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Table manners keep you slim

By Carla Bevan on Tuesday 25 November 2008

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Marie Claire Health News: Butler - Table manners

Eating like a member of the upper classes is the best way to stay slim, says Debrett's, which has just published its A-Z of Modern Manners.

In research backed up by the British Medical Journal, everyone could learn a thing or two about keeping trim if they just minded their table manners.

But can using the right cutlery really stop us piling on the pounds? Well, in a word, yes.

Why? Well, when you take your time over things like selecting the correct fish knife, you're slowing down the speed at which you eat, which, in turn, means you're less likely to eat too much.

'Good table manners are about being aware of your fellow diners: not speaking with your mouth full, using the correct cutlery, not having your elbows on the table… it all helps you to pace yourself,' the editor of Debrett's A-Z of Modern Manners, Jo Bryant, tells The Telegraph.

It's not just about minding your Ps and Qs; sitting up straight allows the body to digest food more quickly. Taking time between courses also allows one's body to register when it's full, rather than steaming on through to dessert, and feeling fit to burst soon after.

However, caution is urged when it comes to drink: don't use those long pauses to refill your wine glass, top up your water glass instead and alternate between the two. And if all else fails, remember you burn two calories a minute washing up afterwards.

Now where's that damn butler?

Tuesday 25 November 2008

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we have six children aged 15 to 30 all have eaten at the table as children and still do so.
We eat home cooked food every day, I work full time as a jewellery designer and accountant
None of the children are overweight, it brings a time when you can chat and listern to the days events and sole any problems they might have.
Comment by rita palfreyman on November 25 13:36