PKU Baking… overcoming guilt or fear of failure:
Following on from my blog about cooking….baking is also something I was also nervous to do. Again, I’d seen people baking online and the same emotions as before came back, the guilt that I wasn’t baking those items, the fear of getting it wrong or being scared that the end result would just be disappointing.
Cooking meals for me had been conquered but I wasn’t doing well when I’m at home in the snack department. All I was having between meals was protein items such as crisps, chocolate bars and coconut milk yoghurts, again nothing free. This is where baking protein free items is really important. Like cooking, baking is also just about starting with baby steps, finding simple fun recipes, so simple you don’t even have to go out and buy anything. My first thing I made was low protein pancakes. All it needed was flour, salt, water and oil. Mix them together, put the mix in a frying pan and cook. Then when they are done cover them in sugar and lemon juice and eat!
I was almost surprised to discover the pancakes were delicious and a filling free from protein snack. Feeling confident that I then was able to move on to hot cross buns as a fun treat, I did have to buy ingredients for that but as it was Easter all the ingredients were easy to find. Finally, I made low protein ‘sausage’ rolls. Again: all these ingredients were items I already had in my cupboards, flour, butter, salt, oil for the crust and a mix of vegetables and herbs for the filling.
Keeping myself filled up, first I filled my freezer:
Baking all of these different things I discovered they are delicious, fun to make, completely free of protein and can be frozen (except the pancakes) so they can last a week or two. I just pull them out and defrost them whenever I fancy a free from protein snack, meaning I can keep myself filled up and stay on my diet at the same time.
Forget the pressure and enjoy….
Food and learning to manage the diet is a crucial part of growing up with PKU. However, when learning to cook or bake, it’s important to allow yourself to forget the pressure of the PKU diet and just try to enjoy the experience of finding new recipes, spices and meals. Use the many resources you can find on the NSPKU website, other PKU focused food companies or reach out on social media channels.
I shared my success….
There are many parents with PKU children or PKU patients themselves who will have a lot of tips and advice or who will just celebrate your wins with you when you post pictures of what you have cooked! Finding what works for you in your everyday life is the most important thing to do as well, as well as allowing yourself to have days where you won’t feel like cooking or baking but then when you are ready to give it another go, just make sure you jump back into it without feeling any guilt.
I hope you enjoyed reading this – if you want to say hello you can find me on Twitter…..@ClairBear42
