The Basics: Part I

I thought I should run through some of the basics of Prader-Willi before we dive into all the fun stuff like cooking & baking. We use the system recommended by our doctor of balancing. Claire is to eat a mix of carbohydrates, fat & protein each day. Each of the categories has it's qualifying foods, and not ALL food is considered okay for PWS kids regardless of what category it falls into. It's is a lot more difficult to stay away from these foods than we originally thought. No Hostess products, no pop (or soda for you southerners), no fried food, etc. The ratio we use is 40% carbohydrates, 35% fat & 25% protein to make up 100% of her meals per day. We do try to make sure each meal & snack is balanced as well, so there is no spike in blood sugar. 

This is where the glycemic index comes into play. It's important to balance meals (& snacks) because we never want the blood sugar to drop significantly, giving the feeling of hunger. As you can see from this chart, with the right balance, the line stays steady & doesn't raise & drop. Those quick raises are usually caused by sugar spikes (from fruit, bread, or any type of carb) that isn't balanced out with some protein &/or fat. 

The glycemic index is a tool we use to figure out how Claire's body is metabolizing a certain food. For example: I try to keep a snack of an apple paired with some cheese or peanut butter. Apple is the carb & the cheese is a protein & fat. This is where I reiterate saying this doesn't have to be super duper stressy. I have a list of go-to foods, what category they fall under, and what the normal serving size is for her age/size. I pair it up & don't have to worry that an hour after she eats a snack that she'll be hungry again. 

I will start to add some charts & lists of qualifying foods and some ideas of how to balance meals & snacks so the spikes and drops don't happen.