Ketogenic Diet Clinic

The Ketogenic Diet Clinic at Monroe Carell provides dietary therapies as part of epilepsy management. If medical therapies don't work well enough for your child to control seizures or your child has problems with side effects, a ketogenic diet may help.

A high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet produces ketones in the body. The brain and heart work normally with ketones as an energy source. Some children who experience epileptic seizures may have reduced symptoms on this diet. At your child's first visit in our clinic, we educate you about the diet and perform baseline blood tests. If we start your child on a diet therapy, you can expect follow-up visits with our dietician every three months with additional blood tests. 

Many of our patients begin their care through our Complex Epilepsy Clinic. Patients with a Vanderbilt neurologist may be seen at the Ketogenic Diet Clinic during their scheduled Neurology appointment.

Learn more about ketogenic diets in the Tests, Treatments and Services section below.