Summer Traveling while on the Medical Ketogenic Diet

Thank you for these helpful and timely tips, Robyn!

Robyn Blackford, RDN, LDN
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The beginning of summer is finally here! Are you considering a family trip this summer? Packing up your keto kid for a family trip may seem like a daunting task to accomplish. Whether you are traveling by air or car, here are a few ideas for you to consider as you plan your summer get-away:

1. Make a checklist. Think of all the things that you need to pack and things you need to do. Start this list several weeks before the planned trip. This will bring you much needed peace of mind knowing that everything is checked off the list and you truly have thought of everything!

2. Label everything. Be specific and label all bags and bowls of food items. It may even be helpful to label the outside with what food it contains and what day and time you plan on serving it. This way it is fool proof when other family members are trying to be helpful and helps you to keep everything straight and organized.
3. Check your destination. It can be helpful to look into both hotels and rental homes in the area. A hotel may offer some perks, like a concierge and a chef who are happy to meet the needs of your child’s special diet. But a rental home will have a full kitchen that you can utilize. Be sure to find the closest grocery store and see if they carry your favorite items.

4. Travel letter from your Keto Center. Many facilities who support the Medical Ketogenic Diet have standard letters that they can provide to families. The travel letter should include that your child is on a special medical diet and that it would be helpful to be able to carry in certain items, such as unrestricted amounts of fluids (cream, oil, water, etc) and a cooler. These letters can be used for air travel as well as amusement parks and water parks that usually restrict customers from bringing in outside food.

5. TSA guidelines. Familiarize yourself with the rules, so you know what special accommodations your family may need. The TSA Cares website can be very helpful.

6. Timing is everything. Many websites that give tips on traveling with children suggest that you choose travel times near bedtime. To me, this sounds like the perfect idea, especially for children on a special diet. You can feed your keto kid their meal and then prepare them for a traveling bedtime, whether it be by car or airplane. This is less time you have to think about feeding your child and it’s an easy distraction in your travel plan.

7. Medical ID or food allergy bracelet. Some families already utilize the medical ID bands for the purpose of seizures, but why not also use it for your ketogenic diet. Listing an allergy to dextrose can be helpful in the event of an emergency during your travels and help others to be aware of the needs of your child’s medical diet. In general, people take allergies a bit more seriously than diet guidelines.

8. Easy to pack and eat foods. For easy packing, choose foods that can be stored for a long time in a cooler or even stay fresh outside of a cooler. Consider these foods:
• Protein foods: nut butters, lunchmeat, cheese sticks, nuts
• Fat foods: Fat bombs, oil shots, avocados
• Carb foods: veggies, very low carb breads, berries
• Drinkable Meal/Snack: KetoCal 4:1 LQ

I hope these tips make your summer travel a little bit easier. Planning weeks in advance can help you be successful in taking your next family trip.
Find some fun and enjoy your summer!
-Robyn
I was paid by Nutricia for my time in writing this post, however, my opinions are my own.
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 to determine if KetoCal is right for you.

How to Make Keto-friendly Holiday Cookies

keto cookies

Many families enjoy baking and decorating cookies around the holidays. Your keto kid can join in the fun too with our KetoCal Almond Coconut Cookie recipe. As always, speak with your healthcare provider to ensure that this recipe is appropriate for your child’s diet.

This is your keto-version of basic “sugar” cookies (sans sugar of course). As the name suggests, they are made using almond and coconut flour, but people often describe them as tasting like shortbread cookies. Below are some festive ways to decorate your keto cookies!

Make Cookies in Festive Colors

You can make these cookies festive by adding carb-free food coloring to the batter before cooking. I like to divide the recipe in half and add red carb-free food coloring to one batch and green carb-free food coloring to the other.

Top with Colorful “Keto Sprinkles”

Another idea is to add colorful “keto sprinkles” to your cookies by mixing a small amount of carb-free food coloring into granulated stevia before adding it on top of the cookies.

Use Holiday-themed Cookie Cutters

You can also use mini holiday-themed cookie cutters to make your cookies into different shapes.

We would love to see the holiday cookies that your family creates – Please tag us if you post them on social media so that we can see what you come up with!

Happy keto baking!

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.

Recipe contains nuts (almond flour).

One Keto Dough Recipe: Unlimited Recipe Options!

ketogenic diet chef rachel finn

My name is Rachel Finn, and I am a chef at a children’s hospital where I help create recipes for children following a medical ketogenic diet for the management of intractable epilepsy. Working with Nutricia North America, I created a new, versatile dough recipe, KetoCal® 2:1 Dough, and it has become the go-to keto dough for almost everything! It is made with the KetoCal® 3:1 Powder, which is unflavored and works nicely for a savory dough. I’ve used this dough as the base to create a variety of other keto-friendly recipes – check them out below! These recipes were shared at our most recent Keto University for professionals administering the ketogenic diet in the medical field, and they were a big hit!

Ketogenic Dough Basics

Carbohydrate-heavy foods like pasta and fries are undoubtedly the basic foods patients understandably miss the most when being on the classic, modified ketogenic or modified Atkins diet. My new KetoCal Dough recipe is at a 2:1 ratio. It can be used for various dishes from pocket sandwiches, to faux French fries, to even pizza rolls that resemble what the rest of the family might be eating.  If you’re a bit more adventurous, you can also use this dough recipe to create samosas with cilantro chutney, crab rangoons, or empanadas. Serve these recipes with high fat sauces or with a high fat drink on the side (such as KetoCal or heavy cream) to reach your needed ketogenic ratio. Ask your healthcare provider for help to modify these recipes to reach your specific requirements.

KetoCal 2:1 Dough is found as an ingredient in MyKetoPlanner. Using the dough as the base, you can individualize recipes to fit into specific ratios.  The following recipes each use 40 grams of dough that will provide a large enough portion to work with and make a filling meal or snack.

Once made, KetoCal 2:1 Dough can be stored for 24 hours wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator.  You can also freeze these recipes if you prefer to make your ketogenic meals ahead of time. However, for best results, making, baking, then eating immediately is recommended.

Ingredients are weighed in grams for consistent results. For each of these recipes, the dough is weighed (40 grams) prior to baking.

Tools You Will Need:

Parchment paper and a rolling pin are essential tools for rolling this dough.  For small helping hands, a 1-inch dowel rod cut into 12-inch section is easy to grasp and roll.  Send us pictures of your keto kids helping to create these recipes!

The Recipes:

To download a PDF of these recipes for print, click here.

KetoCal 2:1 Dough (view recipe in MyKetoPlanner)

ketocal dough recipe

Keto Pocket Sandwiches Recipe (view recipe in MyKetoPlanner)

ketocal pocket sandwich recipe

Keto Beef Samosas Recipe (view recipe in MyKetoPlanner) with Cilantro Chutney (view recipe in MyKetoPlanner)

KetoCal samosa recipe

Keto Empanada Recipe (view recipe in MyKetoPlanner) with Chimichurri Sauce (view recipe in MyKetoPlanner)

ketocal empanada recipe

Pizza Bites or Ravioli Recipe (view recipe in MyKetoPlanner)

Keto Crab Rangoon Recipe (view recipe in MyKetoPlanner)

Keto Faux Fries Recipe (view recipe in MyKetoPlanner)

Keto Butter Pasta Recipe (view recipe in MyKetoPlanner)

ketocal butter pasta recipe

This KetoCal 2:1 Dough is surprisingly easy to whip up! It is versatile and can be used for many different ketogenic recipes.  Be creative and let us know what dishes you come up with!

Please be sure to individualize recipes for your specific diet plan with the help of your healthcare provider.

                                                -Chef Rachel

I was paid by Nutricia North America for my time to create this blog post, however, my opinions are my own.

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

*Hellmann’s® and Best Foods® are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Kikkoman® is a registered trademark of Kikkoman Corporation. Philadelphia® is a registered trademark of Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC. Unilever, Kikkoman Corporation, and Kraft Foods Brands LLC are not affiliated with Nutricia North America and have not endorsed the proposed use of their products in this recipe. Specific brand names are referenced to ensure consistent nutritional composition necessary to maintain the medical ketogenic diet. KetoCal is a registered trademark of SHS International Ltd.

For more information on the medical ketogenic diet for the management of intractable epilepsy, visit www.ketogenicdietforepilepsy.com.