A stroke is a medical emergency caused by an interruption in the supply of blood to the brain. Without an adequate blood supply brain cells will die. High blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and smoking can increase your risk of having a stroke. If you have had a stroke, eating a healthy diet to control risk factors can help you recover and decrease your chances of having another.
Dysphagia Diet
A stroke can affect your ability to chew and swallow, which may require a modified consistency, or dysphagia, diet. A speech language pathologist will work with you to determine the appropriate diet consistency and provide therapy to help improve your chewing and swallowing abilities. The consistency of your diet depends on the degree of damage the stroke has caused. A pureed diet requires very little chewing or swallowing and is recommended for severe cases of dysphagia. The minced diet includes finely chopped foods that require some chewing. The ground diet is the next step up from the minced diet, requiring additional chewing and swallowing abilities. And finally, the modified regular diet which includes regular foods that are soft cooked and moist to make chewing easier. Your liquids may also need to be modified if you are having problems chewing or swallowing following a stroke. Liquid consistencies include thin, nectar thick, honey thick and pudding thick. Your doctor and speech language pathologist will determine the appropriate liquid consistency.
Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet
High blood cholesterol levels can increase your risk of having another stroke. The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes, or TLC, diet can help improve your cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of having another stroke. The TLC diet is a low-fat diet that limits your intake of saturated fat to less than 7 percent of total calories and cholesterol intake to less than 200 mg to help prevent an increase in blood cholesterol levels. To help lower your blood cholesterol levels, TLC recommends you increase your soluble fiber intake to 10 to 25 g per day to include foods like oatmeal and pears, as well as increase your intake of plant stanols and sterols to 2 g per day, which are found in fortified foods like margarine and yogurt. You are also encouraged to eat more complex carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables and whole grains on the TLC diet.
DASH Diet
High blood pressure can also increase your risk of having another stroke. Stroke risk begins when your blood pressure reaches 115/75 mm Hg, according to MayoClinic.com. The DASH, or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, diet can decrease your blood pressure and your risk of having another stroke. The DASH diet is high in nutrients that help lower blood pressure, including potassium, magnesium, calcium and dietary fiber. The DASH diet is a healthy diet that encourages you to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat and nonfat dairy foods, lean sources of protein, nuts and legumes. In addition to helping you lower blood pressure, the DASH diet can also promote a healthy weight and decrease blood cholesterol levels, according to the DASH website.
