Introduction to Therapeutic Ketogenic Diets
Note: Details about the services that comprise the 2:1 Therapeutic Ketogenic Package are below. We encourage you to read through this introduction to understand the nature of the services, and what is involved in adopting this diet.
Therapeutic Ketogenic Diets as Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT)
Therapeutic ketogenic diets are a type of medical nutrition therapy (also known as ketogenic diet therapy, or ketogenic metabolic therapy) used as adjunct therapy for specific physical and mental health conditions, implemented with medical oversight.
Therapeutic Ketogenic Diets are not cures
Therapeutic ketogenic diets do not “reverse” or “cure” mental health conditions, but, along with other treatments, can help put symptoms into remission. This article, written in relation to type 2 diabetes, explains the distinction between reversing or curing a metabolic disease and achieving remission.
Therapeutic Ketogenic Diets are not the same as a Keto Diet
A therapeutic ketogenic diet is different than “keto” for weight loss and improved metabolic health, and it is important to understand the difference before requesting services. For this reason, we recommend that you read this article: A Keto Diet and a Therapeutic Ketogenic Diet are Very Different.
Medical Supervision
If you are considering trialing a 2:1 Therapeutic Ketogenic diet for mental health and are currently taking any prescription medications (even those for other conditions), the following is required:
- Discuss your plan with your doctor to ensure they are willing to support you trialing this diet
- Download the Medical Supervision of Patient Form for 2:1 Therapeutic Ketogenic diet and have your doctor complete and fax it directly to the office before beginning services.
Having a Long-Term Plan
People trialing a 2:1 Therapeutic Ketogenic diet generally do so for 3 months under their doctor’s supervision, and while some will continue eating this way indefinitely, once the target GKI has been achieved, many people want to adopt a more liberalized 2:1 Ketogenic Diet to see if the benefits are sustained. Knowing this in advance helps collect the required information to make services to transition over significantly less costly.
Starting with an Initial Consultation
It is highly recommended that people considering adopting a 2:1 therapeutic ketogenic diet start by taking an Initial Consultation before making the commitment and investment to having one designed for them. This helps ensure;
- They understand what this type of diet entails
- They are prepared for the changes required over the following months
- They discuss their plan for dietary changes following the three-month trial of the diet, including whether they may want to transition over to a more liberalized 2:1 Ketogenic Diet (which many people do).
Any remaining time in the Initial Consultation can be “banked” for future follow-up services after taking the package.
Want to dive into the research?
Before we meet, you might find these articles of interest.
2:1 Therapeutic Ketogenic Diet Package
1. In-depth Clinical Assessment:
a. The first part of the assessment includes a review of personal and family medical history, recent lab results, current medications and nutritional supplements, as well as your waist and hip measurements (10 minutes).
b. The second part of the assessment is a comprehensive dietary and lifestyle review, where I will collect detailed information, including what you like to eat and when, food likes and dislikes, religious, cultural, or ethical dietary restrictions, and other factors that impact your health and weight, such as sleep habits and activity level (50 minutes).
2. Therapeutic Dietary Calculations
3. Design 2:1 Therapeutic Diet (3 variations):
4. Nutrition Education Session:
- The three separate variations of your 2:1 Therapeutic Ketogenic Diet
- The detailed, multi-page Meal Plan Summary handout that explains the different categories of foods, serving sizes, number of portions to eat at each meal
- The Ingredients and Food Preparation handout for a therapeutic ketogenic diet
- The handout about how to accurately weigh food for a therapeutic diet
- The handout about Electrolytes and Supplements that need to be taken while following the 2:1 Therapeutic Ketogenic Diet
- Information about tracking urinary ketones for the first few weeks on the 2:1 Therapeutic Ketogenic Diet
5. OPTIONAL ADD-ON
Glucose & Ketone Tracking – An educational session to teach how to track both glucose and blood ketones using a medical-grade glucometer and medical-grade blood ketone monitor. Options af different medical-grade meters, where to get them, how to use them, and how to track and calculate GKI. Please read the note below about who would need to take this teaching.
Note: This teaching is optional, only because some people starting these services already have medical-grade meters, know how to use them, and know how to track GKI to achieve the specific therapeutic target needed. For that reason, this teaching is not automatically included in the package.
- For those who do not have a firm grasp on the above knowledge or do not have the appropriate medical-grade glucometer and medical-grade blood ketone meter, it is important to understand that tracking urinary ketones is only accurate for the first two weeks or so.
- After the first 2 weeks, the availability of medical-grade meters (not online ones used by those following a “keto diet”) is required
- Knowledge of how to use a medical-grade glucometer and a ketone meter is required
- Knowledge on how to calculate and track GKI to achieve the specific GKI needed is needed when following a therapeutic ketogenic diet.
Ready to get started?
Meet to Discuss Your Needs
It is highly recommended to begin with an Initial Consultation before committing to having a
2:1 therapeutic ketogenic diet designed.
Ensure you understand what a 2:1 therapeutic ketogenic diet entails, are prepared for the changes required for the following months, and have discussed your plan for dietary changes afterwards.
