Aim For Health

CONCEPT: PKU Diet

 

BRIEF SUMMARY

Participants review the PKU Food Bull's Eye and complete an activity to practice using the tool to make healthy food choices for PKU.

 

OBJECTIVES

After completing this activity, participants 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

Review the PKU Food Bull's Eye together. Suggested points to cover include:

  • 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 bull's eye? Why?
  • What about the foods in between the bull's eye and the outside of the bull's eye?
  • How can we bull's eye 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 participant.
Instructions for the participants (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 participant.) 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 participants (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 participant home with a PKU Food Bull's Eye . Encourage them to use it as a tool/reminder to make healthy food choices.

 

MATERIALS

 

HOME ACTIVITIES

Put the PKU Food Bull's Eye on your refrigerator so that your young adult can look to it as a reminder to make healthy food choices.


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