Why eating too quickly can be bad for your waistline

Aussies are now busier than ever and when it comes to meals, most look for something quick and easy to inhale so they can get back to other "more important" things.

But even if the meal itself is on the healthier side, with lean proteins, vegetables and low GI carbs, how fast you eat could actually have a negative effect on your health.

Today medical expert Dr Nick Coatsworth said when mum used to tell you to chew your food slowly, she was definitely onto something there.

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"I reckon the difference between five and 20 minutes at the dinner table, there's so many more benefits to that," he said.

"The slower we eat, the more satisfied we become and it is not so much how much you eat but how long you eat it for.

"If you sit there for five minutes, chow down, don't talk to your family and hop off to the telly, you're pretty much hitting the fridge in 10 to 15 minutes' time and then you overeat."

To make sure you do take your time when eating, Coatsworth suggested putting your knife and fork down after each bite and just really enjoying the company your in.

Mum also used to say don't speak with your mouth full, but by working conversation into meal time that too will lengthen how much time you spend on your food.

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