Meal Plan For Ketogenic Diet
Did you know that the ketogenic diet has actually been in existence for almost 100 years?
What is the Ketogenic Diet?
The ketogenic diet is high in fat, which supplies adequate protein, and is low in carbohydrates. It is this combination that changes the way energy is used within the body resulting in a state called ketosis.
Please Note – It is crucial to note that creating an effective meal plan for ketogenic diet is not something that should be entered into without conviction as it is something that must be persevered with. It takes time for your body to adjust and go into ketosis.
The following video offers further introduction into the concept of the meal plan for ketogenic diet –
The History of the Ketogenic Diet
The ketogenic diet was designed in 1924 by Dr. Russell Wilder at the Mayo Clinic and is widely acknowledged to be a highly effective method of 
treating epilepsy.
The ketogenic diet is a mainstream therapy that does not use pharmaceutical drugs, which was developed to reproduce the success and remove the limitations of the non-mainstream use of fasting to treat epilepsy. Although popular in the 1920s and 30s, it was largely abandoned in favour of new anticonvulsant drugs.
Most individuals with epilepsy can successfully control their seizures with medication. However, 20–30% fail to achieve such control despite trying a number of different drugs. For this group, and for children in particular, the diet has once again found a role in epilepsy management
Converting Fat
Fat is converted in the liver into fatty acids and ketone bodies. Another effect of the diet is that it lowers glucose levels and improves insulin resistance. An elevated level of ketone bodies in the blood, a state known as ketosis, leads to a reduction in the occurrence of epileptic seizures.
Ketogenic diet is a special case of the low-carb diet. It is even lower in carb than a low carb diet which means that there are fewer low net-carb vegetables and more nuts and oils. Otherwise, the keto nutritional plan is simlar to the low-carb meal. The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates. Normally, the carbohydrates contained in food are converted to glucose which is transported around the body for energy.
Implementing a Meal Plan For Ketogenic Diet
As mentioned above the introduction of tetogenic therapy is an experimental journey which should evolve over a time period of a few months.
The first few weeks are generally the most challenging in that you are learning to cope with significant changes in meal planning, shopping for new foods, measuring food portions and altering cooking methods. In addition, there is the responsibility for monitoring and recording seizure and symptom changes and frequent feedback to your ketogenic team.
Although the whole process becomes more familiar and easier over time, in the early weeks, it can seem like there is little time to do anything else other than simply manage the therapy. For this reason, it is important that the trial occurs when home life is relatively stable and you are able to give it your best attention. Your ketogenic team will ensure that medication adjustments are managed before starting so that the only variable to change during the trial period is the food choice.
Thorough preparation, careful initiation, meticulous monitoring and close working with your ketogenic team are essential to give this therapy its best chance to work
Contact Us
If you would like any further information regarding an effective meal plan for ketogenic diet, please contact us on either Tel. No. 01342 836571, e-mail enqmatthewsfriends.org or via our official Facebook page and we will be happy to answer any of your questions.