Manual of Clinical Nutrition

Ketogenic Diet

Manual of Clinical Nutrition Management E- 15 Copyright © 20 13 Compass Group, Inc.

2. Calories per kilogram: Calculate the ideal body weight for the child’s height using the NCHS growth charts.
   Determine the number of calories per kilogram based on the child’s age and ideal weight from the following
   chart (7). Additional adjustments for caloric needs will need to be individualized based on patient’s activity
   level.
   Up to 1 year 80 kcal/kg
   12 - 18 months 75 kcal/kg
   18 months - 3 years 70 kcal/kg
   4 - 6 years 65 kcal/kg
   7 - 8 years 60 kcal/kg
   9 - 10 years 55 kcal/kg
   11 - 14 years 40 kcal/kg or less


3. Total calories: Determine the total number of kcal in the diet by multiplying the child’s ideal weight by
   the number of calories required per kilogram.

The patient, age 5 and weighing 18.46 kg, needs a total of 65 x 18.46 or 1,200 kcal per day.

4. Dietary unit composition: Dietary units are the building blocks of the ketogenic diet. A 4:1 diet has
   dietary units made up of 4 gm of fat to each 1 gm of protein plus carbohydrates. Because fat has 9
   calories/g (9 x 4 = 36), and protein and carbohydrates each have 4 kcal/g (4 x 1 = 4), a dietary unit at a
   4:1 diet ratio has 36 + 4 = 40 kcal. The caloric value and breakdown of dietary units vary with the
   ketogenic ratio.

Ratio Fat Calories Carbohydrates plus Calories per

Protein Calories Dietary Unit

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2:1 2 g x 9 kcal/g = 18 1 g x 4 kcal/g = 4 18 + 4 = 22

3:1 3 g x 9 kcal/g = 27 1 g x 4 kcal/g = 4 27 + 4 = 31

4:1 4 g x 9 kcal/g = 36 1 g x 4 kcal/g = 4 36 + 4 = 40

5:1 5 g x 9 kcal/g = 45 1 g x 4 kcal/g = 4 45 + 4 = 49

The patient’s dietary units will be made up of 40 calories each because he is on a 4:1 ratio.

5. Dietary unit quantity: Divide the total calories allotted by the number of calories in each dietary unit to
   determine the number of dietary units to be allowed daily.

Each of the patient’s dietary units on a 4:1 ratio contains 40 calories, is allowed a total of 1200 kcal/day,

so he receives 1200/40 = 30 dietary units per day.

6. Fat allowance: Multiply the number of dietary units’ times the units of fat in the prescribed ketogenic
   ratio to determine the number of fat grams permitted daily.

On his 4:1 diet, with 30 dietary units per day, the patient will have 30 x 4 or 120 g of fat per day.

7. Protein and carbohydrate allowance: Multiply the number of dietary units times the number of protein
   plus carbohydrate in the prescribed ketogenic ratio, usually one, to determine the combined daily protein
   plus carbohydrate allotment.

On his 4:1 diet, the patient will have 30 x 1 or 30 g of protein and carbohydrate per diet.

8. Protein allowance: To maintain health, a 5-year-old child should eat a minimum of 1 g of protein for
   every kilogram of weight and/or meet the DRI for protein for age.

At 18.56 kg, the patient should eat 18.5 g of protein per day out of his total protein and carbohydrate

allotment of 30 g.

9. Carbohydrate allowance: Determine the grams of carbohydrate allotted by subtracting the protein
   allotment from the total protein plus carbohydrate allotment. Carbohydrates are the diet’s filler and are
   always determined last.

The patient’s carbohydrate allotment is 30 - 18.5 = 11.5 gm carbohydrate daily.