The ketogenic diet (a VERY low carbohydrate diet) has become a popular strategy for achieving the outcome of weight loss. Unknown to most is that the diet has been used since the early 1900’s as an effective treatment for epilepsy. While we do not generally recommend this diet for otherwise healthy people looking to achieve weight loss, there are a number of specific diseases where the diet is appropriate and necessary. The talk will review what the diet is, how to safely and appropriately follow such a diet, and the specific disease states in which the diet should be strongly considered. A selection of natural health products that should be considered by individuals following the diet will also be reviewed.
Learning Objectives:
- Define what a ketogenic diet is
- Differentiate between “metabolic ketosis” versus diabetic ketoacidosis
- Define how to follow a ketogenic diet while ensuring basic nutritional needs are being met
- Outline specific clinical circumstances in which a ketogenic diet can be reasonably expected to provide important clinical outcomes (epilepsy, type I diabetes, diabetes “type 1.5”, neurodegenerative disease, concussion recovery)
- Be familiar with human intervention trials that have applied ketogenic diets for the above-outlined clinical circumstances
- Be familiar with a selection of natural health products that should be considered when prescribing a ketogenic diet
CE Credits
CONO: Category A: General -0.75 credit
British Columbia: Category C- General -0.75 credit
AANP: General -1.0 credit
OANP: General -1.0 credit
Dr Philip Rouchotas, MSc, ND
Dr Rouchotas practices at the Bolton Naturopathic Clinic in Bolton, Ontario. His areas of clinical focus include metabolic syndrome (overweight/ obesity, diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension), autoimmune concerns (arthritis, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis/eczema/acne), mental health concerns, and autism. Philip is also an Associate Professor with the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM), responsible for assimilation and delivery of the second year curriculum in Clinical Nutrition. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Integrated Healthcare Practitioners, a peer- reviewed journal reaching ND’s, MD’s, and DC’s across Canada. Philip graduated from CCNM in 2004, preceded by an honours undergraduate degree and Masters of Science degree, both from the University of Guelph in Nutritional Sciences.
