KETO NEWS

Relax and enjoy your summer with keto friendly recipes and travel tips!

In This Issue

 Summer Travel Tips

 Refreshing Beverages

 Ways to Help with Inclusion

 Constipation Help

 CF Website Update

 And Much More!

Preparing for Your Summer Vacations

While you might be on vacation for the summer, we all know there is no “vacation” from the keto diet. Keto families often wonder if

this means an end to summer travels. The answer is emphatically NO! Although traveling on the keto diet does require some

advanced planning, it is far from impossible. If you follow these simple tips, we’re sure your vacation will go off without a hitch:

 Book accommodations well ahead of time and request a room with a refrigerator and microwave. You might consider staying

somewhere with a kitchenette such as a Homewood Suites or Embassy Suites, or finding an AirBnB with such amenities.

 Travel days can be stressful even when you don’t have to worry about what you or your child is going to eat. Thus, we have

found that preparing meals and snacks ahead of time is best. Our seasoned veterans strongly recommend having 2-3 days worth

of meals/snacks ready to go in case of delays, inclement weather, or other unforeseen events.

 If you’re flying, make sure to pack all essentials (see below) in your carry-on and let the TSA agent know that you have these

items:

 Formula and/or meals/snacks

 Medications, including vitamin & mineral supplements

 Syringes, utensils, and small spatulas

 Gram scale with extra batteries

 Recipes (this applies to both formula-fed children and those who eat by mouth)

 Letter of medical necessity from your keto team in case of any questions about the special items in your carry-on

 Ziplock bags and small plastic containers with tight-fitting lids

 Masking tape and permanent markers for identifying meals

 Ketone test strips (and cotton balls if your child wears diapers)

 Take some time to stake out the local restaurants and grocery stores near your accommodations. By law, chain restaurants with

20 or more locations are required to have written nutrition information available including amount of total fat, total carbohydrates,

dietary fiber, and protein. Therefore, you may want to see if any of your favorite chains are located near where you are staying. If

nutrition information is not available online (such as for small, local restaurants), consider calling to see if the information can be

made available.

 Not all grocery stores carry the same name brands. If your child requires a special type of heavy cream, cream cheese, etc., call

around to see if the local stores carry the product. If not, you will need to bring your own supply or ask your dietitian to modify

your meals using the brand that will be available.

Note: If you fly frequently, we encourage you to look into TSA Cares. This is a service that provides additional assistance during

security screening to travelers with disabilities, medical conditions, or other special circumstances. You may also consider applying

for TSA Pre-Check, which costs $85 for 5 years.

Medical University of South Carolina

Summer Edition 2018

Hydration Station:

Refreshing Beverages for Summer

Water Enhancers

While plain water is always a great choice

for hydration on a keto diet sometimes you

need a little hint of flavor.

Check out these sugar free and keto

approved ways to add some flavor to your

water.

Stur: Sweetened with stevia extract and

natural juices and flavors.

Skinnygirl: Sweetened with stevia extract

but does contain a small amount of can

sugar.

Crystal Light Liquid: Sweetened with

sucralose.

Mio: Sweetened with sucralose and

contains a small amount of artificial colors

and sweeteners.

Dasani Drops: Sweetened with sucralose

and contains a small amount of artificial

sweeteners, colors and preservatives.

Propel Water Beverage Mix: Sweetened

with sucralose but does contain a small

amount of sugar. Propel is unique in that it

also contains some electrolytes and B

vitamins which can help replenish fluids and

minerals that many people lose while they

are adapting to the keto diet.

It is important to keep in mind that some of

these water enhancers contain added

sugars but in such small amounts that

manufacturers are allowed to claim the

product is carbohydrate and sugar free.

Keep this in mind if you notice your ketone

levels decrease after using some of these

water enhancers. The added sugars may

trigger an unexpected insulin increase,

which can reduce ketone production.

Also, make sure you stay within the

suggested serving sizes that are

recommended on the water enhancer that

you use. By doing so, you will minimize your

exposure to too many hidden net carbs.

For a complete guide on keto beverages

check out this blog.

With hot temperatures on the way, there’s nothing better than a refreshing smoothie.

You can find hundreds of “keto smoothies” on-line but remember just because a recipe is

labeled keto does not necessarily make it true. Many “keto” recipes are low carb but not

high fat and sometimes contain large amounts of protein which can negatively impact

ketosis.

If you have a recipe you would like to try and are unsure if it fits into your keto diet plan,

reach out to your dietitian to double check.

For individuals following a modified keto diet, try to find smoothies that have at least

double the amount of fat to net carb and protein combined. Check out this great guide to

get started making your own low carb smoothies.

Shamrock Smoothie

Makes 2 servings

Source: Charlie Foundation

Ingredients

 136 grams or 1 Hass avocado

 113 grams or 1/2 cup coconut milk, full fat and unsweetened

 5 grams or 10 mint leaves

 5 grams or 1 heaping teaspoon cacao nibs

 Sweetener of choice

 1 cup crushed ice

 Option: A few drops of mint extract

Directions

1. Combine the avocado, coconut milk, mint leaves, sweetener and ice in a blender.

2. Blend until completely combined and smooth. The mixture will be very thick and the

sides of the blender will need to be scraped at least once. If it is too thick to blend,

wait until some of the ice begins to melt and then blend again.

3. Add the cacao nibs to the mixture and blend again just to evenly distribute the cacao

nibs.

4. Divide the smoothie into two 1 cup servings or freeze the smoothie in popsicle molds.

Want more chocolate? Walden Farms makes a very low carb chocolate syrup. Modified

ketogenic diets may be able to include a small amount of shaved dark chocolate.

Nutrition Facts (per serving): 220 calories, 22 g fat, 3 g net carb, 2 g protein

Check out these other smoothie recipes using KetoVie™ and KetoCal® products.

Suggested Reading

Written by two moms with

children on the keto diet, this

book helps educate parents

about the diets and gives advice

for navigating the emotional

stressors of these diets.

Contains some great recipes, but

keep in mind this was not written

by a medical professional.

Also not written for epilepsy

patients, but this is a gorgeous

and useful cookbook.

Nobody Puts Keto Kids in a Corner:

Tips for Ensuring Inclusion

It’s no secret that keto foods look a little different, and many parents are

[understandably] worried their child will feel isolated as a result. The key to ensuring this

doesn’t happen is pretty simple – inclusion! Read on for some tips on making your

child’s eating patterns as “normal” as possible.

We have found there are two useful ways to select meals for your keto kid that will

ensure they feel included:

Option 1: Prepare a keto-friendly meal that is similar to what the rest of the family is

having. You can work with your dietitian to create keto versions of family favorites!

Option 2: Let you child choose what they want to eat from their list of approved meals.

This gives your child a sense of autonomy with a diet that they otherwise have very little

control over.

 Make your child feel special instead of different! For example, you might look at

your child’s meal and say, “Wow that looks delicious, I wish I could have some!”

 Consider cutting back on your family’s consumption of desserts, sodas, chips, etc.

Not only will this decrease temptation for your keto kid, but it will improve your

family’s health! We’re not saying you need to deprive yourself or your other children

of the occasional milkshake or bag of chips, but do these things need to be part of

everyday life? Having your child on the keto diet might be just what your family

needs to make some dietary changes for the better!

 Plan ahead to prepare a keto treat for sweet-heavy events such as birthday parties

or classroom celebrations. If sweets are used as rewards at school (although this

practice is discouraged due to the growing obesity epidemic), provide non-food

rewards for the teacher to give your child such as erasers, stickers, or pencils.

 Think of “normal” nicknames for keto foods such as the following:

 Liquid heavy cream = milk

 Whipped heavy cream = pudding or yogurt

 Fat bombs = truffles or candy

 Watch your language when talking about the diet! Pitying statements like, “I’m so

sorry you can’t have pizza! I know it’s hard,” will create negative associations with

the diet and may actually make things worse.

One word of caution – while we want our keto kids to feel included, it is important that

they learn not to share their food with or accept food from others. It may be helpful to

treat the diet like a food allergy, as there are many great books out there for explaining

allergies to children.

Keto Friends

The Keto Hope Foundation has established a network of experienced support parents

and families who are here to help newcomers to the keto diet. Keto Friends matches

new families to experienced support parents based on preferences and needs. By

connecting keto diet families to experienced support parents all families can have one

-on-one support, advice, and encouragement on their keto diet journey.

If you are interested in being connected to a support parent, please fill out the form

located on the Keto Hope Foundation website.

If you are interested in being a support parent, please ask

your ketogenic dietitian to send an e-mail to the Keto Hope

Foundation at [email protected].

families to a network.

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)

Visit us on the web at

www.musckids.org

www.musc.edu

Easing the Number Two Burden: Constipation

Increase fiber consumption. Focus on tomatoes, avocado, cucumbers, flaxseeds,

chia seeds, olives, lettuce, spinach and kale that are high fiber and low carb making

them ideal for a keto diet.

Drink more water. Focus on hydration throughout the day. Ask your ketogenic diet

team for an appropriate fluid goal.

Consume MCT oil and avocado as both are natural laxatives. MCT oil can be

prescribed by your ketogenic diet team or purchased over the counter. It is

important to start slow as high doses may cause stomach discomfort. Coconut oil

that you can find at your grocery store has a large amount of MCT oil in it making it

a great cooking oil.

If diet adjustments do not improve your bowel pattern, you may need to take further

action. Discuss with your team other alternatives such as carbohydrate free

laxatives or stool softeners.

Patient

Spotlight

We are looking for patient stories for

upcoming newsletters. If you or your

child is on a ketogenic diet and would

like to be featured in our next

newsletter, please let us know.

Article

Suggestions

What would you like featured in the

next newsletter. Please let us know

what topics you want to learn more

about and we will be sure to include in

future editions.

Charlie Foundation Website Gets a Facelift

If you’ve visited the trusty Charlie Foundation website (one of our go-to

resources for patients on a keto diet) within the past few months, you might have

found yourself a little lost! Things look quite different these days. Luckily, besides

the addition of some new resources and a little re-organization with eye-catching

photos, the answer is “not much”. All your favorite resources are still available,

and most old URLs you have saved will automatically re-route to the new, likely

updated webpage. If you haven’t visited in a while, we encourage you to take a

look around!

Here are direct links to some of our patients’ most-visited areas of the website:

 Recipes

 Keto Diet Calculator

 List of Low-Carb Products

 Blog Posts