All Health Diets Recipes Family Sex & relationships Search

• You are here:
• goodtoknow
• Health
• Your stories
• 'A special diet helped my son's epilepsy'

'A special diet helped my son's epilepsy'

Living with epilepsy

My son, Greg, was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of four. My husband, Richard, 45, and I were at our wits' end.Then Richard's mum and dad said they'd heard that the ketogenic diet (high fat, low carbs, low protein) could help epilepsy. Greg's neurologist said it wouldn't be suitable, so we asked about Greg having brain surgery to alleviate the seizures.

A doctor at Great Ormond Street Hospital felt Greg was unsuitable for an op, but she told us she was running a trial on the ketogenic diet, so we signed Greg up straight away.The diet uses fat products as the main source of calories, and so forces the body to burn fat for energy instead of glucose. This mimics a starvation diet, but doctors don't yet know why this prevents seizures associated with epilepsy.

Every meal is served with coconut oil to bump up the fat content, so I cook with it or Greg drinks it.
Greg's daily menu

• Breakfast: toast, butter and Marmite; cheese and mayonnaise.
• Lunch: spaghetti bolognese.
• Tea: ham, cheese, a small slice of bread and a pepper.
• Plus lots of coconut oil.

Greg's 10 now, and has been on the diet for two years. He's transformed. He's lost all that excess weight and is now much calmer. His teachers at the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy have all noticed the difference.

Val Aldridge, 44, is a mum of two from Surrey

More help and advice

- Real life: 'Holly's epilepsy won't stop her being a popstar'
- Epilepsy with partial seizures: Facts and information
- Epilepsy with absence seizures: Facts and information

Quick links

• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Disclaimer
• Advertise with us

© copyright goodtoknow.co.uk 2009