A Dietitian’s Tips for a Keto-Friendly 4th of July

staceyIn today’s guest blog post, ketogenic dietitian Stacey Bessone provides some tips for celebrating the 4th of July while on the medical ketogenic diet. Stacey is a ketogenic dietitian, RDN, LDN, based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and a Keto Ambassador.


Fourth of July: The official American holiday for summer.  It is a great day for family time, outdoor grilling and fireworks.  Staying on the medical ketogenic diet during this holiday can be cool and tasty.  Here are some suggestions for a festive, keto-friendly 4th.

  1. Make sugar free ice pops and frozen treats. You can make cream-cicles with heavy cream and sugar free gelatin or use water, stevia and food coloring to make your own frozen pops. It is also fun to make star-shaped frozen ice cubes using just water and food coloring.  Who doesn’t want a red, white and blue stars floating in their water??
  2. Use the “raw meat” choice (in Keto Diet Calculator) and pre weigh foods for the BBQ. Chicken, beef or your favorite protein can be cooked on the grill right along with everyone else’s protein.  Just keep track of your keto portion. Try a lettuce bun for your hamburger.  Ribs can be tasty too.Young black boy holding flag at 4th July family garden
  3. Make kabobs using your favorite protein with peppers and onions. Use low-carb ranch or make another low-carb creamy dipping sauce.
  4. Add keto-friendly sides. Try substituting cauliflower for the potato in potato salad or for the macaroni in mac and cheese (try this Cauliflower & Cheese recipe from KetoCal®). Zoodles (spiralized zucchini) are a great substitute for pasta as well. Coleslaw can be made low in carb using mayo.
  5. Try grilling your carb portion of the meal. Grilled tomato, grilled zucchini or even grilled fruit (maybe a small portion of a peach) taste great.
  6. Consider breaking out some berries for dessert. Berries are in season and lower in carbs compared to other fruits.  Adding heavy whipping cream or cooking them in butter can be super delicious. You can even make a low-carb fresh berry crumble, such as these 4:1 KetoCal® recipes for Raspberry Crumble and Blackberry Crumble.
  7. Use cookie cutters in the shape of stars to cut out sugar free gelatin into Fourth or July shapes. Try this 4:1 gelatin recipe from KetoCal.
  8. Remember it is not always about food. What a great day for playing outdoor games like kickball, catch, or corn hole.  Also look online for DIY games like bean bag toss using paper plates and paint. It is a great day to go to the beach. If outdoors is not your thing, a good movie or show may be a good treat too.
  9. If you are playing outside, remember to STAY HYDRATED. This is important for everyone but especially important when on the medical ketogenic diet. Drink plenty of water and do not skip your meals and snacks.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

-Stacey

I was paid by Nutricia for my time to write this blog post but my opinions are my own. 

As always, please consult with your healthcare provider to determine if recipes ideas are appropriate for you or your child.

KetoCal is a medical food for the dietary management of intractable epilepsy and is intended for use under medical supervision. Talk with your healthcare provider about whether KetoCal is right for you.

KetoCal Supports Rare Disease Day 2015!

KetoCal is a medical food used by individuals with intractable epilepsy who are on a ketogenic diet. Within the category of intractable epilepsy, there are many different seizure disorders, many of which are rare diseases. KetoCal is also used by individuals with rare metabolic disorders that are managed with a ketogenic diet, including GLUT1 Deficiency Syndrome and Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Deficiency (PDHD). Many individuals in our KetoCal community are living with rare disease, so we wanted to take this opportunity to show our support for Rare Disease Day 2015rdd-logo

Below is a list of just some of the rare diseases within the ketogenic diet community. Please note that this list contains only the rare diseases that we are aware of from talking with caregivers and healthcare providers of individuals living with these diseases; If we are missing one that is important to you, please let us know. If you get a chance, please take a moment to click on the links to learn more about these rare conditions.

Rare Disease Day 2015 is on February 28th. To learn more about Rare Disease Day, and how to get involved, visit http://www.rarediseaseday.org/.

Rare Disease: Numbers: Learn more:
GLUT1 Deficiency Syndrome About 500 cases have been diagnosed worldwide http://www.g1dfoundation.org/
Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Deficiency (PDHD) Several hundred cases reported https://www.rarediseases.org/rare-disease-information/rare-diseases/byID/413/viewFullReport
Myoclonic-Astatic Epilepsy (Doose Syndrome) Estimated 1 in 10,000 http://doosesyndrome.org/
Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Estimated 1 in 10,000 http://www.tsalliance.org/pages.aspx?content=2
Rett Syndrome Estimated 1 in 10,000 females (very rare in males) https://www.rettsyndrome.org
Severe Myoclonic Epilepsy of Infancy (Dravet Syndrome) Estimated 1 in 30,000 http://www.dravetfoundation.org/
Infantile Spasms (West Syndrome) Estimated 2-3.5 in 10,000 http://www.infantilespasmsinfo.org/index.php
Lennox-Gaustaut Syndrome Estimated  1 in 50,000-100,000 http://www.lgsfoundation.org/
Angelman Syndrome Estimated 1 in 15,000 http://www.angelman.org/
Landau Kleffner Syndrome Unknown http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/types-epilepsy-syndromes/landau-kleffner-syndrome
Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood Estimated 1 in 1,000,000 http://ahckids.org/ or http://cureahc.org/