What would you say if you were offered the following menu? Where would you think you were dining? Have a look at the feasts on offer:
- Cream of asparagus soup
- Multi grain roti
- Coloured veggies sabji
- Mixed dal
- Vegetable pulao
- Italian salad
- Fresh citrus fruits juice
Sounds healthy but delicious right? I remember this menu so clearly and I can almost taste them all so vividly. You better sit down when you read this, because it will surprise you. Here goes, this was on the menu when I was in the hospital recovering from childbirth. I had heard that hospital food was yummy but I got to experience this first hand during my stay there.
My husband and I are quite adventurous when it comes to food. We enjoy a good 5-course gourmet (read: expensive) meal as much as a soulful regional thali. Even when we were in the hospital after babyT arrived we were looking forward to mealtimes, eager to see what would be served up to us. And menus like the above were savoured and devoured.
We had chosen to have babyT at the famous Kokilaben Dhirubai Ambani hospital in Andheri, Mumbai. We had a great team of Doctors on our case and we were very pleased with all the prenatal services we experienced. But we had heard legends about the food that was part of the recuperating mom’s menu and we couldn’t wait to try it. 😛
The morning before I went in for my delivery a nutritional expert arrived to meet us and asked me about my regular diet and if I had any allergies or food sensitivities. Based on this a customized meal was sent to me, based on their menu for the day. And we loved it. The food was also generous in portion and usually, each meal was sufficient for me to share with my room partner (my mom or husband.)
But what makes hospital food so delicious?
I attempted to understand this.
Hospital food, especially at the ones which lay emphasis on every aspect of patient experience, is fresh, good quality, hygienically prepared and most importantly healthy.
However healthy doesn’t need to be boring and with the expertise of nutritional professionals, food served to recuperating patients in the hospital is very pleasing to the palette. Nutritionists work closely with the chefs in the kitchen to draft, test out and perfect recipes which are healthy and tasty too. And hospitals like the one I had babyT in also appealed to the palette of a clientele from India and abroad. The menu, therefore, consisted of multi-cuisine items. A treat for food loving people like husband and I. I mean I never did imagine I would be having a 4 to 5-course meal in the hospital.
Eating a healthy and balanced meal at the hospital also helps in the patient recovering faster, gaining valuable nutrition to in turn prepare breast milk for the newborn. Asparagus is also known as Shatavari in Indian languages and is a well-known galactagogue. No wonder there’s Asparagus soup on the menu for women who have just had their baby.
Eating hospital food may, therefore, be a great source of joy for the new mother who is just recovering from child birth.
Read this interesting post about what hospitals across the world feed their patients.
Do you remember what you ate in the hospital? Did you love it/ hate it?
I am glad for this blog train that I am participating in along with 24 other bloggers and celebrating #9daysofwomanhood through the Navratri season. I thank Harneet Khurana for setting the stage for me. I loved her blog Sublime Messages on the prompt for today which is all about our pregnancy. And don’t forget to visit PrettyMumma Says to see Surbhi Mahobia’s perspective on her pregnancy.
What a yummy story of your Pregnancy. I didn’t had any meal in my hospital. Small town hospital, they don’t provide meals ?
Much Love to u Nayantara
That’s indeed a unique take on the prompt. I delivered at KDAH too. Infact even remember Dr Priyanka, who is there in your pic. Their menu is actually well-thought of keeping the need of patient in mind. I even like the buffet restaurant that’s their at the ground floor of the hospital. I cheated on this hospital food many times. My husband used to order subway sandwiches to our room for himself and I used to steal away a few bites from him.
Yes, hospital food and yummy for me it was like a strange combination! But during my stay post delivery at Hiranandani Hospitals, Mumbai I realized hospital food is healthy, delicious and unbiased.
My MIL was raising her eyebrows when doctor gave me a cup of sweetened curd & rice for that matter. Beautiful post dear.
That’s the most mouth watering post today ? ✔️ I had my 1st deliver in Apollo, Mysore – which had such boring food that I don’t even remember. ?
Second time around I delivered at Seven hills Andheri and they had the best delivery experience of the 2 but food was boring hospital food not as awesome as what you had girl. But I agree , the food menu preparationrequires thought and creativity ?
I only remember being junglee hungry after delivery. Cant recall what they served, but I remember asking for another helping 😛
I think the thought that someone else is cooking food for you makes it even delicious.
Thanks for sharing this experience.
Oh that’s an amazing combination of taste and nutrition. Since I was a GD, I was served the usual Indian food with the restrictions my dietician adviced. Thanks for sharing your experience. Thoroughly enjoyed!
My youngest child is 30. The food must have improved since then, as it was average at best. I remember laboring hard all night long. When my son was born, I was soooo hungry. I think my first meal was meatloaf.
I saw can relate to this post. my first delivery was at Apollo and I got a wholesome Punjabi meal. rice, chappatis, White Chole, mix veg, raita, salad, and custard. oh man! I cannot tell you how yummy it was and as u mentioned the portion was enough for me and my mother in law. This is on my second day of surgery!
I was getting bread rolls, fruit salad, juice, milk twice a day – I tell you I was feasting the 4 days I was in the hospital
didn’t get much during my second csection. i had to be happy with upma, idli, poha, cornflakes, and milk
I always thought hospitalfood tasted horrible and when I was admitted due to my platelet count being low when my daughter was a month old, I totally hated the food. But my delivery story was different. I was ravenous and loved the meals served- to my surprise I would gobble up everything and looked forward to eating. I loved my stay at cloud nine and those 2 days were the most relaxed after which the mayhem began
Sounds like a really pleasant experience, I don’t remember what I ate during my recovery time, but I just remember it was warm and delicious ?
I don’t remember hospital food being exceptionally delicious – in fact it was quite indifferent. Good for you that you got such gourmet menu.
What a lovely post that appreciates the hospital staff and the food. ? I have not had really delicious meals in hospital but I’m glad you did. So important after having a baby and being in the complexities of a new mom.
Yum! Your food description and the process almost tempted me to have another pregnancy, but the wailing kid in the background jolted me back to reality ?
Hahaha i know right. I go through that often too
Not experienced this but healthy food surely helps to recover faster is always good.