by Eric Kossoff, MD

One frequently asked question by parents is “What books should I read before starting the ketogenic diet?” In 2011, there is considerable information available on the Internet (including this website!). Parent support groups such as the Charlie Foundation, Matthew’s Friends, and Carson Harris Foundation have excellent resources available for free, including videos and published articles in pdf format. Many ketogenic diet programs have their own materials which will be given to families before or after the ketogenic diet admission week. However, there’s something about a book, which I understand as an avid collector!

The Carson Harris Foundation and Charlie Foundation both list many of these books here. I will discuss a few of them.

http://www.carsonharrisfoundation.org/books_epilepsy_ketogenic_diet_booksepilepsy_ketogenic_diet_books.php

http://www.charliefoundation.org/resources/books.html

Probably the most widely-used book for parents and dietitians is the ketogenic diet book from Johns Hopkins. We have just recently revised it considerably and a 5th edition comes out July 5th. Entitled Ketogenic Diets: Treatments for Epilepsy and other disorders, it is published by Demos and includes chapters from other authors including Beth Zupec-Kania RD, Heidi Pfeifer RD, Adam Hartman MD, Mackenzie Cervenka MD, and Elizabeth Neal, RD PhD. The new book includes information about support groups, alternative ketogenic diets, adults, and using diets in different cultures and religions. It is available for $19.57 on amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Ketogenic-Diets-Treatments-Epilepsy-Disorders/dp/1936303108/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308923921&sr=8-1

Demos will also offer until the end of July a special for $17.97 per book, with free shipping on orders over $29. If you go to www.demosmedpub.com put in the discount code SSJULY40

(First and now 5th edition of our ketogenic diet book)

Another helpful book, published by Demos also, is called KetoKid. Written by Dr. Deborah Snyder, who’s son was on the ketogenic diet, this book provides some tips to other parents about preparing for the diet, dealing with holidays, and also has some recipes. It is $11.64 at amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Keto-Kid-Helping-Succeed-Ketogenic/dp/1932603298/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1308924321&sr=1-1#_

The CalorieKing Calorie, fat, and carbohydrate counter is updated every year and a very critical resource for families on the modified Atkins diet. This small paperback has thousands of foods listed with their carbohydrate count (as well as fat and calories if you are interested). It also includes many fast food restaurants. It is listed as $8.99 at amazon.com, but there are many available used for less on ebay.com

http://www.amazon.com/CalorieKing-Calorie-Carbohydrate-Counter-2011/dp/1930448333/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308924570&sr=1-1

There are other books available for children in other countries, including Japan and Germany. Books are also published on low-carbohydrate cooking which can be helpful for recipes. Some of these books are shown below.

For physicians specifically, there are 2 additional resources that are quite excellent and scientific. They include Epilepsy and the Ketogenic Diet, edited by Drs. Stafstrom and Rho back in 2004 and more recently, the 2008 supplement issue of Epilepsia which includes 38 review articles by physicians and scientists who spoke at the 2008 Phoenix ketogenic diet symposium. This will be repeated in the journal Epilepsy Research for the 2010 Edinburgh meeting, however, the 2008 supplement is superb in my opinion and almost a book in and of itself.

Happy summer reading!!!