Well, here I am doing something I didn’t think I’d be able to do. Over the past few years, my daughter has asked me repeatedly to try her food or sip her milk (aka formula) which I would. However, it was not without hesitation and very small bites.
My name is Karen Ward and I have been challenged by my 8 year old daughter, Lauren, to try her PKU diet for a week. After watching Jack Everitt’s documentary, “So What Can You Eat?”, Lauren thought it was pretty neat that his friend, Liberty, was willing to eat low protein foods for a whole month. She wanted one of her family members try it so we could experience it as well. I have to say as excited as I was, I was a little apprehensive of trying different types of low protein food, but more importantly – failing. Failing to make it a whole week. How would I feel not making it a week if my child has to do this for the rest of her life?
So here we are on day 2 of my challenge. Day 1 went well. We toasted our first drink of Bettermilk ! After drinking it, I definitely felt full and wasn’t able to eat my breakfast until a little while later. I thought back to all those times I was rushing to get Lauren to school and trying to get her to just finish her breakfast and milk! When Lauren arrived home from school, I got the interrogation of “what did you have to eat while I was at school?” When snack time came, she weighed out our snacks and informed me on what snacks are best. We decided to try the Savory Crackers from Cambrooke – yummy!! The hardest part of my day…my coffee! I l missed my cream! It was only the first day and we tried a new food for dinner. We tried the Amazing Chicken Patty Crusted Cauliflower recipe on Cambrooke’s website. It was super easy and when dipped in a little ranch even better! Lauren isn’t the best at trying new foods, but we did it together!
The start of day 2 was not great. I woke with an unsettled feeling in my stomach and a slight headache. I didn’t feel great until I had something to eat. Some So Delicious yogurt and strawberries was a start. Today was a work day, so I had to make sure I had enough snacks so as not to be tempted. I was going along fine until my co-workers brought out the after lunch snack – Cadbury Mini Eggs, my favorite! Watching them pass around the bag and apologizing as it passed me. Wow. Imagine being in that situation on many occasions – probably more than once in a day. This day was different than day 1 as I was out in social situations. I know as a mom how difficult is it is to weigh foods, mix formulas etc, but now I am experiencing things from a different point of view, my daughter’s.
Wow, amazing! The challenge gives a whole new perspective on things, I’m sure! Hang in there, you can do it. It’s just one little week as compared to your girl‘s lifetime. Love that she is motivating and helping you along. You got this!!
Karen, Good for you for accepting the challenge. I think it'll get easier for you as the week goes on. Hang in there. If you think of it as everyday you have a dollar to spend and your mission, and those who are PKU have no choice but to accept it, is to figure out how you're going to spend it. Are you going to go with the 4 Quarters, the 10 Dimes, the 20 Nickels, or the 100 Pennies. Shoot for the Pennies. I always try to shoot for the Pennies. I don't always get it right, but I try. ☺️- Ellen