Written and produced by The Daisy Garland, The Really Useful Ketogenic Diets Book is a user-friendly guide packed with essential information. It is specifically for families whose children are following the ketogenic diet a medical-led treatment used to treat drug-resistant epilepsy. We must stress that under no circumstances should the ketogenic diet be undertaken without the permission and involvement of your neurologist, and the close guidance and support of a specialist ketogenic dietitian.

For a downloadable and printable copy please click on the purple bar below.

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The information contained in this publication is not permitted to be reproduced, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from The Daisy Garland charity. 

We understand how important it is to be able to share your experiences with other parents. So please join us on Facebook at any time for a chat in ‘Daisy’s Keto Cafe’, our online Parent Support Forum. The Cafe is always open and busy with 900+ mums, dads and carers so don’t hesitate to pop by for practical help, keto tips, recipe ideas and parent-to-parent support.

Advice and tips from our Keto Cafe families…

• “Don’t run before you can walk! Stick to just a few menus to begin with until you get the hang of the diet, to avoid additional stress!”

• “Forewarn school in advance. Give them a Daisy Garland Ketogenic Handbook, so they know the diet is serious business and not just a faddy diet. They need to understand that giving your child unpermitted food at school could have very serious consequences.”

• “Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle – and remember that ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day!'"

• “Keep going, things will get easier, and if you feel like giving up, remember why you started!”

• “Don’t expect all medics to know what the ketogenic diet is about. Be prepared to explain what your child can and cannot have on the diet, i.e. saline rather than glucose IV, sugar-free/carb-free meds only.”

A great time-saver is to weigh, chop and prepare as much as you can for next day’s meals the night before and store in pots in the fridge clearly labelled ‘breakfast’, ‘lunch’ and ‘tea’.

• “My son has limited understanding but we told him the doctors wanted him to go on a special diet to make him better and hopefully he would then be able to come off some of his meds. Although he is 8 we requested to start the diet as an inpatient so that he had his first week’s food in a hospital setting. This worked a treat and we’ve never had any issues with him eating his food.”

• “After lots of experimentation I made various menus showing different food choices for my son. He has limited understanding so I added pictures and symbols so he could play a part in choosing his meals. It was a great way of keeping him involved and happy.”

• “Our daughter went straight onto the ketogenic diet from breastfeeding. She is now 4 years old, and she refers to the diet as her ‘magic food’, and the high-fat part of the diet as ‘the magic bits’. She also helps me in the kitchen watching me weigh things out. This will be a life-long journey for us, with many challenges along the way, but we will do our very best to stay calm and take one day at a time.”

• “It’s surprising how much oil you can soak up with a few slices of aubergine! This makes a delicious snack when sprinkled with a little grated parmesan!”

• “When times are tough just remind yourself how far you have come and why you are doing the diet. It makes it all worth while!”

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