is sharing the benefits of eating with your hands. In an Instagram video he posted on September 13, the surgeon detailed that the practice facilitates mindful consumption and aids overall digestive health. It stimulates slower eating, facilitating digestive enzymes<\/a>, while also helping with the gut\u2019s immune system. However, he emphasises that clean hands are non-negotiable \u2013 always wash them before eating.<\/p>\n

Slower ingestion<\/p>\n

Dr Rajan mentions that while your fingertips do not send magic signals to the gut to start digesting food, there is real scientific research supporting evidence that eating with your hands is beneficial for gut health. Using your hands while eating entails slowing down organically, and the eating process becomes more mindful \u2013 helping you connect with your food and chew more thoroughly. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis means more saliva, enzymes<\/a>, and stomach acids are released, all priming your gut for digestion,\u201d states Dr Rajan, and also adds that using your fingers to consume food \u201cadds tactile input, which aids flavour perception.\u201d <\/p>\n

He further elaborates, \u201cThe more senses you involve – touch, smell, sight – the more the brain registers satisfaction. That can actually prevent overeating because your brain gets the \u2018I’m full\u2019 signal sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exposure to microbes<\/p>\n

\u201cEating with clean hands can expose you to harmless microbes <\/a>from your food, your fingers, and even your environment,\u201d says Dr Rajan. He dubs this as a \u201cmini workout for your gut immune axis\u201d and further explains, \u201cTiny exposures like this may help to train your immune system to tell the difference between harmful and harmless bacteria.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also Read | Surgeon explains 5 key roles of prebiotics, probiotics in maintaining healthy gut: Supporting digestion, reducing risks<\/a><\/p>\n

Built-in thermometer<\/p>\n

The surgeon also points out that fingertips are your body\u2019s built-in thermometer that can gauge the temperature of your food before consuming it. He explains, \u201cThe skin here is keratinised squamous epithelium, way more heat resistant than the delicate non-keratinised lining inside your mouth.\u201d So when you physically touch food, it allows you to get an idea of the temperature of the food, potentially saving you from burning your mouth. Dr Rajan names fingertips the \u2018digestion <\/a>joysticks\u2019 of the body.<\/p>\n

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Is eating with your hands unhygienic, or could it actually be good for your health? While many associate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":143114,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,76731,76732,76736,84,392,76733,76734,76735],"class_list":{"0":"post-143113","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-eating-with-hands","11":"tag-eating-with-hands-health-benefits","12":"tag-eating-with-hands-hygienic","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-healthcare","15":"tag-nhs-surgeon","16":"tag-nhs-surgeon-reveals-3-surprising-health-benefits-of-eating-with-your-hands","17":"tag-surprising-benefits-of-eating-with-hands"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143113\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}