Written in collaboration with Katie Maguire, PKU Adult and 2nd grade schoolteacher
Lunch anxiety? Anxious that your child will not eat her lunch or drink formula at school? Here are some quick ideas that you can do to prepare and hopefully ease some anxiety:
- Pack the lunchbox and practice eating at home; make sure your child can open all containers by themselves.
- School staff can always use a helping hand during lunch. Check with the front office and find out how you can sign-up to volunteer.
- Plan to have your child sit with a friend who already knows about their special diet
I don’t know about you, but it was stressful for my parents sending me off to school in September knowing that I would be making many food choices on my own without them present.
ALL children should be able to make healthy food choices. Children with PKU, MSUD, TYR or other metabolic disorders are no different.
Learning healthy choices can begin at a young age when grocery shopping or prepping food in the kitchen together.
10 Low Protein School Lunch Tips
- Pack lunch together and use fun, creative containers in all different sizes.
- Involve your child in shopping, prepping and weighing their own lunch.
- Make lunch colorful with different veggies, such as baby carrots, cherry tomatoes or yellow peppers.
- Use ice packs to keep food and formula cool.
- Prepare, weigh and measure food ahead of time to speed up mornings.
- Give your child a low protein “surprise” snack like homemade cookies or a marshmallow crispy treat.
- Write a special ‘good job’ or ‘I’m thinking of you’ note to include with lunch.
- Send formula in a fun reusable drink container or sports bottle.
- Plan ahead with a 5-day menu to ease grocery shopping and food prep.
- Ask your metabolic healthcare professional about a ready-to-drink, quick and easy formula option, such as PhenylAde® GMP READY, Periflex® LQ or Lophlex® LQ to prevent your child from having to mix formula at school.
PhenylAde GMP READY and Periflex LQ are medical foods for proven Phenylketonuria (PKU). Lophlex LQ is a medical food for proven Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD), Tyrosinemia (TYR), Homocystinuria (HCU) or Phenylketonuria (PKU). Must be used under medical supervision. Please consult a metabolic healthcare professional prior to making any changes in your child’s diet.
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