Top 10 Low Pro Foods for Travel
I have just returned from Austin, Texas for one of my best friend's bachelorette parties. There are few greater feelings than being back together with my best friends.
Austin was a fantastic trip and I highly recommend it. Even the BBQ joints had delicious veggie side options. Soooo many brussels. YUM
Thankfully, we stayed in an Air B and B. It was a gorgeous house and the kitchen carried all the bells and whistles. The maid of honor was able to place a delivery through Whole Foods that was delivered right to the house. We showed up and the fridge was stocked.
Believe it or not, some of my favorite meals over the weekend were the ones I made at home. Lots of pickle sandwiches and fruit cocktail dishes. These dishes were delicious, filling and extremely low in phe. This helped to give me a solid low phe start to the day before we headed out for drinks.
This weekend was perfect in so many ways. The food was delicious and adapted easily for PKU, the group was fun, and most importantly, the bride had the time of her life! Being a part of a bride tribe it is your duty to make sure you eat well so that those around you enjoy your presence and you can add to the fun. Therefore, it is important to pack all the low protein food you can in an effort to keep you levels under control. I always plan on having no access to a kitchen and generally it works out better than expected. You are NOT guaranteed a kitchen or access to good food. That is your responsibility to pack and care for your body. Below are the best foods to travel with to help keep your levels low.
10- Starbuck's coconut milk. Order this steamed if you are laid over a bit longer than expected. There is about 50 mg of phe in a grande and several healthy fatty acids to fill the belly. Generally, I do not usually have difficulty finding a Starbuck's at the airport.
9- Glutino pretzels. Super low in phe and salty. The buffalo flavor is the best but honey mustard is great, too. Only 28 mg of phe per 17 sticks.
8- Cambrooke's Instant Noodle Soup. This is my new favorite travel discovery. Just ask for a cup of boiling water when you are loading up on your favorite caffeinated beverage. Mix the instant soup in and you have a cup of low phe noodle soup in minutes.
7- Low phe cheese. Throw your favorite low phe cheese slices in a baggie frozen and they will be ready to eat by the time the in flight drink service begins. Low pro cheese is a great salty, low carb snack option. I prefer Cambrooke's swiss cheese slices.
6- Fruit cocktail. Travels well in prepackaged cups or tins. Does not need to be chilled and will last months. Sometimes it tastes a bit more satisfying than fresh fruit and still quite low in phe.
5- Cambrooke Bigger Bagels. These stay good in my suitcase longer than I would care to admit. Hotels do not always have a mini fridge available for my low protein foods so sometimes I just have to make it work. There must be more preservatives that help these stay formed in travel bags very well. Most low pro breads will dissolve by the time your plane touches down. Often, restaurants will toast them for me. If not, I eat them cold, but it is often more important to get the low phe calories in than to enjoy the taste.
4- Trader Joe's plantain chips. Low in phe and filling. These are salty little morsels of goodness. Perfect for an on-flight snack.
3- Fresh fruit. Nothing tops this as the healthiest and lowest food you can throw in a suitcase. Apples are my personal favorite.
2- Formula. Of course, this is number one on the list. Load your suitcase as full as you can with this stuff and the way back will be much lighter. My current go-to is Sphere mixed with phenylade GMP 10 gm mix in to total 30 grams of complete protein. This kicks off my day and then I supplement with Lophlex throughout the rest of the day. Lophlex is ideal for throwing in your purse as it is premixed.
1- Medical Note from Geneticist. This is the key to travel with PKU. The letter should be updated yearly with your current prescriptions because the worst thing that could happen when traveling with PKU is not being able to transport your liquids. It should lay out exactly what PKU is and I say bonus points for bigger words...definitely makes it sound more crucial. My doc even puts the on call number and if they give me a hard time I challenge them to call the office, day or night!