Ladies, have you known about stroke? A stroke or cerebrovascular accident is an acute disorder of perfusion or blood vessels in the brain. Stroke is divided into two, 85% is ischemic stroke and the rest is hemorrhagic stroke. Hypertension is the main cause of ischemic stroke. In younger people, there are many causes of stroke including blood clotting disorders and drug abuse.
Stroke is the leading cause of 'disability' in adults worldwide. Therefore, we need to recognize stroke early and take prevention to minimize morbidity and mortality. The easiest way that we can do of prevention we can do to prevent stroke is to eat the following stroke-preventing foods :
- Fruits and Vegetables
The first one is fruits and vegetables. Of course, we are not surprised that fruits and vegetables are a smart dietary choice in controlling weight and maintaining our heart health, as well as helping to prevent stroke. Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories, but high in fiber, which helps us feel full.
These fruits and vegetables also have various nutrients and minerals such as potassium, folate, vitamin A, vitamin C, and others. Some kind of fruits which has high potassium are sweet potatoes, bananas, tomatoes, prunes, melons, and soybeans. Foods that contain high potassium can prevent stroke because it helps control blood pressure, reducing the incidence of hypertension as the main cause of stroke. Foods that contain high magnesium such as spinach can also reduce the risk of stroke.
- Fish
The second one is Fish, which contains high omega-3 fatty acids, so it can help maintain our blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Omega-3 is a healthy unsaturated fat found in oily fish, such as salmon, tuna, albacore, trout, and mackerel. Omega-3 has been shown in several studies to reduce the risk of stroke.
- Grains
The third one is whole grains. These foods are rich in fiber, and vitamin B including folate and thiamin, magnesium and iron, which could improve heart condition and help prevent stroke. Therefore, it is more recommended to choose whole wheat bread, cereals, oatmeal, and brown rice as a daily diet.
- Low Fat Milk
The fourth one, and the last one, is low-fat milk. Cheese, milk, yogurt, and other dairy products provide calcium, protein, vitamin D, and potassium. However, we need to know that high-fat milk can contain saturated fat and cholesterol which increases the risk of heart or cardiovascular disease and stroke. Therefore, choose low-fat or nonfat dairy products, yogurt, and cheese because they provide healthy nutrients that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure which are risk factors for stroke.
Let's consume more food as suggested above to prevent stroke in the future? Don't forget to also read other articles on Fitie to get healthy living tips, Ladies!
Sources :
Geisinger. (2021). Brain food: Can what you eat prevent stroke?. [online]. https://www.geisinger.org/health-and-wellness/wellness-articles/2018/05/08/13/47/these-brain-foods-could-cut-your-risk-of-stroke
Khaku, A. S., & Tadi, P. (2021). Cerebrovascular Disease. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.