Question

A friend’s child was diagnosed with epilepsy last year, experiencing convulsions and staring at the ceiling during an attack. The child is about to start school, and there’s concern about having an attack at school. What dietary precautions should epilepsy patients take?

Answer

Epilepsy patients should follow these dietary guidelines:

  1. Maintain regular meals, avoiding excessive hunger or fullness, and abstain from smoking and drinking. Avoid spicy and irritating foods such as coffee, cola, and tea.
  2. Avoid overexertion, ensure adequate sleep, prevent colds, and maintain emotional stability.
  3. Establish good sleeping and eating habits. Foods should be nutritious and easy to digest. Avoid sticky, salty, and sweet foods, and consume moderate amounts of fruits and vegetables.
  4. Minimize the intake of lamb, beef, taro, lotus root, and instead eat more acidic foods (such as peanuts, walnuts, pork, fish, shrimp, etc.) to suppress seizures and ensure the supply of vitamin B. It is also advisable to consume foods rich in manganese such as soybeans, wheat, and lentils, as epilepsy may be associated with a deficiency of vitamin manganese in the blood.
  5. Avoid excessive drinking to prevent stimulating the hypothalamus and increasing its burden.