Keto Halloween Treats at Addenbrooke's

Every few months I donate zero added sugar, low carb chocolate to the paediatric dietitians at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, who give it as gifts to children on a ketogenic diet for epilepsy. This Halloween it was keto chocolate pumpkins and skulls.

Halloween treats for children on a ketogenic diet

On Friday I loaded the car with pumpkins, skulls and a whole graveyard of spooky chocolate shapes, and drove over to Addenbrooke's Hospital. It's our local hospital, as we're based just outside Cambridge.

The chocolates were for the paediatric dietitians who look after children with epilepsy, to give out as gifts to the children they work with. None of it is for sale. It's simply one of my favourite things I get to do all year.

Why children on the ketogenic diet for epilepsy miss out on chocolate

Some children with hard-to-control epilepsy are put on a medical ketogenic diet. It's very high in fat, very low in carbohydrate, and worked out down to the gram by specialist dietitians. Great Ormond Street Hospital has a clear overview of the ketogenic diet for epilepsy if you'd like to know more.

That rules out almost every treat other children take for granted. Imagine being the one child at the Halloween party who has to watch everyone else tuck in. For these children, that's every Halloween, every Christmas and every Easter.

Real chocolate, not chocolate-flavoured sugar

Anyone who knows me has heard me say this a hundred times: most chocolate today isn't really chocolate. It's chocolate-flavoured sugar. Sugar is often the first ingredient, and the cacao barely gets a look-in.

I do it the other way round. We grind our chocolate from cacao beans in a traditional Swiss craft style, with no palm oil and no emulsifiers. Then we get out of the way and let the cacao sing. What you taste is rich, smooth, luxurious chocolate, not a sugar rush with a bit of brown colouring.

Families often search for sugar free chocolate, but on a ketogenic diet it's the total carbs that matter. Ours has zero added sugar and is very low carb, at around 10.4g of carbohydrate per 100g (minus sweetener carbs). That's low enough for the dietitians to fit a small piece into a child's daily plan.

The dietitians always make the call. They know each child's carb allowance, and they decide who can have what and how much. I give them the full breakdown, including total carbs and the sweeteners we use, because not every sweetener is keto friendly.

A year of keto treats at Addenbrooke's

Halloween is just one date on my calendar. Throughout the year I take something seasonal in for the dietitians to give to the children:

• November: keto advent calendars, so the children can open a door each morning just like their friends
• December: chocolate prizes for the games at the children's Christmas party
• March: zero added sugar Easter eggs

All of it is free, and it always will be. The dietitians tell me the children absolutely love it. Knowing that children who are used to saying "no thanks" get to enjoy proper chocolate, and really taste the cacao, is the best feedback I could ask for.

Why this matters to me

These children spend a lot of time watching other people eat chocolate. Being able to hand them something they can enjoy, at the same moments everyone else does, means more to me than any sale ever could.

If your child is on a ketogenic diet for epilepsy, talk to their dietitian about whether our chocolate could fit their plan. I'm always happy to share our full nutritional information.

Frequently asked questions

Can children on a ketogenic diet eat chocolate?

Ordinary chocolate is too high in sugar. Some very low carb, sugar free chocolate can be fitted into a child's plan, but only their dietitian can decide that.

Is your chocolate sugar free?

It has zero added sugar and is very low carb, with around 10.4g of carbohydrate per 100g (minus sweetener carbs).

Do you make keto Halloween treats for kids?

Yes. Our Halloween shapes include pumpkins and skulls.