modified Atkins diet

Halloween on the Medical Ketogenic Diet

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Today’s Guest Blog post is by Lindsey Thompson, MS, RD, CSP, LD, ketogenic dietitian and Nutricia Keto Ambassador.

Important: Please note that this post was written prior to COVID-19. Whether you will be celebrating Halloween at home with your family or participating in modified Halloween activities, please be sure to keep current safety recommendations (like social distancing, mask-wearing, and hand washing) in mind. For more information on how to protect your family from COVID-19, read this post.

Food is the focus of many holidays, and Halloween is no exception. For kids on the medical ketogenic diet, there are many ways to include them in your family traditions for Halloween. For this blog, I reviewed some tips for trick-or-treating with your child as well as how to navigate school or other Halloween parties.

Trick-or-Treating Tips

If your family trick-or-treats, here are some tips for including your keto kid:

-Provide non-food items or keto-friendly treats to neighbors beforehand for your child to pick up when she or he trick-or-treats. Some examples include:

  • Halloween themed toys or stickers
  • Tickets or tokens your child can collect from house-to-house and redeem for a larger non-food prize at the end
  • Keto-friendly treats, such as the following:
  • Chocolate Almond Bark:3:1 recipe
  • Almond Coconut Cookies:4:1 recipe and 3:1 recipe
  • No-Bake Fudge:4:1 recipe and 3:1 recipe
  • Sugar-free gelatin cups (Choose Halloween colors and/or decorate cups with Halloween stickers)
  • Other keto-friendly food ideas from the recipes included below

-Donate candy to a local charity or group after trick-or-treating. There are many groups that will collect extra Halloween candy for a good cause. If you plan to donate candy, make sure to talk to your children beforehand to explain your plan so they understand. You can also have the children turn in their candy to you for a larger toy, prize or allowance.

-Plan another activity in place of trick-or-treating that would not include candy or other treats your child could not consume. Some examples include a hayride, corn maze, pumpkin patch or decorating pumpkins as a family.

School Parties or other Halloween Parties

Make sure to plan ahead for school or other parties around the Halloween holiday. Let teachers or other caregivers know about your child’s food restrictions and plan to bring keto-friendly foods that your child can consume with her friends.

Here are a few recipes for keto treats that your child can take to the party:

  • KetoCal® Creamy Gelatin Snack: 4:1 recipe (can use green or orange gelatin powder and Halloween themed molds to make the treats festive)
  • KetoCal Pumpkin Spice Shake: 4:1 and 3:1 recipe
  • KetoCal Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Cream Frosting: 3:1 recipe (cook in Halloween themed muffin wrappers or add Halloween cupcake toppers)
  • Matthew’s Friend’s Chocolate Muffins: 4:1 recipe
  • Crustless Pumpkin Pie: 3:1 recipe

Always be sure to check the recipes with your ketogenic dietitian.

I hope these tips help make for a safe, happy and keto-friendly Halloween!

-Lindsey

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. 

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Celebrating Birthdays on the Ketogenic Diet

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

 

 

A birthday party can be a little tricky for someone trying to stay on their ketogenic diet.  With a party comes the expectations of cake and ice cream, not bacon and heavy cream.  Luckily, there are more resources for low-carb and keto friendly treats so thoughts of birthday treats are possible.  Here are some suggestions.

  1. If you are planning the party, concentrate on the activity or theme of the party and make the treats secondary. For example, you could have a jump house with games, go to the movies, have an arts and crafts project, or have live entertainment such as a magician. Having the focus on fun will divert from the expectations of cake.
  2. Have a birthday cake made of flowers or a craft paper cake.
  3. Cupcakes or cake pops are very popular at birthday parties. These are great options because they are single serving and you can provide regular cupcakes or cake pops for the party guests and keto-friendly cupcakes or cake pops for your child. Try these recipes for KetoCal® chocolate cupcakes or KetoCal® vanilla cake pops.
  4. Doughnuts and doughnut holes can be made with keto-friendly ingredients. Try these recipes for KetoCal glazed or chocolate doughnuts.
  5. Sometimes having a trip or a special outing can replace a party. Depending on the time of year and where you live, your child may want to go to a theme park or go boating!
  6. If the party is during summer months, consider a Popsicle party. Popsicles are easily made keto-friendly and kids enjoy them.
  7. Another great dessert is sugar-free gelatin. You can use blue gelatin to make a beach themed dessert. Here is an example that you can make keto-friendly by using sugar-free blue gelatin, almond flour for sand, and adding a tiny drink umbrella.
  8. For your child’s birthday celebration at school, opt for non-food items to celebrate. You could send non-food party favors for all of the children to enjoy, such as stickers, pencils, etc. Doing a craft or playing a game could also be a good substitute.
  9. For other children’s birthday parties, including school parties- have your child come prepared. Send along keto- friendly snacks and/or fat bombs so that they may have a sweet treat too.

-Stacey

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

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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.

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