HPB's food database puts one 20 g pineapple tart at 93 kcal and one 94 g slice of bak kwa at 370 kcal (HPB). The labels for tirzepatide and semaglutide say nothing about reunion dinners: the US labels contain no text on large meals, fatty food or drinking alcohol, and the European ones carry no advice on smaller meals or alcohol (label search). What the tirzepatide label does describe is a medicine whose most common side effects include decreased appetite and nausea, and which delays the emptying of the stomach (tirzepatide label). The festive figures come from HPB: one 94 g slice of bak kwa is 370 kcal and one 20 g pineapple tart 93 kcal (HPB SG FoodID), and a typical serving of yu sheng may contain similar calories to a main meal (HealthHub). This article sets out HPB's numbers for the snack tray and the dinner table, and what the labels say.
In Singapore, tirzepatide is registered as Mounjaro, and semaglutide injection as Wegovy for weight management and as Ozempic for type 2 diabetes. The figures in this article are given by molecule, as the product labels report them. Whichever medicine is prescribed, GetLean plans the exit from the first consultation. Coming off GLP-1 in Singapore: what happens and how to plan sets out how.
Gastric emptying: how quickly food leaves the stomach. The US and European tirzepatide labels both state that the medicine delays it (US label, EU label).
What the labels say, and what they leave out
The labels describe side effects; they give no festive-eating advice. Tirzepatide's US patient guide lists nausea, diarrhoea, decreased appetite, vomiting, constipation, indigestion and stomach pain as the most common side effects, and the prescribing information says the digestive reactions are sometimes severe (US label).
On dehydration the patient guide is direct: diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting may cause a loss of fluids, which may cause kidney problems; it says to drink fluids, and to tell your doctor right away about symptoms that do not go away (US label). The European label asks patients to take precautions to avoid fluid depletion and electrolyte disturbances (EU label).
What the labels leave out is the festive table itself. A full-text search of the four US labels found no text on smaller or larger meals, overeating, fatty or greasy food, or drinking alcohol, and the European files have no advice on smaller meals and no mention of drinking alcohol (label search). So anything said about big meals or drinks on GLP-1 medication comes from somewhere other than the labels. What is known about drinking is in alcohol on GLP-1 medication, and what helps with nausea in managing nausea on GLP-1 medication.
The snack tray, by HPB's numbers
HPB's SG FoodID database gives a weight for each piece it records, so its figures lead the table. The other figures come from HPB's HealthHub pages, as the source column shows.
Contains information from Singapore Food Insights Database (SG FoodID) accessed on 7 October 2026 from Health Promotion Board which is made available under the terms found at https://pphtpc.hpb.gov.sg/web/sgfoodid.
| Food | Portion | Energy | Sugar | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bak kwa, pork | 1 slice, 94 g | 370 kcal | 43.24 g | SG FoodID |
| Pineapple tart | 1 piece, 20 g | 93 kcal | 6.16 g | SG FoodID |
| Love letter | 1 piece, 13 g | 56 kcal | 4.73 g | SG FoodID |
| Kueh bangkit | 1 piece, 4 g | 15 kcal | 0.89 g | SG FoodID |
| Peanut crackers | 1 small plate, 88 g | 418 kcal | not given | HealthHub |
| Twisted cookies | 3 pieces | 201 kcal | not given | HealthHub |
| Nian gao, steamed | 1 slice, 20 g | 46 kcal | not given | HealthHub |
| Nian gao, fried | 2 slices | 380 kcal | not given | HealthHub |
| Mandarin orange | 1 small fruit | 45 kcal | not given | HealthHub |
Bak kwa also carries protein: HPB's record gives one slice 36.1 g of it, alongside its 43.24 g of sugar and 370 kcal (HPB SG FoodID).
HPB's pages do not agree on every figure. For a pineapple tart, the database records 93 kcal per 20 g piece (SG FoodID), one HealthHub page says about 82 calories (HealthHub) and HPB's Hari Raya page says 92 (HealthHub). For bak kwa sugar, the database records 43.24 g per 94 g slice, while a HealthHub sugar table gives 32 g for one slice (HealthHub). Where this article gives a database figure, it uses that one, because the database states the weight of each piece.
HPB's own suggestions are to cut bak kwa into smaller pieces and limit yourself to one or two (HealthHub), and to portion festive treats onto a small plate, since some of them carry calories similar to a small meal (HealthHub).
The reunion dinner
For the dinner table, HPB says a typical serving of yu sheng "may contain similar calories to a main meal", with most of the calories coming from the oil and plum sauce (HealthHub). The database records 145 kcal for one 100 g scoop of yu sheng, which is a scoop rather than a plate (HPB SG FoodID). Steamboat, HPB notes, can be high in sodium and fat (HealthHub).
For the coffee and tea served on visiting days, kopi, teh and the sugar you do not count sets out HPB's figures for each local order.
Appetite, nausea and the visiting days
Decreased appetite and nausea are both on tirzepatide's list of most common side effects (US label). HPB's per-piece figures show where the energy sits on the table.
The dehydration warning applies on a festive day as on any other. Vomiting, diarrhoea and nausea can cause fluid loss, the US patient guide says to drink fluids and to report symptoms that do not go away (US label), and the European label asks patients to avoid fluid depletion (EU label).
If the weekly injection falls on a festive day, both injection labels allow it at any time of day, with or without meals (tirzepatide, semaglutide). If a dose is missed over the holiday, the rules are in what to do about a missed dose.
At GetLean, the programme is designed to end, and our philosophy is that the medication is the catalyst and the habits are what you keep. Chinese New Year is part of the year those habits have to fit.
Figures describe the HPB records and pages named, at their stated portions. Anyone with a medical condition affecting diet should speak to a doctor or dietitian, and nothing here replaces the leaflet supplied with your medicine or the direction of the doctor who prescribed it.
Common questions
How many calories are in a slice of bak kwa?
HPB puts one 94 g slice of pork bak kwa at 370 kcal. Its database records 36.1 g of protein and 43.24 g of sugar in that slice, while a HealthHub sugar table gives 32 g of sugar, so HPB's two sugar figures differ.
How many calories are in a pineapple tart?
HPB's SG FoodID database records 93 kcal for one 20 g pineapple tart. HealthHub pages give about 82 calories on one page and 92 on another, so the figure depends on which HPB page you read.
Do GLP-1 labels say to avoid big meals or alcohol over the festive season?
No. The US labels for tirzepatide and semaglutide contain no text on large meals, fatty food or drinking alcohol, and the European labels carry no advice on smaller meals or alcohol. Advice on those does not come from the labels.
Is yu sheng high in calories?
HPB says a typical serving of yu sheng may contain similar calories to a main meal, mostly from the oil and plum sauce. Its database records 145 kcal for a 100 g scoop, which is a scoop rather than a whole plate.
Can you take a weekly GLP-1 injection on the first day of Chinese New Year?
The tirzepatide and semaglutide injection labels allow the weekly dose at any time of day, with or without meals; they say nothing about festive days. If a dose is missed, the missed-dose rule in your own leaflet applies, and your prescriber can confirm it.