Blog / Food around the world
Filipino Food CaloriesAdobo, Sinigang, Lechon, Pancit and More
· 3 min read
In most Filipino meals, rice is the constant and the ulam changes. That makes it easy to track once you know two things: how much rice you eat, and how rich the ulam is.
Rice first
| Rice | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Plain white rice, 1 cup cooked | 200-240 |
| Garlic fried rice (sinangag), 1 cup | 280-350 |
| Extra rice ("unli rice" refills) | +200-240 each |
At two or three cups a meal, rice can easily be 500-700 calories before the ulam.
Everyday ulam
| Dish | Serving | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken adobo (thigh, with sauce) | 1 cup | 300-450 |
| Pork adobo | 1 cup | 450-600 |
| Sinigang na baboy (pork) | 1 bowl | 250-400 |
| Sinigang na hipon (shrimp) | 1 bowl | 150-250 |
| Tinola (chicken) | 1 bowl | 200-300 |
| Kare-kare with bagoong | 1 cup | 450-600 |
| Lechon kawali | 100 g | 450-550 |
| Lechon (roast pig, with skin) | 100 g | 400-500 |
| Sisig (pork, with egg) | 1 cup | 500-650 |
| Bistek Tagalog | 1 cup | 300-400 |
| Pinakbet | 1 cup | 120-200 |
| Ginisang monggo | 1 cup | 200-280 |
| Fried bangus (milkfish), ½ fish | 300-400 |
Silog breakfasts
| Silog (with sinangag and fried egg) | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Tapsilog (beef tapa) | 650-800 |
| Longsilog (longganisa) | 700-850 |
| Tocilog (tocino) | 650-800 |
| Bangsilog (bangus) | 600-750 |
| Spamsilog | 700-850 |
Noodles and merienda
| Item | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Pancit canton (1 plate) | 350-450 |
| Pancit bihon (1 plate) | 300-400 |
| Pancit palabok (1 plate) | 400-500 |
| Lumpiang shanghai (1 piece) | 50-80 |
| Lumpiang sariwa (1 piece) | 150-200 |
| Turon (1 piece) | 150-250 |
| Banana cue (1 stick) | 150-200 |
| Puto (1 medium) | 80-120 |
| Ensaymada (1 regular) | 300-400 |
| Pandesal (1 piece) | 80-120 |
Drinks and desserts
| Item | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Halo-halo (regular) | 300-500 |
| Leche flan (1 slice) | 200-300 |
| Ube halaya (½ cup) | 250-350 |
| Buko juice (fresh, 1 glass) | 45-60 |
| 3-in-1 coffee (1 sachet) | 70-100 |
| Soft drink (1 bottle, 355 ml) | 140-160 |
Easy swaps
- One cup of rice, not unli. This is the single biggest lever in most Filipino diets.
- Soup-based ulam (sinigang, tinola) over fried (lechon kawali, crispy pata).
- Chicken adobo over pork adobo, and spoon less of the oily sauce over your rice.
- Plain rice instead of sinangag at breakfast saves 80-100.
- Add a vegetable dish like pinakbet or ginisang monggo to fill the plate.
Logging Filipino food
Most calorie apps don't know what tapsilog is. In DietTracker you just say "chicken adobo with two cups of rice" or "longsilog and a 3-in-1 coffee", in English or Taglish, and it estimates the meal with macros.
Working out how much to eat? See how many calories you should eat to lose weight, or try DietTracker free.