Which seizure diet is your favorite as an adult?

[Ellinitha]

Hello all!

I need some opinions. Robin has been kind enough and forwarded me several sites with different diets that help prevent seizures. Wow it's a lot of information and I have started to sift through it all. I was wondering if there are there any adults here that are on one of the special diets that have had success. I was doing the low kenogetic diet however am not able to do that while pregnant. First of all I can't stand the thought of meat right now (lol) and a low ketosis diet can cause mental retardation in infants. (So that one is off the books for now)

I had two seizures in the past week and I am at a loss. I am tired, pretty emotional and sick right now so I sure could use some opinions from people who may have had some success with any of the diets as an adult. (The reason why I ask with adults is because I have read in some places that diets differ from children to adults however I am not sure if it is true or not.)

Any input positive or negative experiences are greatly appreciated.

I hope you all have a great weekend and Very Happy Valentine’s Day!

[Molly97]

I've been on the GARD for almost two years now. I've been what I call successful. Yes, I still have seizures, but my food triggers have diminished their number. My main triggers are soy, MSG, anything with high levels of glutamate(even too much beef or seemingly innocuous oatmeal!), dairy, gluten grains. I cook my own meals, and I eat well. Plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, fresh meats, and nothing processed. Now that I have my food triggered seizures under control, I'm noticing that I have symptoms of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. All kinds of sensory hallucinations connected with my remaining seizures. Those don't seem to be affected by diet. I'm on no medications, although my doctor has prescribed a very low dose of Clonopin to take if I notice an aura. I don't have auras with the temporal lobe epilepsy, so I've only taken the Clonopin a few times in the last 4 months.

I like the GARD. It's easy to do, and healthy, once you get past the idea that there's nothing to eat. As I said before, my diet is wide and varied. And, even after 2 years, food triggers continue to show themselves as I eat things that I seldom eat.

Over on the GARD Group here, I've posted a link for an allowed food list accompanied by foods not allowed, and links to specific portions of Dogtor J's website about epilepsy and the GARD. You may want to read those links. And I check in over there; I'll be glad to share more with you if you'd like.

[RobinN]

Molly, are you optimistic that there is the possibility that after your GI tract heals that your seizures threshold might be higher?

[RobinN]

I wasn't going to answer, because I was still viewing my daughter as a child.. but she is 18 and that means she is an adult now.

I no longer view it as a diet. That to me gives a negative impression, where nutrition is positive. I don't follow one idea over another.
We limit sugar, and foods that are converted to sugar. We limit simple carbs, refined foods. We have eliminated all neurotoxins, and additives, and High Fructose Corn Syrup. We are close to being gluten free, casein free, soy free and corn free.
I shop as close to organic as I can, and when there are infractions by my daughter, I work very hard, to make sure there are not many at one time. She is learning what is effecting her well being.

[Molly97]

Molly, are you optimistic that there is the possibility that after your GI tract heals that your seizures threshold might be higher?

Robin,
As my GI tract has been healing, my seizure threshold indeed has become higher. But I sincerely doubt that my temporal lobe epilepsy symptoms(sensory seizures is the only way I can describe them)will become any more improved as I progress with the GARD. Let me point out here that I've gone from constant GI auras and several seizures a day to only the occasional GI aura and several seizures a month. However, the seizures that are connected with the sensory hallucinations(hearing sounds that are simply not there:a locomotive in my living room, a helicopter in my backyard), my surroundings resembling an impressionist painting seen up close, smelling bleach/ammonia where there is none; these are becoming more evident, and I have lost temporary consciousness with them. Following them, I can have horrendous headaches that can last for days with no letting up; usually these headaches occur when I have back-to-back episodes. These hallucinations and the seizures that follow give no warning; they are simply there.

[RobinN]

I am going to keep positive thoughts for you and HOPE that as you heal so too the seizures that you are experiencing will dissipate.
I was just thinking about the posts that I have read elsewhere about children that go through die-off symptoms similar to what you write about. Remember to support your liver, as it is having to do one heck of a job in eliminating all the toxins that your body is shedding.

[Bernard]

My wife has had the best success with a modified form of the LGIT diet. She did not do well on the GARD.

[RobinN]

Take a look at the suggestions here:

http://www.paleonu.com/get-started/

PaNu - A modified paleolithic diet that can improve your health by duplicating the evolutionary metabolic milieu.

How do you do it?

Here is a 12- step list of what to do. Go as far down the list as you can in whatever time frame you can manage. The further along the list you stop, the healthier you will be. There is no counting, measuring, or weighing. You are not required to purchase anything specific from me or anyone else. There are no special supplements, drugs or testing required.*

1. Eliminate sugar (including fruit juices and sports drinks) and all foods that contain flour.

2. Start eating proper fats - Use healthy animal fats or coconut fat to substitute fat calories for carbohydrate calories that formerly came from sugar and flour. Drink whole cream or coconut milk.

3. Eliminate gluten grains.

4. Eliminate grain and seed derived oils (cooking oils) Cook with Ghee, butter, animal fats, or coconut oil.

5. Favor ruminants like beef, lamb and bison for your red meat. Eat some fish.

6. Get daily midday sun or take 4-8000 iu vit D daily

7. Try intermittent fasting or infrequent meals (2 meals a day is best). Don't graze like a herbivore.

8. Most modern fruit is just a candy bar from a tree. Stick with berries and avoid watermelon which is pure fructose. Eat in moderation.

9. Eliminate legumes

10. Adjust your 6s and 3s. Pastured (grass fed) dairy and grass fed beef or bison minimizes excess O-6 fatty acids and are better than supplementing with 0-3 supplements. A teaspoon or two of Cod Liver oil is good compensatory supplementation if you stick with supermarket beef.

11. Proper exercise - emphasizing resistance and interval training over long aerobic sessions

12. Eliminate all remaining dairy including cheese- (now you are "Orthodox paleolithic")


No counting, measuring or weighing is required, nor is it encouraged.

The plan is about what not to eat more than what you should eat.

[RobinN]

(continued)

PaNu practitioners typically range from 5-35% carbohydrate, from 10-30% protein and from 50 to 80% fat (mostly from animals) but wider ranges are entirely possible if you are not dieting and you are meticulous about the quality of your animal food sources.

PaNu tends to be lower carbohydrate than the standard american diet (SAD) but it is not really a "low carb" diet as you do not count anything, you just avoid certain foods that happen to be largely carbohydrate. Most PaNu eaters only know macronutrient metrics in retrospect, as they don't target numbers just like wild paleolithic humans didn't target numbers.

If you are not fat and you like to eat potatoes, EAT THEM. I don't, but that doesn't mean you can't.

If you can do step 1, that is about 50% of the benefit and alone a huge improvement on the standard american diet (SAD) By about step 6 you are at about 75% , by step 9 about 80% and at 10 you are at 99% for most people. These are just estimates, of course.

Here is the kernel of the theory:

Insulin is a phylogenetically old hormone. It is a biological messenger that in excess, is metabolically saying the following to your tissue and organs: "Go ahead and store energy, mature, reproduce and die." Hyperinsulinism in humans is linked to diabetes, alzheimer dementia, metabolic syndrome, obesity, coronary disease and epithelial cancers.

Hyperinsulinism is related to metabolic derangements that are likely caused by the neolithic agents of disease:

The three main neolithic agents are Fructose, Wheat and excess Linoleic Acid (n-6 PUFA)

We did not evolve under conditions of food excess, especially regarding the neolithic agents. During most of our evolutionary past, food was intermittently available and not superabundant like today. Scarcity and famine were frequent until recently in evolutionary time. Preferred foods were available year round and dense in calories and nutrients. Animal products, including organs and bone marrow of mammals, fish, and invertebrates (insects) were the preferred foods, supplemented by edible plants (not grains) until the dawn of agriculture. Fruit was seasonal and not yet bred for maximum sweetness. Food was eaten less frequently, on average had lower fructose, n-6 and usually carbohydrate content than the typical american diet , and was likely characterized by often involuntary periods of intermittent fasting.

Humans are omnivores on the carnivorous end of the spectrum. Not canids, but closer to canids than chimpanzees.

Like most animals that are not birds, we are not adapted to eating grass seeds, to which we have been significantly exposed for only about 10,000 years. They contain molecules that are specifically designed to discourage consumption, as well as other problematic chemicals.

The diet is not about eating exactly what "cavemen" ate, or killing your own food. It is solely about more closely duplicating what I believe are the key elements of the internal hormonal metabolic milieu that we evolved under from especially less than 1 million years ago to about 10,000 years ago. This is likely to be achieved not by eating specific things, but more by not eating specific things.

Is there a way to live in a world of abundant food while avoiding the risk of metabolic syndrome and associated diseases of civilization and the immune dysfunction associated with eating grass seeds that cannot even be eaten without mechanical processing ?

Yes, you can work your way down this list.

Check the website occasionally for more details - I will elaborate as time allows - or you can post questions in the comment section of the blog.



* This is not medical advice. I am confident this is the healthiest way to eat based on currently available science. However, if you have any serious medical condition that requires treatment and in particular if you take medication for diabetes, thyroid disorders or autoimmune diseases, make dietary changes only in consultation with your physician. Your medications may need to be adjusted, as you may well need less of them!

[J-9]

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I was having occasional psychic simple-partial seizures (once every two or three months) and had had only one grand mal seizure. I was leery of taking medication. I met a naturopath who told me that all I needed to do was eliminate dairy and sugar from my diet. I did, and the seizures stopped for about a year. After that, I started having occasional seizures again, but now they were autonomic.
I think I know why they started up again, but this is only an unproven theory. I'm also a compulsive eater , and although I did eliminate most sugars except for a bit of fruit, I did eat a whole lot of breads and other grain products. I now understand that digested flour becomes sugar, so I'm assuming that this is why the seizures started up again.
However, I finally accepted to go on medication after I had another grand mal seizure. My neurologist says that I need to take it for three years, after which I can stop taking it to see if the seizures recur. At that time, I plan to cut out dairy, sugars, and high GI foods to see what happens. (I've gotten my compulsive eating under control, so that should no longer be an issue.)

Of course, I could stop the medication now, but if I tell my doctor, he's going to pull my driver's licence-- and I don't like to lie. I've got about seven months to go before I can drop the Clobazam.

[jjb]

I know you asked about fav diet as an adult, but it is my child that is on the diet ... which is strict LGIT.
Our version of LGIT is gluten free and mostly grain free with the exception of the occasional bite of brown rice.
I make all of my daughter's baked goods with almond flour. Almonds incidentally may help to improve blood glucose.

I am quite familiar with most of the diets.
For those that have gut issues along with neurologist issues, I'd suggest SCD (Specfic carb diet).
This diet can help to heal the gut and some have had good luck with seizure control well.

J