Top Five Books for Parents Learning About the Medical Ketogenic Diet for Epilepsy

If you are considering the medical ketogenic diet for your child, or perhaps your child is already scheduled to begin the medical ketogenic diet, you are likely seeking all the information that you can find to educate and prepare yourself. Even after your child starts the diet, you will likely continue searching for information and resources to support you in managing day to day. Many parents find books to be helpful, so for today’s KetoConnect blog post, we rounded up a list of five of our favorite books for parents learning about the medical ketogenic diet for epilepsy.

For more resources for parents learning about the medical ketogenic diet for epilepsy, check out our list of helpful YouTube videos and infographics.

ketodietsbookKetogenic Diets

This book, by the ketogenic diet team at Johns Hopkins Hospital, is a must-have for both parents and health care professionals.

The Keto Cookbookketocookbook

This ketogenic diet cookbook is co-authored by a mother of a child on the medical ketogenic diet and a ketogenic  dietitian. It provides a variety of tasty ketogenic recipe ideas.

Keto Kid: Helping Your Child Succeed on the Ketogenic Dietketokid

This book is written by a physician who is also the mother of a child on the medical ketogenic diet. It provides helpful tips for everyday management of the diet.

Fighting Back with Fatfightingback

This book is written by two mothers of children on the mediacl ketogenic diet for seizures. It provides practical tips for parents managing the Classical Ketogenic Diet or the Modified Atkins Diet.

Diet for Seizures: One Child’s Journeydietforseizures

In this book, a father tells about his daughter’s experience with the Modified Atkins Diet for epilepsy. This is a great read for parents, especially those interested in the Modified Atkins Diet.

Do you have feedback about these books or know of another useful book to add to this list? Please share in the comment section below!

The medical ketogenic diet should be used under medical supervision.

KetoCal is a medical food and is intended for use under medical supervision.

No Bones About It: Questions and Answers About Nutrition, Epilepsy and Bone Health

By Ellen Sviland Avery, MS, RD, LD, CNSC

Why should I be worried about my child’s bones?

Bone health is important for men and women, children and adults. As children, it is important to get enough calcium and Vitamin D starting during infancy. Inadequate calcium and Vitamin D during childhood can affect proper bone development.

Where can I find calcium and Vitamin D in my food?

Good sources of calcium include dairy products, calcium fortified orange juice and milk substitutes, sardines, dark green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach, collard greens) and calcium fortified cereals. Good sources of Vitamin D include salmon, tuna, shrimp, egg yolks, beef liver, mushrooms and Vitamin D fortified foods. Of note, Vitamin D can also be made in the liver from sunlight!

How much calcium and Vitamin D does my child need daily?

The Recommended Dietary Allowance for calcium for children aged 1-3 years is 700 mg/day, 4-8 years is 1000 mg/day, and 9-18 years of age is 1300 mg/day. For Vitamin D, the RDA for children aged 1-18 years is 600 international units (IU) per day.

How do I know if there’s a deficiency?

If you are concerned about a deficiency, be sure to discuss it with your child’s health care provider.

What does this have to do with my child with seizures?

Many common anti-epileptic drugs (AED) can cause disturbances with Vitamin D absorption. In a recently published study, decreased bone mineral density was seen more often when a child was on more than one AED (Vestergaard 2015). As we mentioned already, Vitamin D is necessary for good bone health. It is important to talk to your physician about ensuring your child is receiving adequate Vitamin D and calcium.

Now you might ask why we are focusing on bone health and the ketogenic diet. Typically, the ketogenic diet can be low in high calcium and Vitamin D foods as many of them contain carbohydrate, which is restricted in the ketogenic diet. The effect of diet on bone health is just one of the many reasons why it is so important to use the ketogenic diet only under medical and nutritional supervision. Your physician and dietitian that are helping you to manage your child’s ketogenic diet will help to ensure they are meeting the recommended dietary allowance’s (RDA’s) for calcium and Vitamin D. Most often, they will recommend a calcium and Vitamin D supplement to make up for any gaps in the diet. They may also check blood levels to look out for deficiencies in calcium or Vitamin D.

Again, if you have any concerns about your child’s diet and bone health, be sure to discuss it with your child’s health care team.

Ellen

1. Vestergaard P. Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs on Bone Health and Growth Potential in Children with Epilepsy. Paediatr Drugs. 2015.

Ketogenic Diet Myths and Misconceptions Series: Heart Disease

myths2

One of the most common misconceptions about the ketogenic diet for epilepsy is that it will lead to heart disease, also known as cardiovascular disease. It is true that consuming high amounts of certain types of fats (including cholesterol, saturated fats and trans fats) can lead to high levels of lipids in the blood, which may increase an individual’s risk for developing heart disease. It is also true that high lipid levels are a common side effect of the ketogenic diet. However, when the ketogenic diet is used under proper medical and nutritional supervision, lipid levels can typically be controlled.

When an individual is on a ketogenic diet for epilepsy, their health care team will regularly monitor their blood lipid levels. If high lipid levels are found, adjustments can be made to the diet in order to bring the levels down to a safe level. This is just one of the many reasons why it is so important to only do the ketogenic diet under close medical and nutritional supervision.

A 2008 study from Johns Hopkins Hospital found that about a third of children developed high lipid levels after starting the ketogenic diet[1]. Interestingly, the researchers noted that in many cases, the high lipid levels were only temporary. As the children’s bodies adjusted to the high fat diet, their blood lipid levels often normalized and returned to near pre-diet levels within 6-12 months[2].

As mentioned above, the ketogenic health care team can make certain adjustments to the diet in order to help prevent or manage high lipid levels. For one, the ketogenic dietitian can help caregivers to incorporate more healthy fats into the diet and reduce the intake of unhealthy fats. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) published a report in 2009 about six children who developed high lipid levels on the ketogenic diet[3]. The children’s caregivers were encouraged to reduce foods with high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol (such as heavy cream, butter, egg yolks, etc.) and to incorporate more healthy fats into the diet (such as vegetable oils, nuts, etc.). These simple diet adjustments led to improved lipid levels for all six of the children observed.

It’s important to note that high lipid levels may be less of a concern for children on the ketogenic diet who are tube-fed or who otherwise consume a formula-only ketogenic diet. The previously mentioned 2008 Johns Hopkins study found that children on formula-only ketogenic diet were much less likely to develop high lipid levels in comparison to children who consumed a solid food ketogenic diet. This may be because ketogenic diet formulas have relatively low levels of saturated fat (20%) in comparison to the amount of saturated fat in a typical solid-food ketogenic diet (60%).

In summary, the belief that a ketogenic diet for epilepsy will lead to heart disease is a common misconception. Although high lipid levels can increase an individual’s risk for developing heart disease, lipid levels can usually be managed with close monitoring and guidance from the ketogenic diet health care team. As always, be sure to discuss any questions or concerns with your health care provider.

 

  1. Nizamuddin, J., et al., Management and risk factors for dyslipidemia with the ketogenic diet. J Child Neurol, 2008. 23(7): p. 758-61.
  2. Kossoff, E.H., et al., Ketogenic Diets: Treatments for Epilepsies and Other Disorders. Fifth ed. 2011, New York, NY: Demos Medical Publishing.
  3. Fenton, C., C.M. Chee, and A.G.C. Bergqvist, Manipulation of Types of Fats and Cholesterol Intake Can Successfully Improve the Lipid Profile While Maintaining the Efficacy of the Ketogenic Diet. ICAN: Infant, Child, & Adolescent Nutrition, 2009. 1(6): p. 338-341.