Consider red wine as your first choice, which some studies suggest might help prevent heart disease and stroke. Watch your portion sizes. A standard-sized drink is a 5-ounce glass of wine, 12-ounce beer, or 1.5-ounce glass of hard liquor.
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. Magnesium-rich foods, such as spinach, are also linked to a lower risk of stroke.
Foods high in fiber, potassium, or magnesium
Apples (and pears) also are rich in an antioxidant called quercetin, which can help prevent blood clots, relax arteries, and improve blood flow. They are also a source of potassium, which can further help to lower blood pressure, Bayat explains.
Avocados
The soluble fiber found in avocados regulates the body's use of sugars and lowers the blood cholesterol levels of senior stroke survivors. Avocados contain fiber, monounsaturated fat, minerals, and vitamins that keep the heart healthy.
Evidence from observational studies suggests higher potassium intake is associated with a 24% lower risk of stroke.
Porridge with milk: Eating warm porridges like oatmeal is an easier way for stroke patients to get grains than bread or rice. Soft scrambled eggs: Eggs contain protein and a variety of beneficial nutrients including choline, biotin, and vitamin B12, and scrambled eggs should be easy to eat.
Yogurt gives you probiotics, which boost the gut-brain axis – which is how your brain and gut communicate. Boosting your gut health will in turn improve your brain health, the basis of preventing stroke.
Yellow carrots provide lutein, which helps vision and brain health. And red carrots contain lycopene, which also is found in red tomatoes and watermelon, and which has been linked to lower stroke risk.
This vegetable provides seniors with fiber, calcium, vitamins, and other minerals they need to manage diabetes and recover from a stroke. Broccoli can lower insulin levels and protect cells against free radicals. Your loved one should avoid eating broccoli sold in steam bags that need to be heated up before serving.
Researchers found that people who ate an egg every day had an 18% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a 28% lower risk of experiencing a deadly hemorrhagic stroke, compared with people who didn't eat eggs.
The study found that people with the highest amounts of lycopene in their blood were 55 percent less likely to have a stroke than people with the lowest amounts of lycopene in their blood.
Cheese was associated with a 9% decrease in stroke risk; Low-fat dairy was also found to be inversely associated with stroke risk; High-fat dairy like yogurt and butter were not associated with stroke risk.
A study of close to 70,000 people found that ingesting whole lemon or fresh lemon juice can reduce stroke risk by up to 19 percent. This is in part because flavanones also fight free radicals. Free radicals can cause oxidative stress and can contribute to a loss of blood flow to the brain.
Drink a lot of water: You should drink at least five glasses of water per day, and this will reduce your risk of stroke by 53%, according to a recent study by Loma Linda University.
Folic acid, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), and vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) may lower blood levels of homocysteine and reduce the risk of having another stroke or a heart attack.
Legumes are a class of vegetables that are great during stroke recovery because they are excellent sources of potassium, iron, and protein. Different types of legumes to include in your diet after a stroke include beans, lentils, and peas. Beans in particular are rich in magnesium which helps with neuroprotection.
There are several most reported phenolic and flavonoid compounds that can be found in Kelulut honey which may help in alleviating or reversing the cognitive decline in post-stroke patients, namely gallic acid, caffeic acid, catechin, apigenin, chrysin, cinnamic acid, kaempferol, p-coumaric acid and quercetin [78, 95].
Preventing Stroke
A variety of easy and enjoyable lifestyle modifications can go a long way in reducing your risk of stroke. Eating and sharing moderate amounts of chocolate just might be the most pleasant way to protect yourself and your loved ones from having a stroke.
During a median follow-up period of 11.4 years, researchers found a 32% lower risk of stroke among people who said they drank two to three cups of coffee and two to three cups of tea daily compared with people who drank neither beverage.
A study published in the journal Evidence Based Complement Alternative Medicine demonstrated how ginger (Zingiber officinale) mitigates brain damage and improves memory impairment in focal cerebral ischemic rat.
To recap, your best choices are hydrating beverages that contain minimal calories, sugar or salt. Reach for water, coffee or tea most often. And keep a water bottle handy – the visual cue reminds you to keep sipping.
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.
High in disease-fighting phytochemicals and antioxidants, sweet potatoes are healthy for stroke survivors with diabetes. Your loved one should be able to chew and swallow sweet potatoes with ease, and sweet potatoes also go well with lean sources of protein such as chicken breast and turkey.