PKU Food Target

CONCEPT: PKU Diet

 

BRIEF SUMMARY

Learn about the PKU Food Bull's Eye. The bull's eye is an easy way to visualize the foods included in a healthy PKU food pattern. Children complete an activity to become familiar with where different foods fit within the bull's eye.

 

OBJECTIVES

After completing this activity, children will be able to:

  • describe the PKU Food Bull's Eye
  • describe food choices for PKU in terms of where they are located on the PKU Food Bull's Eye
  • use the PKU Food Bull's Eye as a tool for making healthy food choices

 

METHODS

Open the discussion by looking at the PKU Food Bull's Eye together.

  • What is a bull's eye?
  • How does a bull's eye relate to the PKU diet?
  • What's in the very center (bull's eye) of the bull's eye? Why? ( formula, because it is the best food for you)
  • As foods get further away from the bull's eye, they are higher in phe. What's important about the foods that are on the outside of the target? Why?
  • What about the foods in between the bull's eye and the outside of the target?
  • How can we target our food choices? ( by choosing low phe foods that are closest to the bull's eye)

Distribute a PKU Yes Food Bull's Eye activity sheet to each child. They can work together, or individually, however you prefer. Instructions for the children (also on the first page of the activity):

  1. Estimate the amount of phe in each of the foods listed. Write your estimate in the Step 1 column. After you have completed all the blanks in the Step 1 column, move on to Step 2.
  2. (Distribute a food list to each child.) Use the food list to find the actual amount of phe in each of the foods. Write the actual amount in the Step 2 column.
  3. Look at the foods again. Do you think you could remember the phe content of each food? It would be hard to do. To make the job easier, group the foods into the three categories in the PKU Food Bull's Eye, based on the amount of phe in each food.
    • Use these guidelines to decide where each food fits. Color the area of the bull's eye where you think the food should go.
      • Low = less than 50 mg phe per serving (center ring--green)
      • Medium = 50-175 mg phe per serving (middle ring--yellow)
      • High = more than 175 mg phe per serving (outside ring--red)
  4. Does the food fit into your food pattern? For each food, circle YES or NO in the Step 4 column.

Discuss the activity:
Go over the answers with the children (there is an answer key for the instructor in the "materials" section below). How did they do at estimating the phe content? Any surprises in the phe content of foods?

Send each child home with a PKU Food Bull's Eye. Encourage them to display it somewhere where they will see it often, such as on the refrigerator, and use it to help them make good food choices.

MATERIALS

 

HOME ACTIVITIES

Continue this discussion at home. Put the PKU Food Bull's Eye on your refrigerator so that your child can learn to look at it and use it to help make healthy food choices.

 

[top of page]