KETO NEWS
Focus on non-food
related activities this
holiday season.
Crafts such as
ornament decorating
or candle making can
help spread holiday
cheer. Check out
Glow Stick Bowling
submitted by one of
our keto families.
In This Issue
Holiday Tips
Holiday Recipes
Sick Day Management
Keto In the News
Clinic Updates
Community Events
Healthy fat sources are key to a successful ketogenic diet
Holiday Planning
The holiday season is here again! Whether you’re a ketogenic holiday expert, or a
newcomer, we hope this newsletter provides helpful ideas and tips. Holidays typically
include celebrations, and food tends to be the main focal point; either by family
tradition or religious affiliations. While it is important to include holiday spirit into keto
meals/snacks, keep in mind that there are non-food related holiday tradition’s as well.
Although it is difficult to accommodate a ketogenic diet during the holidays, it is not
impossible!
Tips to Ease Holiday Stress
Talk to your dietitian for any recipes that you may need well before the time you
need them.
Make the recipes in advance to ensure that they taste good and travel well.
For holiday events find out what will be served ahead of time so that you can find
keto-variations to match what everyone else will be eating.
Make a few batches of keto treats to have handy over the holidays so that you
can provide them for your child at school parties and/or family get-togethers when
other kids are enjoying treats.
Holiday Keto Blogs
Tips for Managing Your Child’s Ketogenic Diet Over the Holidays
A Keto Mom’s Tips for Managing the Holidays on the Ketogenic Diet
Medical University of South Carolina
Fall Edition 2016
Featured Recipe: Pumpkin
Spiced Trifle
Ingredients:
28 grams or 1 Cinnamon Donut Delight
14 grams or 1 tablespoon canned pumpkin
14 grams or 1 tablespoon cream cheese
11 grams or 1 scant tablespoon butter
1 packet or 3.5 grams Truvia®
0.5 grams or a pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
5 grams or (1 teaspoon) un-whipped 36% heavy cream
Directions
Crumble the Donut Delight in a small zip top bag, combine the
pumpkin puree, cream cheese, butter, and Truvia®. Zip the bag
closed and squeeze the baggie to combine all the ingredients. Snip
the corner of the bag to squeeze out all of the puree. In a small
parfait glass, place a layer of donut followed by the pumpkin
mixture. Add the rest of the donut crumbles, then top with the
whipped cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 1: 4:1 ratio; Calories 286; Total Carbs 6.7 grams; Net
Carbs 3.8 grams; Protein 3.3 grams; Fat 28.6 grams
KetoVie Café
Cinnamon Donut
Delights
A sweet and delicious dessert
snack that is a 3:1 ketogenic
ratio. You can add it to any meal
as a dessert or have one or two for
a special treat.
Easy Whip Mini PLUS
Pumpkin recipes are an easy addition to keto plans.
iSi® Easy
Whip
Looking for an easy and
convenient way to make whipped
cream in a only a few seconds?
Check out the iSi® Easy Whip
product line. This handy kitchen
tool will take heavy cream to a
whipped consistency in just a few
seconds and can be refrigerated
for up to 10 days.
Lab Reminder
Have you gotten your
labs done recently?
Most patients need
ketogenic diet labs done
every 3 months in order
to prevent or treat any
side effects and to
make sure you are
obtaining the full benefit
of the diet.
If you have not done
your labs in more than 3
months, please contact
us at 843-792-3307 to
see what labs are
needed at this time.
New Cookbook
Pre-order the newest
ketogenic diet cookbook
on Amazon.
Please check with your
dietitian to include these
recipes into your
individualized plan.
Sick day management is an important part of your overall ketogenic diet plan.
Flu Season is Here
It’s that time of year again when the sniffles, colds and flu bugs are out in full force.
Despite your best prevention methods, an illness may sneak up on you. Be prepared
and follow the sick day plans provided by your epilepsy team. Check out these tips to
help make sick days more manageable.
Tip #1. Hydrate.
Encourage fluids to avoid dehydration. Use water or calorie free beverage choices.
Diluted Powerade Zero can be used as an electrolyte replacement if needed. Refer to
the Charlie Foundation’s list of Low Carb and Carb-Free Products for more beverage
options. Signs of dehydration include decreased urine output, dry eyes and dry lips.
Tip #2. Maintain diet if possible.
As long as the diet is tolerated, continue the diet as prescribed. If nausea, vomiting or
diarrhea are a problem, you can follow your sick day plans of Pedialyte® for 24 hours.
Then slowly work your way back to your regular ketogenic diet plan. Contact your keto
team if meals or fluids are not tolerated greater than 24 hours.
Tip #3. You may see lower ketones during an illness.
Lower ketosis is common during times of illness. This is due to the body’s natural
process to generate more glucose for energy to fight the infection. This response is
temporary and you can expect to be back on track once the illness has passed.
Tip #4. Double check any new medications with your keto team.
Be sure that any over the counter medications or new prescriptions from your general
practitioner are in tablet form to prevent excess carbohydrates.
Tip #5. Avoid becoming excessively ketotic.
If meals are not tolerated over an extended period of time, it is possible to become
excessively ketotic. Signs of excess ketosis include rapid breathing, fussiness, nausea,
unusual tiredness and facial flushing. If meals are not tolerated, replace fluids with
Pedialyte® which should prevent excess ketosis. However, if you notice signs of
excess ketosis, give 30 mL of juice and repeat every 15 minutes until symptoms
resolve. Go to the local ED if symptoms do not resolve.
If you do not have a sick day plan, contact
your dietitian.
Clinic Updates
Starting in 2017 we will be standardizing our pediatric ketogenic diet program to
allow for improved patient access and streamlined care. We are hoping to expand
access to the ketogenic diet across the state of South Carolina. In order to
achieve these goals we will be implementing several changes to better utilize staff
time and resources.
We will have a specialized ketogenic diet clinic that will be staffed by Laura
Dority MS RD, Dr. Samir Karia and Natalie Foster FNP. This clinic will be
held Tuesday mornings. All ketogenic diet patients will be encouraged to
schedule in this clinic.
Patients will be encouraged to get lab work done prior to their appointments
so that we can review and make changes as needed during the clinic. This
will take some time to coordinate so please be patient with us during this
transition.
Ketogenic friendly treats will be available in keto clinic (Tuesday AM) so
please be sure to ask for the week’s special tasty treat.
We will be offering ketogenic diet initiations (for new patients) and follow-up
EEGs (for current patients) one week a month. This will be our designated
ketogenic admit week and will allow us to have group classes and educational
opportunities. This is only for new patient starts and 24 hour EEG scheduling.
All 1 hour and 6 hour EEGs will be scheduled normally.
Quarterly classes will be available for patients not currently on the diet but
interested in dietary therapy for epilepsy. This will be a great opportunity to
learn about this effective and specialized therapy in a group setting.
Personal e-mails will no longer be accepted. Please use the My Chart or
phone system for any questions or concerns. If you need help setting up your
My Chart, please ask at your next visit.
Keto Hope
Foundation
The Keto Hope Foundation is a
new non-profit organization
dedicated to families with children
on the ketogenic diet. The
foundation is committed to
advancing the success and access
of the ketogenic diet by supporting
families and expanding nutritional
options.
Mission: Advancing the
ketogenic diet for treatment of
pediatric epilepsy one family at a
time.
Current Initiatives:
Keto Friends – The Keto
Friends initiative connects new
ketogenic diet families to a
network of experienced parents for
educational and emotional
support. With the help of
healthcare providers across the
country, the Keto Hope Foundation
has established a network of
experienced support parents and
families who are eager to help.
Keto Bakery – Scheduled to
open end of November.
www.ketohope.org
Haven’t been to clinic recently? Call us at 843-792-3307 to schedule an appointment.
Contact Us
Give us a call with any
questions or concerns
about ketogenic diet
therapy.
MUSC Neurology &
Pediatric Neurology
Charleston, SC 29425
(843) 792-3307 (pediatric)
(843) 792-3223 (adult)
kenla@musc.edu
Visit us on the web at
www.musckids.org
www.musc.edu
Cognitive and Behavior Impact
of the Ketogenic Diet
A recent study from the Netherlands that was published in Epilepsy and
Behavior evaluated the ketogenic diet and the impact on behavior,
learning, and memory independent of seizure activity. Parents often report
that after their child is started on the ketogenic diet they are performing
better in school and overall have better focus, calmness and improved
behavior. As healthcare providers we often focus solely on the seizure
benefits of the diet but behavioral and quality of life improvements are
important too! This study looked at not just seizures but also scales of
mood, behavior, vocabulary, emotions, and memory on 28 children at
baseline and then 4 months after ketogenic diet therapy. Check out the
highlights of this study below and be sure to let us know if the ketogenic
diet is leading to any improvements in behaviors for you or your child. We
may forget to ask you this specifically at your appointments but it doesn’t
mean it’s not important. We want to celebrate with you in all victories; no
matter how big or small!
Study highlights:
Patient using the ketogenic diet are reported as more active and
productive.
Less anxiety and mood problems are reported in children using the
ketogenic diet.
Improvement of activation in cognitive functioning during the
ketogenic diet is seen.
The ketogenic diet has no negative impact on behavior and cognition
in childhood.
Ijff DM, Postulart D, Lambrechts DAJE, Majoie MHJM, de Kinderen RJA, Hendriksen JGM,
Evers SMAA, Aldenkamp AP. Cognitive and behavioral impact of the ketogenic diet in chil-
dren and adolescents with refractory epilepsy: A randomized controlled trial. Epilepsy Behav
2016; 60:153-157.
Kossoff E. Food for thought: The ketogenic diet improves thinking and behavior. August
2016. http://www.epilepsy.com/article/2016/8/food-thought-does-ketogenic-diet-improve-
thinking-and-behavior
Keto Wear
Check out www.ketogoods.com for
kid and adult sized t-shirts that
support and encourage ketogenic
diet therapy. Prices range from $16-
$20 and sizes start at 2T and go up
to adult X-large. Proceeds from each
order go to support research and
efforts for the ketogenic diet and
pediatric epilepsy .
