Who doesn’t love a good life hack? For this article, I decided to tune into the wisdom of the PKU community as a whole. After all, shared experiences benefit everyone!
- Keep a separate PKU cupboard, so you know where all your low protein foods and supplements are without having to rifle through all the other foods you can’t eat and that maybe too tempting!
- Be curious about fruits, vegetables and herbs from other countries. You never know what you might find.
- Always carry emergency fruit snacks. It stops you being tempted by higher protein foods, for kids, it helps to stop the ‘hangry’!
- Find a container for formula you love and buy several. Dishwasher safe is a must as dishwashers are helpful in combatting the ‘formula smell’.
- If your child has PKU, offer them all different kinds of fruits and vegetables early and often, even if you don’t like them yourself.
- Cook multiple portions and package up and pop into the fridge or freezer for later.
- Eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables cooked in different ways to keep things interesting.
- When eating out, never wait until you’re at the restaurant to look at their menu. Always look them up ahead of time.
- Put snack portions of similar phe quantities into zip-lock bags and label them with the phe content, so your child can see the difference in the portions. If you’re sending them to school, write the snack and phe content on easy peel labels so the teacher can peel the label off and stick it into a diary or the homework folder on the appropriate day for easy tracking and communication.
- Keep a supply of low protein/phe free snacks at your child’s school so they’re not left out if another child brings in an unexpected birthday treat for the class.
- Keep PKU in balance by using a fitness tracker (I love my FitBit!). It can help to balance phe and calories.
- Build a support network, even if it’s online. Facebook support groups are a great way of reaching out. Sometimes feeling like you’re not alone can make all the difference.
