Health Gem

If you do one thing this week...look up the calories of yuor treats

Do you know how many calories are in your favourite cafe treats, takeaways or daily snacks? If not, it might be worth finding out.

A recent trip to New York drove home how being aware of the calories in cafe and restaurant fare can help you make wiser choices.

Many outlets there display the calorie values of snacks and dishes alongside other details such as price. And, as highlighted on the RTÉ programme Operation Transformation, it's attention to detail that can have a big impact.

For example, that banana nut muffin suddenly loses its allure when a quick mental calculation spits out the alarming warning that it would hog a quarter of your recommended daily energy intake.

It’s not as common in Ireland for calories to get such high billing, although some make the information available. If you do a search online, you may be able to work it out and to make a different choice if you don’t like the numbers.