Throughout time, diet therapies have been used as effective treatments for epilepsy. This dates back to the use of fasting in biblical times. The classic ketogenic diet was designed to provide the majority of caloric intake from fat so that it will be utilized as the primary energy source and thereby mimic the fasting state. The low glycemic index treatment (LGIT) for epilepsy was developed in 2002 at the Massachusetts General Hospital by dietitian Heidi Pfeifer and Dr. Elizabeth Thiele as an alternative to the classic ketogenic diet and is now being used worldwide. The efficacy of the LGIT is similar to that of the ketogenic diet, with more than half of patients experiencing a reduction in their seizure frequency. As with the classic ketogenic diet, once seizure freedom is achieved, anticonvulsant medications may gradually be weaned, followed by eventual weaning of dietary therapy.