THERE IS NO MAGIC DAILY CALORIE INTAKE THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE.

come obsessed with their calories and start living every day by the numbers displayed on every food packet. It’s about getting into a rhythm of knowing what works for you and what the numbers are, and then getting on with your life.”

Part of the problem is that caloriecountingisfarfromtheexact science it is often assumed to be. The commonly used Atwater system, named after the 19thcentury American chemist who devised it, uses the number of calories in four key macronutrients — carbs, fats, protein and alcohol — to calculate the overall content of every foodstuff.

But the calorie contents we see today on food packaging are mere averages, so it’s easy for consumers to get things wrong. Short of carrying a teaspoon around at all times, it’s easy to add an extra 100 calories to your lunch in a single glug of olive oil or tablespoon of peanut butter.

But there is also evidence that the type of food you eat affects theamountyou’llabsorb:weab- sugar isn’t used up, the body will convert it into fats. But, more importantly, when you’re next low on energy, it will send out signals to eat more quick and easy energy sugars, and the same insulin reaction will happen again. This quick spike of sugars and reaction from the bodyisalwaysquicklyfollowed by an energy low and the need to fuel again, even though the bodyalreadyhasplentyoffatto burn.”

By comparison, the millennials’ toast-topper of choice, mashed avocado, is high in good-quality nutrients as well as healthy fats, and it would help keep blood sugar levels low. Though avocados are often held up as calorific — a single 100g serving contains 160 calories, while the same serving size of banana has fewer than 100 — “it will help prevent hunger and allow the body to switch into fatburning mode,” says Roberts.

So if it’s not the avocado brunches turning millennials into the fattest generation Brit-