Halloween on the Medical Ketogenic Diet

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. 

Recipe: KetoCal Pumpkin Spice Shake

yogurt with spiced pumpkin puree

In case there was any doubt, the surplus of pumpkin-flavored foods confirms that it is officially fall. Like many, I look forward to pumpkin lattes, pumpkin cheesecakes, and anything else pumpkin all year long. I decided that we needed to come up with a pumpkin KetoCal recipe, so I set out to create one. I must say that this delicious KetoCal Pumpkin Spice Shake exceeded my expectations. I hope that your keto kids enjoy it as much as I did!

-Mallory

As always, consult with your health care provider to ensure that this recipe idea is appropriate for your child’s diet and calorie requirements. The instructions for preparing this recipe at a 4:1 and 3:1 ketogenic ratio are provided, along with the instructions for preparing this recipe for the Modified Atkins Diet. Be sure to use the appropriate version for your child. If your child is on a different ratio, your dietitian may be able to help you adjust it by changing the amount of oil used. Note that the nutrition values were calculated using KetoCalculator, so if you are in another country or using a different system, the recipe may need to be adjusted.

Ingredients:

4:1 Version:

  • 120 g Vanilla KetoCal 4:1 LQ (you could also use Unflavored KetoCal LQ but you may want to add a carbohydrate-free sweetener if you do)
  • 15 g pumpkin, canned, unsweetened
  • 1 g ground cinnamon or unsweetened pumpkin pie spice
  • 5 g canola oil

3:1 Version:

  • 120 g Vanilla KetoCal 4:1 LQ (you could also use Unflavored KetoCal LQ but you may want to add a carbohydrate-free sweetener if you do)
  • 15 g pumpkin, canned, unsweetened
  • 1 g ground cinnamon or unsweetened pumpkin pie spice

MAD Version:

  • 1/2 cup (120 mL) Vanilla KetoCal 4:1 LQ (you could also use Unflavored KetoCal LQ but you may want to add a carbohydrate-free sweetener if you do)
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin, canned, unsweetened
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or unsweetened pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

  • Add ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
  • Once prepared, serve immediately or store in a refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Serving ideas:

  • Blend with ice for a cold treat!
  • Serve warm for a comforting treat on a cold day!
  • Freeze into pumpkin spice popsicles or ice cream!

Nutrition Information:

4:1 Version:

Ratio: 4:1
Calories: 228
Fat: 22.8 g
Protein: 3.9 g
Carbohydrate: 1.8 g

3:1 and MAD Versions:

Ratio: 3.1:1
Calories: 183
Fat: 17.8 g
Protein: 3.9 g
Carbohydrate: 1.8 g