To Lose Weight, Eat With Your Left Hand
Here’s an unusual tip for weight watchers… but the jury remains divided on its effectiveness
By : Vikram Sharma
Update: 2024-02-17 18:54 GMT
Eating with the right hand is something all Indians are taught to do early in life. Along with that dictum is the message that using the left hand to eat is taboo. As in India, the left hand is associated with “impurity” by many cultures across the world, and using it in day-to-day activities, is discouraged, while putting that hand forward in interactions with others is considered disrespectful.
But, could eating with the non-dominant hand be helpful, health-wise?
Well, it’s a move that’s slowly gaining popularity, as it is found to slow down eating, which, in turn, can lead to controlling the portions of food consumed. It is believed to help those at risk of diabetes and heart disease and those who want to lose weight.
Does it work?
“Eating with the non-dominant hand may lead to slowing down the process for some folks due to the inconvenience. And therefore, the satiety point is reached earlier due to the mindful eating process,” says Dr Era Dutta, Consultant Psychiatrist, TEDx Speaker, and Founder, Mind Wellness. Slower eating supports digestion which may help in weight loss, she says, but adds, “However, this may not be the only sustainable way to reduce weight. Also, with time, it will become easier to eat as fast, if not faster, with the non-dominant hand. So, give it a try but don’t put all your eggs in only this basket.”
The dominant sphere
Dr Dutta explains that the human brain has a dominant sphere and a non-dominant one. For the 85 to 90 per cent of the population who are right-handed, the opposite sphere (left) is dominant. “This doesn’t mean that we don’t use the other sphere, it’s just that we don’t use it as much,” she says. Research, she says, has shown that attempting complicated movements with the non-dominant side can improve the use of both hemispheres and forge new and stronger connections between the two. “Not just eating, you can use the non-dominant hand for various activities like brushing, writing, combing hair, buttoning-unbuttoning etc., to help trigger the neuro-circuitry responses,” she suggests.
Not a long-term strategy
Dr Janaki, a nutritionist, says switching hands to eat makes one more conscious of food on the plate and therefore, one tends to eat less – in other words, one eats sensibly. But the nutritionist is of the view that while a study conducted in California came up with this idea, there is no concrete evidence that switching hands to eat will lead to health benefits.
“Eating with non-dominant hand is a hack, a trick to play on the mind. Logically speaking, switching hands may be helpful initially, but the body adapts to change and the person will find that they can eat freely with the non-dominant hand too. Therefore, this is not a long-term strategy for weight control.”
Another hack
Dr Janaki mentions a similar hack — those who normally use their hands to eat could use a spoon, and those who use cutlery could try using their hands. But this too may be only useful in the short term, as the body soon gets used to change, she says. “Therefore. it is most important that, one should eat mindfully rather than using hacks. After all it’s your health,” adds Dr Janaki.
Thumbs-up
Dr Charan Teja Koganti, neuropsychiatrist at KIMS and associate professor at VRK Medical College, however feels eating with the non-dominant hand is a great way to cut down on mindless eating because people are so wired to eating with their dominant hand. “When eating with your non-dominant hand, your attention is focussed on the activity, and you’re mindful of how much you’re eating. It becomes easy to pick up on the satiety signals given by your hypothalamus. Hence, when you’re full, when your brain sends you a signal to stop eating, you will most probably listen to,” says Dr Charan.
He however, says that eating or switching to a non-dominant hand doesn’t have any neurological significance. “The effectiveness is more because it is disruptive, as we are not used to eating with the non-dominant hand,” he elaborates.
Eating with non-dominant hand is a hack, a trick to play on the mind. Logically speaking, switching hands may be helpful initially, but the body adapts to change and the person will find that they can eat freely with the non-dominant hand too. Therefore, this is not a long-term strategy for weight control.” — Dr Janaki, a nutritionist
When eating with your non-dominant hand, your attention is focussed on the activity, and you’re mindful of how much you’re eating. It becomes easy to pick up on the satiety signals given by your hypothalamus. Hence, when you’re full, when your brain sends you a signal to stop eating” — Dr Charan Teja Koganti, neuropsychiatrist at KIMS
Switching hands to eat makes one more conscious of food and therefore, one tends to eat and sensibly. A study conducted in California came up with this idea, but there’s no concrete evidence that leads to health benefits
But, could eating with the non-dominant hand be helpful, health-wise?
Well, it’s a move that’s slowly gaining popularity, as it is found to slow down eating, which, in turn, can lead to controlling the portions of food consumed. It is believed to help those at risk of diabetes and heart disease and those who want to lose weight.
Does it work?
“Eating with the non-dominant hand may lead to slowing down the process for some folks due to the inconvenience. And therefore, the satiety point is reached earlier due to the mindful eating process,” says Dr Era Dutta, Consultant Psychiatrist, TEDx Speaker, and Founder, Mind Wellness. Slower eating supports digestion which may help in weight loss, she says, but adds, “However, this may not be the only sustainable way to reduce weight. Also, with time, it will become easier to eat as fast, if not faster, with the non-dominant hand. So, give it a try but don’t put all your eggs in only this basket.”
The dominant sphere
Dr Dutta explains that the human brain has a dominant sphere and a non-dominant one. For the 85 to 90 per cent of the population who are right-handed, the opposite sphere (left) is dominant. “This doesn’t mean that we don’t use the other sphere, it’s just that we don’t use it as much,” she says. Research, she says, has shown that attempting complicated movements with the non-dominant side can improve the use of both hemispheres and forge new and stronger connections between the two. “Not just eating, you can use the non-dominant hand for various activities like brushing, writing, combing hair, buttoning-unbuttoning etc., to help trigger the neuro-circuitry responses,” she suggests.
Not a long-term strategy
Dr Janaki, a nutritionist, says switching hands to eat makes one more conscious of food on the plate and therefore, one tends to eat less – in other words, one eats sensibly. But the nutritionist is of the view that while a study conducted in California came up with this idea, there is no concrete evidence that switching hands to eat will lead to health benefits.
“Eating with non-dominant hand is a hack, a trick to play on the mind. Logically speaking, switching hands may be helpful initially, but the body adapts to change and the person will find that they can eat freely with the non-dominant hand too. Therefore, this is not a long-term strategy for weight control.”
Another hack
Dr Janaki mentions a similar hack — those who normally use their hands to eat could use a spoon, and those who use cutlery could try using their hands. But this too may be only useful in the short term, as the body soon gets used to change, she says. “Therefore. it is most important that, one should eat mindfully rather than using hacks. After all it’s your health,” adds Dr Janaki.
Thumbs-up
Dr Charan Teja Koganti, neuropsychiatrist at KIMS and associate professor at VRK Medical College, however feels eating with the non-dominant hand is a great way to cut down on mindless eating because people are so wired to eating with their dominant hand. “When eating with your non-dominant hand, your attention is focussed on the activity, and you’re mindful of how much you’re eating. It becomes easy to pick up on the satiety signals given by your hypothalamus. Hence, when you’re full, when your brain sends you a signal to stop eating, you will most probably listen to,” says Dr Charan.
He however, says that eating or switching to a non-dominant hand doesn’t have any neurological significance. “The effectiveness is more because it is disruptive, as we are not used to eating with the non-dominant hand,” he elaborates.
Eating with non-dominant hand is a hack, a trick to play on the mind. Logically speaking, switching hands may be helpful initially, but the body adapts to change and the person will find that they can eat freely with the non-dominant hand too. Therefore, this is not a long-term strategy for weight control.” — Dr Janaki, a nutritionist
When eating with your non-dominant hand, your attention is focussed on the activity, and you’re mindful of how much you’re eating. It becomes easy to pick up on the satiety signals given by your hypothalamus. Hence, when you’re full, when your brain sends you a signal to stop eating” — Dr Charan Teja Koganti, neuropsychiatrist at KIMS
Switching hands to eat makes one more conscious of food and therefore, one tends to eat and sensibly. A study conducted in California came up with this idea, but there’s no concrete evidence that leads to health benefits