What is Included in a Low Phenylalanine Food Pattern? The diet for PKU consists of a phenylalanine-free medical formula and carefully measured amounts of fruits, vegetables, bread, pasta, and cereals. Many people who follow a low phenylalanine (phe) food pattern eat special low protein breads and pastas.
What is the simplified diet for PKU?
Allowed foods include fruits, vegetables, fats and oils, sugars, and modified low protein foods (e.g., low protein bread, pasta). High protein foods such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, and legumes must be avoided.
What do you feed a child with PKU?
A child with PKU should not eat milk, fish, cheese, nuts, beans, or meat. A child with PKU can eat many foods low in protein, such as vegetables, fruits, and some cereals. Your child may also need to take mineral and vitamin supplements to make up for nutrients missing from the diet.
What protein can you eat with PKU?
For protein tolerance up to 10 g/day (500 mg/day phenylalanine), it is appropriate to use foods such as yoghurt, cow’s milk, breakfast cereals, rice, peas, spinach, broccoli, potatoes to make up protein allowance.
What food can you eat with PKU? – Related Questions
Can PKU eat sugar?
In PKU, protein is restricted and carbohydrates, including sugar, is added. Sodium may also be higher in the PKU diet due to the use of processed foods (shelf-stable items and medical foods).
Can PKU eat rice?
This diet is highly restrictive, they are unable to eat many foods including meat, dairy, eggs, wheat, rice and other grains, nuts and soy.
Can people with PKU eat protein?
Diet. The main treatment for PKU is a low-protein diet that completely avoids high-protein foods (such as meat, eggs and dairy products) and controls the intake of many other foods, such as potatoes and cereals.
How do people with PKU get protein?
Today, the major source of dietary protein for those with PKU consists of mixtures of synthetic AA devoid of phe and a small amount of dietary protein from fruits and vegetables to provide phe.
What happens if someone with PKU eat protein?
A dangerous buildup of phenylalanine can develop when a person with PKU eats protein-rich foods, such as milk, cheese, nuts or meat, or grains such as bread and pasta, or aspartame, an artificial sweetener.
Which of the following foods should someone with PKU avoid?
Children and adults with PKU should eat a low-protein diet. They should avoid high-protein foods, like milk, dairy, meats, eggs, nuts, soy, and beans. A person with PKU also should avoid the artificial sweetener aspartame, which contains phenylalanine.
How much protein does a PKU need daily?
For children with PKU, the prescribed target total protein intake was 3 g/kg/day (2) and median natural protein intake at weaning was 5 g/day (range: 3–7 g/day).
Can PKU eat fruit?
Most fresh, frozen, dried or canned fruit do not need to be counted in a low protein diet for PKU, as in normal quantities most fruits only contain a small amount of phenylalanine. If eaten in very large quantities they may cause the blood phe to rise.
Why is diet important in treating PKU?
A low-protein diet is the main treatment for phenylketonuria (PKU). This is because people who have PKU lack an enzyme to properly process the amino acid phenylalanine, a part of protein. Phenylalanine is present in all protein foods and in some nonprotein foods, such as soda pop and artificial sweeteners.
What is the most effective treatment for PKU?
The main treatments for PKU include: A lifetime diet with very limited intake of foods with phenylalanine. Taking a PKU formula — a special nutritional supplement — for life to make sure that you get enough essential protein (without phenylalanine) and nutrients that are essential for growth and general health.
What is phenylalanine diet?
Foods such as meat, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, nuts and pulses are excluded as they contain high levels of phenylalanine. Vegetables and fruit are allowed in measured amounts only! Special low protein bread, pasta, biscuits and flour are used to supplement the diet and ensure adequate calorie intake.
How do people with PKU survive?
The main treatment for phenylketonuriais is avoiding foods with high protein and taking special medical formula as prescribed. People with PKU should follow a low-phenylalanine diet for the rest of their lives, even if symptoms do not surface. Foods high in phenylalanine include foods such as: beef.
Does PKU qualify as a disability?
In order to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits due to a diagnosis of phenylketonuria, you must be able to prove that your condition prevents you from performing any type of substantial gainful work activity.
How does PKU affect a person emotionally?
As children and adolescents, patients with PKU may have learning difficulties, school problems, decreased motivation, less social competence, irritability, hyperactivity, mood disorders, and poor self esteem.
Can someone with PKU live a normal life?
In PKU, your body fails to convert phenylalanine into tyrosine (another type of amino acid). Because of continuous research, babies are tested for the PKU gene (phenylalanine hydroxylase), and individuals with PKU are now able to live a normal life with dietary adjustments.
Does PKU make you tired?
These results suggest that PKU patients experience more sleepiness during daytime.
