Strokes kill about 137,000 Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. The CDC also states that stroke strikes one person in the United States every 40 seconds. A healthy diet, along with regular exercise and healthy lifestyle choices, reduces your risk for stroke.
Nutritional Focus
There are several risk factors for stroke. Diet influences some of these risk factors, such as high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and poor food choices. Nutrition cannot change other risk factors, like heredity, age, sex, previous heart disease and other medical conditions like sickle cell anemia. Lifestyle changes like increased exercise and smoking cessation reduce risk for stroke, especially when combined with a healthy diet.
Fruits and Vegetables
Harvard School of Public Health published results of a study that found that a person who eats eight or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day has a 30 percent less chance of having a heart attack or stroke than a person who eats 1.5 servings or less of fruits and vegetables daily. Green leafy vegetables like lettuce, spinach and Swiss chard and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, kale and Brussels sprouts are effective choices to reduce your risk for stroke. Citrus fruits and juices, such as limes, oranges, grapefruit and lemons should be included in this healthy diet.
Soluble Fiber
Foods high in soluble fiber, like oatmeal, kidney beans and barley, reduce the amount of cholesterol in your blood, which then decreases your risk of suffering a stroke. Some fruits, such as bananas, pears, prunes and apples contain soluble fiber.
Insoluble Fiber
Food that contains insoluble fiber, or roughage, indirectly helps prevent stroke. Fruit with the skins left on, green beans, whole grains, broccoli and cabbage contain insoluble fiber. Roughage adds volume to food, which leaves you feeling more satisfied after meals and less likely to snack on sweet or fatty treats.
Fish
Fish like salmon and mackerel contain healthy omega-3 fatty acids, beneficial in lowering cholesterol and healing damage caused by high blood cholesterol. Ground flaxseed and canola oil contain small amounts of omega-3. Olive oil is very good for reducing blood cholesterol levels.
Sterols
Some manufacturers fortify food with plant sterols, which are shown to reduce cholesterol levels. Tub margarine and orange juice may contain sterols. Read the nutrition label on the back of the packaging to learn if a product contains plant sterols.
Alternatives
Low fat and low cholesterol foods are available to replace their unhealthy counterparts. For example, a person could drink skim milk rather than whole milk, or choose low-fat cheese instead of regular cheese. Skinless poultry is considered healthier than fatty meat.
