Foods That Decrease Your Stroke Risk

Thousands of people in the United States have a stroke every year, and spend months recovering from paralysis, speech impairment, and other effects of the disease. Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death and a major cause of long-term disability among adults. But the good news is that a stroke is preventable.

While you cannot change some stroke risk factors, such as your age or family history, you can make lifestyle adjustments. For example, doctors and nutritionists say small changes to your diet can make a big difference.

“Improvements to your lifestyle can lower your risk of stroke, and it’s never too late to make changes,” Sasha Bayat, a Mass General Brigham dietitian and a member of the Nutrition and Wellness Service at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said in a news release. “Incorporating certain foods into your diet can help reduce the factors that contribute to stroke, such as high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, and high cholesterol.”

Just as certain foods support a healthy heart, a routine diet that’s high in fat with very few nutrients can increase your risk of a stroke. Some of these foods include:

• Sugary foods and drinks, such as cakes, candy, cookies, energy drinks, and soda. These foods can spike blood sugar (glucose) levels.

• Foods high in salt content, especially processed, packaged, and canned foods. These foods can raise your blood pressure levels, which can heighten your risk of stroke.

Plant-based foods are highly recommended by health professionals for reducing the risk of stroke.

“When you focus on eating plant-based options, you make healthier choices,” Dr. Madhav Upadhyaya, an interventional cardiologist at Hackensack Meridian Health, said in an article on the healthcare network’s website. “You’re likely to crowd out saturated fats, salt, and sugar from your diet.”

Following a plant-based diet, however, doesn’t mean that you have to become a vegetarian. You can still eat meat, poultry, or fish on occasion.

“Some people who are almost vegetarians call their eating style a ‘plant-based diet,’” Dr. Upadhyaya said. “Others say that they’re following the Mediterranean diet.”

Medical professionals, dietitians, and nutritionists agree that the Mediterranean diet is among the healthiest in the world because it emphasizes whole, plant-based foods and healthy fats. The diet’s name is based on the foods and lifestyles of people living in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, including Greece, Italy, North Africa, Southern France, Spain, and Turkey.

The Mediterranean diet consists largely of:

Foods in the Mediterranean diet, along with other foods, can help reduce your risk of stroke. These foods include:

1. Nuts

Studies suggest that consuming nuts at least five times a week may reduce the risk of stroke by 19 percent. Nuts are rich in antioxidants, such as vitamin E and polyphenols, which help reduce inflammation, according to Meghan Pendleton, of Meghan Pendleton Nutrition, a private practice based in Metro Detroit.

“Inflammation is a key process in atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), which can lead to stroke,” Pendleton told EatingWell.

Nuts are also high in calories, which is why some people avoid eating them. However, nutritionists say the calories come from healthy fats that benefit your heart and may reduce your risk of stroke.

“The unsaturated fats in nuts are actually very good for cardiovascular health, Pendleton said.

2. Beans

Beans are rich in fiber, which protects the heart’s arteries by reducing cholesterol. Research suggests beans help reduce the risk of stroke because the fiber binds to cholesterol in the intestines and removes it from the body through the stool. In addition to fiber, beans also provide potassium and magnesium, which boost heart and brain health.

“Beans are an excellent, affordable food to help improve cardiovascular health, despite getting a bad rap about lectins through misinformation on social media,” Pendleton noted. Lectins are proteins that can cause problems with digestion and lead to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

3. Vegetables and fruits

These nutrient-dense, plant-based foods provide numerous vitamins and minerals that support heart health. For example, vegetables and fruits such as bananas, sweet potatoes, beans, and avocados are rich in potassium, which helps lower blood pressure and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels.

4. Herbs and spices

The Mediterranean diet features herbs and spices such as oregano, rosemary, thyme, chives, cinnamon, turmeric, and ginger. Adding herbs and spices to your meals can help lower your chances of heart disease. What’s more, herbs and spices reduce the need to rely heavily on salt to flavor foods.

5. Whole Grains

Whole grain foods contain all parts of the grain seed (bran, germ, and endosperm), and are high in fiber and vitamins. Some whole grain foods include breads, barley, millet, cereals, and pasta.

Also part of the whole-grain family are oats, which contain phenolic compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and are linked to reduced stroke risk.

Pendleton recommends steel-cut or rolled oats instead of instant oats, which are more processed and may be digested more quickly. She also recommends adding protein, healthy fats, and extra fiber to your oatmeal for a balanced meal.

6. Tofu

This plant-based protein does not get the attention that classic foods like fruits and vegetables do, but nutritionists say this food also has health benefits. Tofu, a staple ingredient in Asian cuisine for centuries, is made from soybeans through a natural curdling process (similar to cheese).

“Tofu is rich in isoflavones, a type of antioxidant that can support healthy blood pressure,” Veronica Rouse, a registered dietician, certified diabetes educator, and founder of The Heart Dietitian, told EatingWell. “A meta-analysis found that higher consumption of soy products like tofu was linked to a lower risk of stroke.”

For many people, the best item on the list may be coffee. Although the favorite morning pick-me-up beverage has caffeine, coffee also contains potent antioxidants, such as chlorogenic acid and flavonoids, that contribute to its stroke-protective properties.

“Good news: You don’t need to give up your morning coffee,” Rouse told EatingWell. “While caffeine can cause a temporary rise in blood pressure, it doesn’t appear to contribute to sustained high blood pressure over time. In fact, moderate coffee consumption (2 to 3 cups per day) has been linked to a lower risk of stroke in long-term studies.”

Besides eating a heart-healthy diet, health professionals recommend adopting other healthier lifestyle practices, such as

If you want to reduce your stroke risk, Bayat says don’t try to do everything overnight and don’t be hard on yourself.

“When it comes to making diet and lifestyle changes, it’s important to be kind and compassionate with yourself,” Bayat said. “It doesn’t have to be an overhaul. Just the simple addition of some fruits and vegetables into your day or making one change at a time can make a difference.”

Source Links:

https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/about/newsroom/articles/foods-that-help-prevent-stroke
https://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/en/healthier-you/2023/10/09/how-your-diet-impacts-stroke-risk
https://www.eatingwell.com/bad-foods-to-eat-for-lower-stroke-risk-11899953