The Ketogenic Diet

• The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low carbohydrate diet that may help epileptics, particularly children and those who don't respond to anti-seizure medications. The goal of the diet is to get your child's body to produce more ketones, which burn fat for energy instead of sugar.
  
  

How It Works

• The ketogenic diet is a strict regimen that requires 80 percent of the child's dietary intake to be fat. Your child starts the diet with a 24-hour fast so that her body burns through as much glucose as possible. By getting rid of the sugar, she will then start producing ketones, which will convert fat to energy.
  
  

Daily Intake

• Eighty percent of the diet is fats, while a mere 20 percent is carbohydrates and protein. A 2,000-calorie-a-day diet includes 9 tablespoons of butter or oil, 6 ounces of heavy whipping cream, 3 ounces of meat and 3 ounces of vegetables.
  
  

Aftermath

• According to the Mayo Clinic, doctors are unsure why the diet works for those with rolandic epilepsy, but there may be a relationship between the production of ketones and the reduction in seizures. If your child is afflicted with rolandic epilepsy, always consult a physician to determine the proper course of action.
  
  

Cautionary Note

• Because rolandic epilepsy involves young children, any diet needs to be closely monitored by a physician. Because of the potential for side effects, the diet should be used as a course of action only when at least two anti-seizure medications have failed to produce the desired result. Ketogenic side effects include dehydration, constipation and the potential for problems with kidney and gall stones.