ketogenic diet for seizures

Ketogenic diet is very high in fats and low in carbohydrates and it is indicated for prevention of seizures in people with epilepsy.  Be aware that this is a do it yourself diet. Patients need to be closely monitored.

The ketogenic diet is not a fad or a quack diet.  With help from a medical team, the diet helps two out of three children and prevents seizures completely in one out of three children.

The Ketogenic diet consists of 80 percent energy from fat and 20 percent from protein and carbohydrates. Because of this, the diet is not nutritionally balanced and its long term use may induce some side effects which may include dehydration, constipation, and complications from kidney stones or gall stones in some cases.

Patients on the diet need to use vitamin supplements because ketogenic diet lacks water soluble vitamins and minerals.  Children on the diet may also build up high fat in their systems, which can be a problem if they do not have the ability to process fat.

When a patient decides to use ketogenic diet, make sure a dietitian is included in his medical team, who can advise on how to meet his nutritional needs.

By Jimmy Downs