If you're worried about packing on the pounds this holiday season, here's something to chew on: A new study revealed that simply slowing down during meal time can help you lose weight.

Researchers studied appetite-regulating hormones in a test group where each person was given the same thing to eat, 10 ounces of ice cream. One group was told to eat the entire bowl within five minutes; the other within 30 minutes. After reviewing participants' hormone levels before, during and after their meal, researchers concluded that eating too fast blocked the release of hormones that make you feel full. In short, the ones who ate within five minutes still wanted more ice cream when they were done, while the others didn't.

"Most of us have heard that eating fast can lead to food overconsumption and obesity, and in fact some observational studies have supported this notion," said study researcher, Alexander Kokkinos, MD, PhD, from Laiko General Hospital in Athens, Greece in a news release. "Our study provides a possible explanation for the relationship between speed eating and overeating by showing that the rate at which someone eats may impact the release of gut hormones that signal the brain to stop eating."

This is not the first time we've heard this either. Nutritionists and dietary experts have long-since promoted the benefits of taking your time at the table. "Just slowing down can have a dramatic effect on our health," states Nutrition Professor at Boston University, Joan Salge Blake. "This study now confirms that there is a physiological benefit to savoring every bite."

So instead of pulling out your fat pants and elastic waistbands for the holidays, just take small bites and eat mindfully. Blake confirms, "We love food and we love to eat, yet we wolf it down without thinking. Does it really make any sense that we rush through something we enjoy so much?"

Perhaps our mother's advice to chew our food 20 times before swallowing was right all along.