What's the best diet to help with seizures?

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What's the best diet to help with seizures?

Jo Knight • January 16, 2021

What's the best diet to help with seizures?

This is a difficult one to answer. The obvious answer to this question is the ketogenic diet, but as I go on to explain, I don't believe this is the only answer.

The ketogenic diet has been studied sufficiently in children for it to be recommended as a medical option for treating seizures, especially those non-responsive to medications. One of the reasons this is not immediately recommended for everyone is because it is a very complex diet to follow, that requires medical supervision to achieve safely, with a high-level of patient support and with regular blood-tests to ensure no deficiencies or problems are created by the diet.

The ketogenic diet can have amazing results for those that it works for, but unfortunately, it is not always the answer for everyone.

The reason I say that I don't believe it is the only dietary answer is because I believe that each person is an individual with different factors underlying their health, requiring individual and unique approaches to their diet and health changes. This is a functional medicine approach, looking at root causes of health and the body/person as a whole.

Equally, I don't believe that only addressing diet will address all ill-health. As an experienced nutritional therapist, and as a woman living with seizures who has been through her only dietary journey, I know the powerful impact that the right diet can make for someone. However, I have also seen many times that this needs to be supported by a comprehensive approach to total wellness, including how to manage stress and emotions. This is why I have also trained in other therapies, ensuring clients get the comprehensive approach they need to succeed in optimising their health.

I would say the best diet to help with seizures is the one that works to give YOU the optimal overall health that you need to enable your body and mind to work in the best way it possibly can. YOU ARE UNIQUE as a person, with individual genetics, and specific health factors and immune responses that have evolved through your own particular life experience.

Importantly, I would always say, if you live with seizures and want to try changing your diet, then always gain professional help and support before making any changes. Trying elimination diets and reintroducing foods can trigger strong unwanted reactions (including seizures in those with this predisposition), as well as potentially creating a long-term restrictive diet that may not be needed by you as an individual. Utilising investigative laboratory tests and professional knowledge can help to create a diet that provides maximum support to your health, is safe to implement, and uses dietary modifications that are personalised to you.

For further help and support, explore our blog, or try our free guide to start you on your journey of furthering your knowledge about you and your body. Click here for 3 Easy things women living with seizures can change today

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