Cultural collection
Filipino Foods
Kanin, pandesal, adobo, sinigang and Filipino desserts.
Educational guidance only — not a personal diet prescription. Content is medically reviewed and based on recognised clinical guidelines — see references. If you have feedback or a suggestion to improve this website, .
Green — Choose more often
Generally a good everyday choice in sensible portions.
Amber — Watch your portion
Fine to eat — keep the portion small and pair with protein or vegetables.
Red — Limit / avoid routinely
Best kept for occasional small amounts, not every day.
These colours are educational guidance, not strict rules. Your own plan depends on your medicines, weight, kidney health and goals — discuss it with your doctor.
Arroz caldo
congee, lugaw with chicken
Rice porridge digests fast — add egg and chicken, keep bowl small.
Portion: 1 bowl (about 300 g)
Avocado
abukado, butter fruit
Healthy fats and very little sugar.
Portion: ¼ fruit (about 50 g)
Banana
kela, mauz, saging
Choose a small, less ripe banana and eat it with a meal.
Portion: 1 small (about 100 g)
Beef burger
hamburger
Refined bun plus fatty meat — choose grilled chicken or skip the bun.
Portion: 1 burger (about 220 g)
Bibingka
rice cake
Sweet rice cake — share one.
Portion: 1 piece (about 100 g)
Bitter gourd (karela)
ampalaya, bitter melon, pavakkai
A healthy vegetable — but not a replacement for diabetes medicine.
Portion: 1 cup cooked (about 125 g)
Black coffee
kahwa (black), kape
Unsweetened coffee is fine for most people.
Portion: 1 cup (about 240 g)
Boiled saba banana
nilagang saging
Starchy cooking banana — count as carbohydrate.
Portion: 1 piece (about 80 g)
Boiled sweet potato (kamote)
camote, shakarkandi
Starchy vegetable — treat it like rice, not like salad.
Portion: 1 medium (about 130 g)
Bottle gourd (lauki)
doodhi, ghiya, upo
Very low in carbohydrate — a good base for curries and dal.
Portion: 1 cup cooked (about 150 g)
Brown rice
red rice, unpolished rice
Keeps its bran layer — more fibre than white rice.
Portion: ½ cup cooked (about 100 g)
Calamansi water (no sugar)
calamansi juice
Refreshing without sugar — skip the syrup.
Portion: 1 glass (about 250 g)
Champorado
chocolate rice porridge
Sweet chocolate rice porridge.
Portion: 1 bowl (about 250 g)
Cheddar cheese
cheese, keso
Almost no carbohydrate but high in fat and salt.
Portion: 1 slice / 30 g (about 30 g)
Chicken adobo
adobong manok
Protein-rich, but salty and oily — remove skin, less soy sauce.
Portion: 1 serving (about 150 g)
Chikoo (sapodilla)
chico, sapota
Very sweet fruit — keep the portion small.
Portion: 1 small (about 100 g)
Coconut water
buko juice, nariyal pani
Natural sugars — better than soft drinks, but not unlimited.
Portion: 1 glass (250 ml) (about 240 g)
Cola / soft drink
coke, pepsi, soda
Sugar-sweetened drinks raise glucose fastest of all.
Portion: 1 can (330 ml) (about 330 g)
Cucumber salad
kheera, khiyar, pipino
Eat freely before your meal.
Portion: 1 cup (about 120 g)
Egg (boiled)
anda, bayd, itlog
Almost no carbohydrate; high-quality protein.
Portion: 1 large egg (about 50 g)
Ensaymada
ensaimada
Sweet buttery bread with sugar topping.
Portion: 1 piece (about 80 g)
Fresh coconut meat (buko)
coconut flesh, thengai
Low in sugar but high in saturated fat.
Portion: 2 tablespoons (about 40 g)
Garlic fried rice (sinangag)
garlic rice
Fried rice adds oil to a large rice portion — choose plain rice, ½ cup.
Portion: 1 cup (about 160 g)
Ginisang ampalaya
ampalaya with egg
Bitter gourd with egg — healthy everyday dish.
Portion: 1 cup (about 150 g)
Grilled bangus (milkfish)
inihaw na bangus
Oily fish rich in omega-3 — grill rather than fry.
Portion: 1 serving (about 120 g)
Grilled chicken breast
chicken breast
Very lean protein.
Portion: palm-size piece (about 100 g)
Guava
amrood, bayabas, peru
High in fibre and vitamin C with relatively little sugar.
Portion: 1 medium (about 100 g)
Halo-halo
halu-halo
Shaved ice with sweetened beans, fruit and milk — very sugary.
Portion: 1 glass (about 300 g)
Honey
asal, pulot, shahad
Honey is still sugar — not a diabetes-friendly sweetener.
Portion: 1 tablespoon (about 21 g)
Ice cream
kulfi (similar), sorbetes
Sweet dessert — small scoop, occasionally.
Portion: ½ cup (about 66 g)
Jackfruit
chakka, kathal, langka
Sweet fruit — a small portion only.
Portion: ½ cup (about 80 g)
Laing
taro leaves in coconut
Leafy greens, but rich coconut milk adds fat.
Portion: 1 cup (about 150 g)
Leche flan
flan
Caramel custard rich in sugar and condensed milk.
Portion: 1 thin slice (about 80 g)
Longganisa
longanisa
Sweet sausage — high in fat, sugar and salt.
Portion: 2 pieces (about 80 g)
Low-fat milk
gatas, skimmed milk, toned milk
Good protein and calcium — counts as some carbohydrate.
Portion: 1 cup (250 ml) (about 250 g)
Lumpiang sariwa
fresh spring roll
Vegetable roll — the sweet sauce adds sugar.
Portion: 1 roll (about 150 g)
Lumpiang shanghai
fried spring rolls
Deep-fried rolls — keep for parties.
Portion: 4 pieces (about 100 g)
Mango
aam, manga, mangga
Delicious and nutritious, but sweet — enjoy a small portion with a meal.
Portion: ½ cup cubes (about 80 g)
Milk chocolate
chocolate bar
Mostly sugar and fat.
Portion: 1 small bar (about 40 g)
Moong sprouts
bean sprouts, togue
Crunchy and very low in calories — add to salads and chaat.
Portion: 1 cup (about 100 g)
Pancit bihon
bihon guisado
Rice noodles — portion is key.
Portion: 1 cup (about 150 g)
Pancit canton
pansit
Noodles with vegetables — add more vegetables, less noodles.
Portion: 1 cup (about 150 g)
Pandesal
pan de sal
Soft white roll — whole-wheat versions are better.
Portion: 1 small roll (about 35 g)
Papaya
papaya, papita
Gentle on glucose in a one-cup portion.
Portion: 1 cup cubes (about 145 g)
Peanuts
ful sudani, mani, moongphali
Unsalted peanuts are a good snack in small amounts.
Portion: small handful (about 30 g)
Pinakbet
pakbet
Mixed vegetables — go easy on bagoong (shrimp paste) for salt.
Portion: 1 cup (about 150 g)
Pizza
pizza
Refined dough and cheese — two slices with salad at most.
Portion: 2 slices (about 200 g)
Pork adobo
adobong baboy
Fatty pork cuts make this very energy-dense.
Portion: 1 serving (about 150 g)
Sinigang na isda
sinigang
Sour broth with fish and vegetables — an excellent choice.
Portion: 1 bowl (about 300 g)
Sweet corn
bhutta, mais
Starchy vegetable — keep it to half a cup.
Portion: ½ cup (about 80 g)
Table sugar
asukal, cheeni, sukkar
Added sugar — keep to a minimum.
Portion: 1 teaspoon (about 4 g)
Taho
silken tofu with syrup
Tofu is good — the arnibal syrup is the problem.
Portion: 1 cup (about 250 g)
Tinola
chicken tinola
Ginger chicken soup with green papaya and leaves.
Portion: 1 bowl (about 300 g)
Tocino
chicken tocino, pork tocino
Sweet-cured meat — high in sugar and salt.
Portion: 2–3 slices (about 100 g)
Tofu
soybean curd, tokwa
Plant protein with little carbohydrate.
Portion: 100 g (about 100 g)
Tomato
kamatis, tamatar, tamatim
Very low in carbohydrate.
Portion: 1 medium (about 123 g)
Turon
banana lumpia
Fried banana with sugar wrapper.
Portion: 1 piece (about 80 g)
Water
maa, pani, tubig
The best drink — zero sugar, zero calories.
Portion: 6–8 glasses a day (about 250 g)
Watermelon
batikh, pakwan, tarbooz
High GI but watery — one cup with a meal is fine.
Portion: 1 cup cubes (about 150 g)
White bread
sandwich bread, tasty bread
Refined flour with little fibre.
Portion: 1 slice (about 28 g)
White rice (boiled)
basmati, bhaat, chawal, kanin, ruz
A staple carbohydrate — keep it to one quarter of the plate.
Portion: ½ cup cooked (1 fist) (about 100 g)