> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.pigpen.page/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # PKU and being ‘Hangry’. - URL: https://www.pigpen.page/pku-and-being-hangry/ - Published: 2021-01-22T11:32:15.000Z - Updated: 2025-04-11T10:10:19.000Z - Description: Satiety and 'hanger' can be a problem for those with PKU. Here are a few tips to help you to feel full on a low-protein diet. - Author: Pauline - Tags: #Import 2024-07-21 13:17 ## Hanger: being irritable or angry because of hunger. Everyone gets hangry from time to time, but it seems to happen more frequently to me than to my friends or family. As a child, when my siblings and I were delegated to clean the table and kitchen after dinner, I would always eat the remnants of the family sized salad. No matter how much I’d eaten, I could always empty the bowl. While my stomach was full, I didn’t feel satisfied. The phrase ‘full stomach’ never seemed to mean the same to me as it did to others. Perhaps a stomach full of salad isn’t as satisfying as one full of protein? I’ll probably never know. ## Spotting ‘Hangry’ in the wild I can usually see when others are hangry, but it can be difficult to spot in myself. At least, difficult to spot before I say something I regret. I dealt with this lack of insight through diligent application of snacks. This became clear a few years ago, when my PKU dietician asked for a food diary. Three days in the office went like this: - 7am Fruit smoothie & PKU supplement before cycle commute. - 9.am Bowl of PKU cereal. Yep, an actual second breakfast. - 11.am PKU crackers with jam or honey for elevenses. - 1.pm Lunch with PKU supplement. - 3.pm Prowl office for treats which might go well with a PKU supplement. - 7pm Dinner with PKU supplement. - 9pm Honey sandwich. I’m impressed the dietician didn’t ask if I was part Hobbit. I was snacking at regular two hour intervals until 3 in the afternoon before a longer break until dinner. It was in the early evening, ironically while making dinner, that I was usually hangry. I’ve heard from a few PKU people at conferences and online discuss the need to eat regularly to maintain good levels of physical and mental energy. But this was a bit much. > “Hunger and anger, I learned, are one and the same.” > Rebecca Camu, ‘A Splinter of Glass,’ *The London Magazine, December//January 1992* ## Eat better, not more The dietician suggested I eat foods which would help me to feel full for longer. She explained that if I could eat larger meals less often, i.e. cut down on snacks, I might find my blood sugar remained stable, and I could avoid becoming ‘hangry’. We are supposed to have an exchange of normal protein along with our PKU supplement. Since I had 5 exchanges and took 4 supplements, the new plan was to eat only four times a day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and an afternoon snack to avoid hunger in the evening. ## The tricks which worked for me - Psyllium husks The addition of psyllium husks to my baking had the most beneficial effect on my satiety, and my snacking. I have always made my bread and the bread maker recipe with psylliums husks meant I was now full after two slices of toast, rather than four. - Rolled oats I added more fruit and an exchange of rolled oats the morning smoothie. 10g of rolled oats is 1 exchange/phe. On mornings when I wasn’t running out the door, I would eat the fruit and oats on PKU cereal rather than blitz into a smoothie as this filled me up for longer. - Hydration My dietician pointed out that I tended to eat when I may have been cold or thirsty rather than hungry. The bowl of cereal at work became a big cup of tea to warm me up after chilly morning rides and I had herbal tea rather than honey in the evening. - Timing Instead of the elevenses, I moved lunch an hour earlier and ate more. My afternoon supplement stayed at the same time I ate yoghurt and fruit rather than rely on random kitchen treats. ## What didn’t work There were plenty of times when I wasn’t organised. Days when I had a hangover, or too many meetings to have a proper lunch. My most memorable working lunch was a coffee & chocolate brownie snatched from the closest café. Not great for a low protein diet. Life gets the way, there were many reasons I didn’t always follow my planned meals. But, time and time again, what really didn’t work was beating myself up over my mistakes. Or hiding from them. > Be kind to yourself. Sometimes that involves a little honesty. If I had too much protein, or missed too many meals, I would often become sad or angry. At those times I’d have to suck it up and admit ‘that was not a good meal choice & now you don’t feel well, so do better next time.’ ## Remember, eating well may not mean eating often! I’m always on the look out for meal ideas. If you have a savoury low protein lunch idea, please do share in the comments below or [let me know! ](https://www.pigpen.page/contact/)