How to Eat After a Stroke

Overview

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke. Among the typical causes of stroke are certain medical conditions and diet. When someone has a diet that's high in fat and cholesterol, they are clogging up the arteries and veins that supply good oxygenated blood to the heart and brain by creating plaques that stick to the artery and vein walls. Eventually, the brain doesn't get enough blood and a stroke occurs. Once you've had a stroke, diet will again play a key role in determining your risk of having another. A proper diet will reduce your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary artery disease and obesity; common factors known to lead to strokes.

1

Eat several times during the day at preset times. Many people who have had a stroke tend to forget to eat when faced with the concept of three meals a day. It is recommended that if eating becomes a problem, you eat more smaller meals more often during the day. This will not only keep you full of nutrients, eating several small meals is a proven way to stabilize the blood sugar in our system thus making it less likely to be affected by diabetes or issues with blood pressure.

2

Eat lots of fruit and vegetables. Besides being extremely low in fat, cholesterol and bad carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables are great for keeping your system loaded with antioxidants and for hyperactivating the immune system. Antioxidants are one of the main ways our body fights free radicals (the chief agents in aging and low oxygen levels) suppling our blood stream with a rich level of oxygen for the heart and brain. The vitamins available in fruits and vegetables also effect how our bodies fight germs and bacteria because they stimulate the immune system which can then destroy any potentially dangerous substances.

3

Eat low fat, high carbohydrate foods. Foods like white meat (chicken), low fat dairy, nuts and grains are another healthy alternative for eating after a stroke. Because one of the most common causes of stroke is heart disease, eating high carbs and low fats will help you to regain the clean, healthy arteries that could have led to the stroke in the first place. Foods like red meat and high-fat dairy products can be substituted with these healthy alternatives.

In some ways, a mild stroke could be the best thing to happen to you. A stroke is a wake-up call that you are not eating right, that you're not getting enough exercise, and that you are not treating your body the way it needs to be treated if you want to have a long and healthy life. The good news is that you can change your bad eating habits and, in effect, get a whole new lease on life. Cutting the grease, the fat, the cholesterol and the salt from your diet will help you to both lose weight and lower your blood pressure--two things that help prevent a second stroke. It's not easy to break old habits--but the specter of death hanging over you if you don't is certainly a great incentive.

Instructions:

1. Step 1
   

   Cut out fried or greasy foods. They contribute to clogged arteries and obesity--two things you don't need when you are recovering from a stroke.

2. Step 2

   Reduce your intake of cholesterol and trans fats. Read labels. This means reducing your intake of butter, meat products (especially fatty meat), eggs, stick margarine, cheese and snack foods with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils or fats. Use 1 percent (skim) milk.

3. Step 3

   Lower your intake of sodium (salt). Limit your total daily intake to 2,000mg a day (read labels and keep track), or 1,500mg daily if you also have high blood pressure.

4. Step 4

   Eat high-fiber foods, such as whole-grain breads; whole fresh fruits; whole-wheat pastas; brown rice; green, leafy vegetables; and beans.

5. Step 5

   Eat smaller portions (3 to 4 oz. maximum) more often throughout the day. Having six small meals is better for your overall health--especially after a stroke--than eating the traditional three large meals.