This question has been bugging me a while because I have no idea what is confinement food. My gynae has no clue either and the old folks at home kept harping that I need to eat confinement food this time round.
For my last confinement, I had them catered (cos it was Covid and I couldn't get a confinement nanny) from Yan. It was a restaurant and branched into confinement takeaway, probably to tide over the period. The food was so, so yummy. But the old folks were pissed because it was not "confinement" enough (whatever that means). They insisted this was no food for a lady who has just given birth and there was not enough ginger in the food.
Personally, I didn't want to have that much ginger because I was breastfeeding and it was said that ginger would cause the jaundice in the baby to spike higher. Note: There is no scientific proof to this.
This time round, I took a closer look at what the hospital served me after I delivered. It is just like any normal meal. I guess they just made sure I had good nutrients and a balanced diet. Me being me, even ordered all the food I would be unlikely to enjoy the next one month during confinement. I could eat Indian Curry, western big breakfast and a steak!
I had a confinement nanny so I asked her what she would be preparing for me. Basically, she explained that the confinement food followed the TCM. I am not supposed to take "cooling" food. And all the food will be cooked using sesame oil.
Here's what the nanny cooked for me. It does look a lot like homecooked food doesn't it? If you think it looks kinda of repetitive, it is because I have very selective taste buds. There are some dishes that my family can't cook and she cooks it really well. So I sort of requested to eat quite often. Every morning, I also eat the same fish noodles.
By the end of the 3rd week, my stomach could no longer take the "heaty food". There were too many meals and too much food. I actually finished everything cos I hate wasting food. I started puking from week 4 onwards and the old folks finally relented and told the nanny she could cook less. The poor nanny was actually kinda of sandwiched because she had to please the old folks yet watch me grow more unwell with each passing day from over-eating. I was so pleased when the whole confinement finally ended.
Nonetheless, I would really recommend my nanny. It is just that my family is super uptight during the confinement making me a sad woman. Bleh!