If chicken rice is your usual workday lunch, should the latest calorie figures change your order? Use them to compare options, not to assign an exact calorie count to your stall’s plate. Before ordering, check the named dish in the Health Promotion Board’s (HPB) Singapore Food Insights Database, then use My Healthy Plate to consider the balance of grains, protein, fruit and vegetables. [1] [2] [3] [4]
What the reported figures can tell you
CNA reported on 3 October 2026 that HPB’s analysis of 182 commonly consumed dishes found higher calorie and sodium content between 2023 and 2025/2026. A typical serving of chicken rice went from 557 to 646 calories; nasi biryani went from 970 to 1,310. [1]
The quoted comparison does not state a serving weight or explain how a typical serving was defined, so it cannot tell you how much rice or chicken to order. Nasi biryani had more calories than chicken rice in the reported typical-serving comparison. That is a starting point for choosing between them, not a precise calorie saving you can expect by switching dishes at your usual stall. [1]
Keep sodium separate from that calorie comparison. The Ministry of Health and HPB note that variability in ingredients added during cooking makes sodium and saturated fat harder to tackle in food-service dishes. Choosing a lower-calorie option does not, by itself, establish that it contains less sodium. [5]
Before ordering, check the dish and its conditions
Search HPB’s Singapore Food Insights Database for the dishes on your shortlist. The tool lets you search, compare and download nutritional information for food and drinks commonly found in Singapore. Use the entries as references for comparing options, while keeping the distinction between a database entry and your individual order in mind. [2]
HPB’s Intrinsic Lower Calories Food list offers a different reference: dishes identified as providing no more than 500 kcal. The document is dated April 2018, and endorsement applies to the smallest portion of the qualifying dish. It is a dated, portion-qualified list, not a current guarantee for any plate with the same name. [6]
Consider a hypothetical comparison between two congee orders. One is the smallest portion, without you tiao or internal organs; the other is a larger bowl with you tiao alongside. The first matches the list’s dish description and smallest-portion condition. The second does not. You cannot carry the list’s calorie classification across simply because both orders are called congee. [6]
The list also specifies economic rice with two non-fried vegetables. These descriptions matter when comparing alternatives to chicken rice: look at the qualifying order, not just the dish name. A lower-calorie classification answers a different question from My Healthy Plate, which helps you consider whether the meal includes the recommended balance of food groups. [6] [3] [4]
Use plate proportions to balance what you eat
My Healthy Plate recommends a quarter of the plate for wholegrains, a quarter for protein foods, and half for fruit and vegetables. HPB describes these as approximate proportions. They are not a fixed calorie allowance or a prescribed number of daily servings, because the amount of food needed varies between individuals. [3] [4]
A serving example is not a universal lunch limit either. HPB gives half a bowl of brown rice, weighing 100g, as one serving in its serving chart. Meanwhile, HealthHub’s Nasi Padang lunch example includes one bowl of rice, stir-fried vegetables, grilled chicken and fruit. The half-bowl figure explains what one serving means; it does not instruct everyone to eat only that amount at lunch. [3] [4]
The Nasi Padang example suggests asking for brown rice if available and removing visible fat from the chicken. It also shows that fruit can accompany the meal rather than needing to fit on the same plate. If only refined grains such as white rice are available, HPB says they occupy the same grains quarter, while recommending wholegrains when possible. [4] [3]
For a hypothetical chicken rice lunch, suppose rice occupies most of the plate, chicken occupies a smaller area, and there are no vegetables or fruit. Use the plate guide to consider what you will eat. Eating less of the served rice is one possible adjustment; including vegetables and fruit, while keeping protein in the meal, addresses the balance rather than making every component smaller. [3] [4]
If the available lunch cannot meet Quarter-Quarter-Half, HealthHub advises making up the missing food groups at the next meal. The reported figures need not decide whether chicken rice stays on your lunch shortlist. Use them to compare dishes, respect the conditions of any lower-calorie listing, then consider the food groups you can include now and those you can add at your next meal. [1] [2] [4] [6]
Read next
Sources
- Singapore adults are getting more active, but eating more calories and salt: MOH, HPB surveys – CNA
- Singapore Food Insights Database | Health Promotion Board
- ch-api.healthhub.sg
- Plan Your Meals with My Healthy Plate
- National Population Health Survey 2023 shows Singaporeans are adopting healthier lifestyles | Health Promotion Board
- Intrinsic Lower Calories Food* HPB identified dishes that provide ≤500kcal as healthier food options
BUTLER Magazine Editorial · AI-assisted research and writing, reviewed by our automated editorial team. Sources checked 2026-10-04. Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration.