Foods for phenylketonurics are especially those that have lower amounts of the amino acid phenylalanine, such as fruits and vegetables because patients with this disease are unable to metabolize that amino acid.
Some industrialized products have on their labels information about the presence of phenylalanine in the product and what is its quantity, such as agar gelatin, non-diet soft drink, fruit popsicle, sugar or starch, for example, so it is important that the patient or the patient's parents check on food labels whether or not the food has phenylalanine and how much.
Food table for phenylketonurics
The food table for phenylketonurics has the amount of phenylalanine in some foods.
| Foods | Measure | Amount of phenylalanine |
| Cooked rice | 1 tablespoon | 28 mg |
| Sweet Potato Fries | 1 tablespoon | 35 mg |
| Cooked cassava | 1 tablespoon | 9 mg |
| Lettuce | 1 tablespoon | 5 mg |
| Tomato | 1 tablespoon | 13 mg |
| Cooked broccoli | 1 tablespoon | 9 mg |
| Raw carrot | 1 tablespoon | 9 mg |
| Avocado | 1 unit | 206 mg |
| Kiwi | 1 unit | 38 mg |
| Apple | 1 unit | 15 mg |
| Biscuit Maria / Maisena | 1 unit | 23 mg |
| Milk cream | 1 tablespoon | 44 mg |
| butter | 1 tablespoon | 11 mg |
| Margarine | 1 tablespoon | 5 mg |
The amount of phenylalanine allowed in a day varies according to the patient's age and weight. The nutritionist makes a menu according to the allowed amount of phenylalanine that includes all meals and how to prepare them to facilitate understanding and adherence to the treatment of patients and parents in the case of children.
Foods to Avoid in Phenylketonuria
Foods that have more phenylalanine are not eliminated from the diet, but are consumed in very small amounts that are determined by the nutritionist who accompanies the patient and are:
- Meat, fish and egg; Beans, corn, lentils, chickpeas; Peanuts; Wheat and oat flour; Dietary products based on aspartame.
It is also necessary to avoid foods prepared with these ingredients, such as cakes, cookies and others.
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