A full pack of spicy seafood instant noodles would generally contain around 450 to 500 calories. And that’s just the noodles and seasoning no additions. That’s not a lot, but it’s not small either, especially when it gets polished off in five minutes during a lunch break or midnight craving. The flavor is robust, a bit salty, sort of addictive. Though your mouth may be on fire and your nose may be running from eating it, it still seems like something quick and easy to make at home. That’s the trap.

A 155 pound person, approximately 70 kilograms may need to run for 45 minutes to burn 500 calories. A long walk requires twice as long. Naturally, most people don’t go do that after a noodle meal. We will just go straight back to sitting at the desk or at the couch. That’s something no one thinks about the numbers behind the snack. It’s not about guilt. It’s just math.

Sometimes it’s not even about the noodles. It’s the reflex of going for something quick, hot and salty. It becomes automatic. Until you stop and count, you forget how frequently it occurs. One pack on Monday, perhaps another one on Thursday. Or two in a day, only because the second one happens to be there. It’s adding up before you even realize.