Dark Chocolate. While recovering from a stroke, your parent doesn't have to avoid eating foods he or she likes, including sweet treats. However, you need to find healthy options, such as treats made with dark chocolate. Eating one serving of dark chocolate per day can increase brain cell growth.
You should limit sweets, cakes, biscuits and processed and fatty meats. It's important to also switch the saturated fats in your diet for unsaturated fats and to reduce your salt intake by avoiding high-salt foods like processed meats, salty snacks and ready-made soups, as well as not adding salt to foods.
Limit foods high in saturated fat such as biscuits, cakes, pastries, pies, processed meats, commercial burgers, pizza, fried foods, potato chips, crisps and other savoury snacks. Limit foods which contain mostly saturated fats such as butter, cream, cooking margarine, coconut oil and palm oil.
Chocolate is rich in antioxidants called flavonoids, which may have a protective effect against stroke, but more research is needed. The first study found that 44,489 people who ate one serving of chocolate per week were 22 percent less likely to have a stroke than people who ate no chocolate.
Research continues to point to dark chocolate as having many health benefits, including a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes, preventing blood clots, improving memory, lowering cholesterol and even preventing some types of cancer.
Antioxidants in chocolate help clear plaque out of the arteries, reducing the risk of heart disease. Flavonoids found in chocolate may lower blood pressure and improve your blood flow overall. Dark chocolate has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol.
Dairy: Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy foods, or a variety of non-dairy calcium-rich foods each day. Protein: Choose low-fat or lean meats, poultry; and remember to vary your choices with more beans, peas, nuts, seeds and fish sources.
Low-Fat Dairy
Low-fat dairy products such as yogurt are also good food choices for senior stroke survivors. Rich in calcium, yogurt and other low-fat dairy products, such as ricotta and cottage cheeses and 2 percent milk, are well tolerated by most people, and they're easy to swallow.
Eggs are a beneficial source of protein for stroke patients. Eggs are soft and can be cooked in many ways, allowing them to be easily eaten by those who have difficulties with swallowing (dysphagia) after stroke.
Even after surviving a stroke, you're not out of the woods, since having one makes it a lot more likely that you'll have another. In fact, of the 795,000 Americans who will have a first stroke this year, 23 percent will suffer a second stroke.
Nutritional Supplements for Stroke Recovery
Potassium: Potassium controls blood pressure and may result in a better outcome after a stroke. Bananas, which can be easily eaten when pureed, are rich in potassium.
If your loved one is really craving some sweets such as ice cream, it is ok for her to have reasonable quantities each day. As you try to manage the diet of your loved one, be sure that she is making her regular doctor visits and his or her orders are being adhered to as much as you can.
Twelve-grain or other high fiber bread – Bread may be considered the stuff of life, but not all breads are created equal. Look for a high-fiber, low-sugar variety which is multi-grained or whole wheat. Sprouted wheat, flax seed and low carbohydrate bread varieties are all excellent choices.
Promote dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt which are high in calcium and have protein. Avoid low-calorie, low-fat and low-sugar foods as these are “empty calories”.
In addition to whole-wheat varieties, pasta made from vegetables such as carrots, spinach, and beets is also a healthy choice for stroke survivors who are also managing their diabetes.
Left-brain stroke and communication difficulties
When communicating with a stroke survivor who has communication problems (aphasia), it is helpful to: Be patient. Eliminate distractions. Turn off the TV, limit extraneous noise.
Fruit and vegetables
Some of these foods, such as banana and potatoes, are high in the mineral potassium, which helps control blood pressure – crucial to lowering stroke risk.
Foods high in potassium, such as sweet and white potatoes, bananas, tomatoes, prunes, melon and soybeans, can help you maintain a healthy blood pressure — the leading risk factor of stroke.
Incorporating even small amounts of peanuts (4-5 peanuts/day) into your diet may be protective for ischemic stroke and cardiovascular disease.
In moderation, dark chocolate is a heart-healthy chocolate
Dark chocolate is rich in disease-fighting antioxidants. Studies show it can help reduce blood pressure and lower the risk of heart disease.
Researchers say the polyphenols in dark chocolate can help the body form more nitric oxide, a compound that causes blood vessels to dilate and blood to flow more easily.
Polyphenols, in particular flavanols in cocoa products, have been shown to increase the formation of endothelial nitric oxide, which promotes vasodilation and consequently may lower blood pressure [6-8].