Chinese New Year snacks calories: pineapple tarts, bak kwa and more

The table uses the weight of each piece where the source gives one. Homemade and bakery pieces vary a lot, so check how big yours are.

The lists measure different pieces. The MOH list weighs a pineapple tart at 5 g. A tart with a full pastry case and a big ball of jam weighs much more, so HealthHub's figure of about 82 kcal is not a mistake. It is a bigger tart.

Bak kwa shows the same pattern. The MOH list gives about 260 kcal for a 90 g piece of pork bak kwa and 56 kcal for a 33 g piece of chicken bak kwa. HealthHub gives about 370 kcal for one slice. Shop slices come in many sizes.

One cookie is small. The problem is the open jar on every coffee table and the long afternoons of visiting.

• Ten small pineapple tarts (5 g each) come to about 250 kcal, close to a plain roti canai at 300 kcal.
• Twenty kuih bangkit come to about 300 kcal. They melt in the mouth, so they are easy to keep eating.
• Six peanut cookies (10 g each) come to about 300 kcal.
• One slice of bak kwa at about 370 kcal (HealthHub) is a small meal on its own. A bowl of Penang assam laksa has 380 kcal.

Drinks add more. Canned and bottled sweet drinks are common at visits. WHO advises keeping free sugars below 10% of your daily energy, and ideally below 5%, which is about 25 g or 6 teaspoons a day. Chinese tea is an easy swap: the MOH list gives a 250 ml glass about 1 kcal.

You do not need to skip the snacks. Pick the ones you love and slow down on the rest.

1. Put a few pieces on a small plate instead of eating from the jar.
2. Cut bak kwa into small pieces and share a slice. HealthHub suggests keeping to one or two pieces.
3. Choose your favourites. If you love pineapple tarts, enjoy two and skip the cookies you only eat because they are there.
4. Eat mandarin oranges between cookies. HealthHub suggests them as a lighter snack, and the MOH list gives one at 37 kcal.
5. Drink Chinese tea or plain water, and save sweet drinks for one visit.
6. Look for low-sugar or wholegrain versions. HealthHub notes that some bakeries offer them.

Keep your main meals simple on heavy visiting days. A lighter lunch, such as a bowl of wonton noodle soup at 360 kcal, leaves room for the reunion dinner.

Chinese New Year 2027 falls on Saturday 6 February 2027. Malaysia's 2027 public holiday list from the Prime Minister's Department gives 6 and 7 February as holidays. Singapore's Ministry of Manpower lists 6 and 7 February, with Monday 8 February as an extra public holiday because 7 February is a Sunday.

In 2027, the start of Ramadan falls in the same week. Malaysia's list shows Awal Ramadan on Monday 8 February 2027, subject to the moon sighting. If you host Muslim friends or colleagues that week, they may be fasting during the day. Our Ramadan bazaar guide covers the fasting month.

Type what you ate, for example "3 pineapple tarts and 1 slice of bak kwa", then check the portion before you save. You can edit every item.

For packaged cookies and bak kwa, scan the barcode or the nutrition label. If the same snack comes back every day of the holidays, save it as a saved food and log it again with one tap.

For the reunion dinner, take a photo of your bowl or plate. Nibbs recognises Asian dishes and splits a mixed plate into each item. See our dish calorie pages for common dishes.