Hey all my patient readers!
Finally here is the first post about food that someone with PKU cannot eat.
A low-protein diet is usually prescribed to people with liver or kidney disease, or people with metabolic diseases such as Phenylketonuria. People with PKU need a low-protein diet because of the lack of enzymes that break down the protein within the body. Since protein is needed, a Phenylketonuric gets their protein through powdered mixes. The state of Michigan provides this special mix to my brother for free, a very fortunate thing. These mixes are pretty expensive!
Foods a PKU-er can not have are obviously the high in protein foods such as meat, cheese, eggs, milk, yogurt, peanut butter, etc.
My brother never eats cereal with milk and I always forget when he comes to stay the night. One time, I even poured the milk in his cereal, gave it to him, and he just looked at me like I was crazy. It's normal for me to have it, but not for him.
He doesn't always stick to his diet, though.
Max loves cheese and likes to sneak it. My mom will be cleaning the living room one day and find wrappers from Kraft American cheese single slices. Not just one, but many. It's hard to help him control his diet when his impulses take over and he sneaks foods he knows he shouldn't.
He never eats meat. He has eggs once in a while, but very much or very often. If my mom allows him to have eggs, other foods have to be watched to make sure he doesn't have too much phe in his system.
It is very important to track the amount of phe a PKU-er has a day. This helps ensure he or she gets just the right amount of phe each and every day. Too much or too little of phe can cause major mood swings and changes in behavior. Too much phe can also cause brain damage in a young child. That is another reason why it is very important to start the low-protein diet as early as possible.
I hope this was a good start to understanding types of foods that my brother and others like him can't have. I know it's not much, but that's why it's called a start. ;)
Remember to always smile! :)
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