DIET
Healthy eating and diet choicesWe are what we eat. We have heard this saying a lot lately. In fact, this is quite true, since over the years researchers have looked at the relationship that nutrition habits have on our health and have found that poor food choices result in increased health risks for a range of health conditions, including diabetes mellitus, heart disease, epilepsy, among others - that undermine the well-being and balance of our body and affect our quality of life and longevity.
A balanced diet may be also fundamental to keep correct sleep cycles and routine activity, which can contribute for the overall health status. The maintenance of enough sleep may help to reduce the risk of seizures for some people.
Dietary therapy is an approach that can help some people achieve seizure control, usually in conjunction with antiseizure medication and the support of the healthcare team, particularly the epilepsy specialist that is essential on the definition of the dietary treatments. The latter can be prepared to help people with poorly controlled seizures through the determination of specific levels of fat, carbohydrates and protein.
LEARN ABOUT TWO DIETS THAT CAN HELP EPILEPSY PATIENTS ACHIEVE SEIZURE CONTROL
KETOGENIC DIET
A very specialised diet used since 1920s that may help to reduce the number or severity of seizures. The ketogenic diet is mainly based on high fat, low carbohydrate and controlled protein quantities and should be recommended and followed by an experienced epilepsy specialist and dietitian. Both children and adults can adopt this diet, but it is important to highlight that it may not work for everyone.Read more
MODIFIED ATKINS DIET
The modified Atkins diet is a modification of the “classical” ketogenic diet to make it less restrictive. It is another possible diet to be used in the treatment of people with epilepsy. Its history dates back to the early 2000s, when it was initially studied at the John Hopkins Hospital, by Dr. Eric Kossoff and his colleagues, in children and adults who had never experienced the ketogenic diet.Read more
