In the States, where calories are on the menus of some restaurants by law, one study showed that only 15pc of people actually paid any attention to them.Īnd even then, they ate just 106 less calories on average than those who completely ignored the information. "The problem with calorie-counting is that it doesn't give the whole picture," says nutrition consultant Lynda McFarland. "Unfortunately, people usually only look at its calorie content.Most low-cal foods replace the fat with sugar - leading to an increase in sugar-related diseases." "As a macro-nutrient, it's vital for healthy skin, hair, mood and concentration. A chicken sandwich typically contains around 400-500 calories, depending on the size and what kind of bread and toppings are added. Meanwhile, scientists estimate that the amount of calories people think they eat and expend and the amount they're actually using could be out by as much as 25pc. So could putting calories on menus ironically compound Ireland's 'calorie delusion'? "But there's no exact calorie count for a cup of coffee with a drop of milk and half a spoon of sugar or a handful of peanuts, for example." "People often get bogged down by calculating what they eat down to the last calorie," says David Greaney of Refit Yourself. "Dishes can change every time they are cooked depending on the individual flair of the chef." 'It would be impossible for a cook-to-order restaurant like ours to put accurate calorie counts on the menu," says Evan Doyle, co-owner of The Strawberry Tree restaurant at The Brook Lodge & Wells Spa in Wicklow. "It's easy to assume that by eating fewer calories you're guaranteed to lose weight," adds Greaney. "But when the body is in a catabolic state, it actually increases the storage of energy as fat as a survival mechanism. "Simply counting calories should not be seen as a quick fix for weight loss," he adds. "Ultimately, there is no substitute for healthy eating and exercise.
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