You probably rarely take time out of your day to think about the eating utensils you use for every meal. Westerners will use forks, spoons, and knives; sometimes, they might use the occasional spork.
Personally, I also grew up using chopsticks. East Asians have been using chopsticks for over two millennia, but they have spread to many other parts of Asia including Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. I was encouraged to use them because they were a staple of Asian tradition and our ancestors, but I took for granted the benefits that using chopsticks would give me. Read on to find out why you might want to consider rethinking your go-to kitchen utensil.
1. You consume your meal more slowly.
Because of the nature of chopsticks, you can't pick up as much food in one bite as you could with a fork or spoon. Naturally, you eat your food in smaller bites and more slowly altogether. While I know not everyone likes to eat food this way, it's proven to be healthier. When you eat slowly, it leads to better digestion, weight loss, and hydration. And why not spend more time with the person you're eating with?
2. There are other health benefits, too.
Research shows that using chopsticks lowers the glycemic index of the food that you eat. After consuming a meal containing carbohydrates, a person's blood glucose levels briefly increase before reverting back to normal, and the glycemic index (GI) measures these changes in blood sugar levels. Choosing low GI foods can benefit those with diabetes or the desire to lose weight. Furthermore, using chopsticks even provides coordination training, which is helpful for kids, those with brain damage, or someone who is trying to regain use of their limbs.
3. They are easily stored and washed.
In my utensil drawer at home, my family can probably store 20 pairs of chopsticks in the same space that stores 5 forks or spoons. In a restaurant that has hundreds of utensils, it would save a great deal of storage space if chopsticks were used. Because of their lower surface area, it also is easier to wash chopsticks compared to forks, spoons, or knives.
Chopsticks are more economically efficient.
If households and restaurants invest in more chopsticks, there would be less of a need for forks and spoons. Obviously, people would need soup spoons, but chopsticks could still be used in place of most forks and spoons. Using reusable chopsticks instead of wooden, disposable ones would not only save additional money, but also benefit the environment.
Your food becomes more satisfying.
When you eat your food more slowly and in smaller bites, you savor your meals more. You are more mindful of each bite, and you enjoy food for its taste as opposed to thinking of it as something that fills up your stomach. You definitely don't have to do this for every meal, but it's good to do from time to time.
Now, I'm not saying that chopsticks should be implemented into households and restaurants without caution. In 2006, China imposed a chopstick tax in an attempt to cut down deforestation as a result of chopstick production. Just like the fact that people are bringing attention to the importance of metal straws over plastic straws, it is imperative that we start using reusable wooden, plastic, or metal chopsticks as well. Do your part by investing in a pair of reusable chopsticks that you can use the next time you order Chinese takeout.
12 bad Habits All Girls Need to let go of
You'll be a much happier person if you do.
When I was little, my mother always told me that "beauty is pain."
Does it really have to be?
When I was a teenager, all my friends started dieting. Are 12 year olds really supposed to be going on juice cleanses?
Now that I'm nearing adulthood, I see that so many beauty habits that girls worship get worse and worse. And our self esteem? It plummets.
It's time to reconsider our actions towards ourselves, our image and our body.It's time to feel beautiful without feeling inadequate on the journey to get there.
Here are 12 things all girls need to quit doing, like yesterday:
1. Sucking in your stomach for photos.
I know. I know. It works like a charm. But it subconsciously makes you feel like you're too fat to look good in a photo. You are allowing yourself to think that without doing so, you can never look good. NOT TRUE! <3
2. Dieting vigorously before major events.
So unhealthy! Weight should be lost overtime, not shed in the span of a week thanks to starvation. Find a dress and outfit you feel beautiful in regardless if you allow yourself to eat dinner or not (which you definitely should!)
3. Checking the mirror for flaws
Admit it. The first thing you do when you look in the mirror is criticize yourself. Stahpp!! Look at that face! It's BEAUTIFUL and deserves nothing but your love.
4. Judging other girls before even getting to know them.
We girls have to stick together, but for some reason, we like to envy each other, gossip about each other, judge each other or just wish that the other girl wasn't "prettier" than you or "smarter" than you. As females, we are already fighting the battle to be equals and empowered by society. So empower the girls in your life! Don't look at another girl and think of the five different ways she should have worn her make up or call her slutty for wearing what she feels good in.
5. Obsessing over your outfit and changing it five times and over again.
We need to stop obsessing with looking like a model every chance we get. The point of going out is to have fun with your friends and enjoy a good night! When we scream and thrash around that there's nothing to wear, there's now nothing to really look forward to because you'll be in a rush, upset, and at that point, you don't think anything looks good on you. Which isn't true!
6. Letting guys define your worth.
So many girls I meet base their worth off how many guys they've had or what their boyfriend thinks or how a date goes. Don't ever do this because the true self-worth comes in loving, respecting, and cherishing who you are... and the fact that no one out there can ever take that power away from you.
7. Buying more product than you need.
Count your lip glosses. Does your nail polish go bad before you even got to use more than half the bottle? Did you buy a $90 contour brush when you have plenty others? Maybe rethink how much your spending on makeup.
8. Thinking you don't look good without makeup.
If anything, makeup is there if you want to have fun and touch yourself up. But don't begin to believe the lie that you need it to be beautiful. It's simply industry marketing wanting you to feel this way. Don't let them win.
9. Saying you can keep a secret when you can't.
Many of us share and spill our inner thoughts but always ask the person we're telling, "You won't tell anyone? Promise?"
We all say yes we promise and then are quick to break it. For your own morality and for the respect of the person you're talking to, stop lying!
10. Asking for "likes."
Okay, so I had to put this one in here. What's the point of asking for likes? Defeats their purpose and only makes you look desperate.
11. Being someone you're not to fit in.
A lot of girls get hate for being fake. And although guys can be just as fake, a lot of girls just care about their image. But being yourself should be the only image you're after...because authenticity and sincerity will have people liking you for you; you won't constantly feel like you're suffocating in a mask if you just be the you that you were born to be.
12. Pretending you're OK when you're not, because everyone else seems OK.
At the end of the day, life can suck sometimes. Scroll through any person's Insta, and it seems that "life's a beach" or that the only problem is when we're missing someone just "a little extra" today. It's not true. So break this habit because you're not alone. Ask for help. It takes strength and character to do that. Be human. Be real.