Ketogenic Diet Therapy Program

Lurie Children’s Ketogenic Diet Therapy Program is one of the country’s largest and most comprehensive care programs of its kind. The combined efforts of our dietitians, nurse practitioners and social workers, provide care and support that extends beyond the hospital walls, not only for your child but for your entire family.

How Ketogenic Diet Therapies Work

There are three essential components of all food: fats, carbohydrates and protein. A ketogenic diet is one that is high in fat, but low in carbohydrate. Eating this way causes the body to convert fat into substances called ketones. The ketones are then used for fuel in the brain. When the brain runs on ketones for fuel and energy, it is better able to protect itself against seizures, as well as do many of its functions better, such as attention, memory, mood regulation, and sleep. 

Ketogenic diet therapies work differently than medications. While multiple mechanisms contribute to their effectiveness, a key factor is stabilizing blood glucose.

Protein

• Chicken
• Beef
• Bacon 
• Eggs
• Hot Dogs 
• Fish 
• Turkey

Carbohydrates (Vegetables)

• Green Beans 
• Cauliflower 
• Broccoli 
• Zucchini 
• Celery 
• Eggplant 
• Squash 
• Tomato 
• Peppers
• Turnips 
• Kale 
• Spinach 
• Lettuce 
• Mushrooms

Carbohydrates (Fruit)

• Strawberries 
• Peaches
• Cantaloupe
• Pineapple 
• Applesauce
• Pears
• Grapes

Fat

• Butter 
• Heavy Cream 
• Mayo 
• Oil (Canola, Corn, Vegetable, Coconut) 
• Fat Bomb

All of our diets are developed with each individual child in mind. We focus on what the child likes to eat and try as much as possible to incorporate their favorite foods into their ketogenic therapy, and many children actually enjoy their keto food. Even if your child is already on a special diet due to allergies or food intolerances, our team can still incorporate these special needs into your child's ketogenic therapy. 

We understand that kids are constantly growing and their tastes and abilities can change quickly, so our menus are regularly updated. Our team also adjusts calorie levels and meals as needed to support your child’s brain health.

We use diet therapies to treat a variety of seizure types and epilepsy syndromes, and encourage families to learn more about the diet prior to diet initiation. Our goal is to use the ketogenic diet early in the course of a treatment journey to avoid unnecessary side effects of medications and control seizures more quickly after an epilepsy diagnosis. 

Starting a ketogenic diet therapy can be a significant lifestyle change, so we recommend families learn more through our printed resources and speak with everyone involved in the child’s care to ensure alignment. We also encourage scheduling an appointment with one of our epilepsy providers to confirm if the diet is appropriate, followed by a visit with our expert ketogenic diet team to review the details.

Typical Treatment Process

• First appointment: Your first meeting with our team will be a one-hour new patient appointment. You’ll meet our dietitian and nurse practitioner to discuss your child’s current food preferences, the ketogenic diet initiation process, and how the diet may affect your family life. We love to hear all of your questions and want to give you time to be heard. If the ketogenic diet team and your family both agree the diet is the right next step in your child’s medical care, an initiation of the diet is scheduled. 

• Inpatient stay: Within one month of the first appointment, your child will be initiated on the diet. They will be admitted to the hospital for four days, given a schedule of what to expect during the initiation phase of the diet, and our dietitians will guide your child and family through several hours of education sessions about the diet. You will be an expert in no time!  

•  Second appointment: One month after your child’s initiation, we’ll meet again to follow-up on how the diet is working for your child and discuss all of your questions. 

• Continuous support: Our keto team will be available to answer your questions and address your concerns over the phone or through MyChart messages. We will also be in contact with you to schedule follow-up appointments.

Explore every component of our multidisciplinary approach to epilepsy and neurology treatments by visiting some of our other care areas. Read more about our care. 

For more information on ketogenic diet therapy, visit The Charlie Foundation’s website or take a look at the sites listed below.