The article entitled “Fighting kids’ seizures with starvation” (MetroNorthwest, Aug. 24) was a nice description of how the ketogenic diet may prove to be a successful treatment of seizure disorders.
I am a registered dietitian who designs these diets and teaches the families how to implement them. I felt compelled to write because I do not think the article portrayed the day-to-day reality the families of these patients experience.
As the article mentioned, this diet requires precise measurement of all foods. The child must eat 100 percent of the foods served at each meal (a challenge for any parent!) and cannot have seconds.
As one could imagine, this is very difficult on parents emotionally. Parents need the support of their families, friends, schools and health-care team to make it work.
