10 Common S’pore Breakfast Foods & The Calories Each Dish Has


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Last Updated on 2022-10-03 , 11:23 am

It’s no secret that Singaporeans love their breakfasts.

That’s particularly observable in how our markets are fairly vibrant even in the early morning, as crowds of people already sitting around tables to enjoy their first meal even before the sky is bright.

We love all kinds of food for breakfast, from a simple pau to a hearty bowl of noodles, and it brings us comfort that often can’t really be replaced by fancy western breakfasts.

However, I think we have not really been conscious of the calorie count in our favorite breakfast foods.

Do bear in mind that the average healthy man needs around 2,500 calories a day while an average woman needs 2,000 calories, and this figure can of course vary according to age, weight as well as lifestyle.

Before that, you might be someone who has instant noodles for breakfast. Well, for that, you can check out how many calories one pack has, but here’s a video we’ve done on why you really shouldn’t have instant noodles for breakfast:

 

Regardless, here’s actually how much calories are in our favourite dishes!

We won’t want to be a killjoy, but won’t it sucks to know that you’ve already taken half of the calories you want in your very first meal of the day?

Siew Mai
Starting small, siew mai is a popular dim sum item that can be found at practically any coffee shop. It’s so conveniently bite-sized and delicious that it would be easy to eat an entire tray of them, or like 10 at one go. However, 1 piece actually has 105 calories and if you eat 10 of them, that’s about half your entire day’s calorie intake. This little monster sure packs a lot!

Rice Dumplings
Or more popularly known as bak chang, this is meat-stuffed glutinous rice hits all the right spots with occasional gold nuggets of fatty bits hidden in tender meat that’s wrapped by a soft, pleasant layer of sticky rice. While you might be tempted to eat more than one at one go, each dumpling can have up to 352 calories!

Wanton Noodles
Who can say no to noodles? A popular dish that is often eaten dry and served with juicy dumplings (sometimes deep-fried ones too) and slices of char siew, it’s not that surprising that this adds up to 411 calories. Worst of all, this dish is usually not that filling #justsaying

Nasi Lemak
Singapore, being a proudly multiracial nation, definitely enjoys a range of cuisines for breakfast. Nasi Lemak is always a simple but hot favourite, especially the star of the dish which is fragrant coconut rice. However, just the rice alone with egg and ikan bilis is already 494 calories. Don’t forget the fried chicken wing or the otah you might add on the side! For all you know, with your sides, you’ll have consumed half of the calories you need that day.

Bak Chor Mee
Another popular noodle favourite is the minced meat noodles, served with generous heaps of minced meat and sometimes pieces of crispy lard at the bottom. It is then no wonder that this hides 511 calories in one bowl of goodness. Plus, the lard can’t be that good for you, right?

Egg Prata
We’ve talked about Chinese and Malay cuisine, so let’s not leave out Indian food! Lots of Singaporeans are fans of a plate of piping hot prata, dipped in sugar or spicy curry, as a wake-me-up dish. However, just two egg pratas added together already have 576 calories, most likely excluding the curry and sugar and the sugary cup of teh tarik you probably paired it with.


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Kway Chap
Hey believe it or not, people love kway chap for breakfast! Not sure about what makes the dish of braised pig intestines attractive as a morning meal, but hey if you’re eating pig intestines, I don’t think it really matters what time of the day it is. But do take note, this dish has a mind-blowing 650 calories! Shocking, considering that it looks so soupy, eh?

Laksa
Ah yes, the rich, coconutty, and spicy dish that has a special place in the heart of many Singaporeans. It has a flavour that is hard to rival and few things are more pleasing than a bowl of good, hearty laksa and cockles. However, a bowl of this dish with high coconut milk content clocks in at an eye-watering 700 calories per serving…

Kaya Toast
The traditional breakfast can’t be that bad, right? Boy are you wrong. A serving of kaya toast (2 slices of bread) or a serving of putu mayam can add up to almost 200 calories each! That might not seem like a lot, but when you consider that you’re adding this on top of your main meal, you might be eating much more than you expected.

Drinks
What meal doesn’t come with a drink? Especially when Singaporeans can’t resist a good cup of teh or kopi? Unfortunately, although these drinks taste amazing, they do pack quite a bit of calories and sugar. A cup of kopi has 113 calories whereas a cup of teh has 153, and a cup of teh tarik has a shocking 229! This could mean that you’re rounding up your meal with almost 1000 calories in total!

At the end of the day, a healthy and balanced diet is more important!


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And of course, there’s one more solution if you want to have these breakfasts regularly: exercise regularly as well. You’ve already known about this, haven’t you?