The 10 Recipes I Eat The Most After Having A Stroke (2024)

FAQs

What food is best to eat after stroke? ›

Fruit. Grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and high fibre varieties such as breads, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles, polenta, couscous, oats, quinoa and barley. Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts, seeds, legumes and beans. Milk, yoghurt, cheese and their alternatives – mostly reduced fat.

Scrambled eggs, whole-grain toast, one cup of milk and sliced apples. Greek yogurt with whole-grain cereal and berries. Whole-grain toast with peanut butter or alternative, sliced apples, one cup of milk.

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.

By focusing on highly repetitive exercises and task-specific training during stroke rehabilitation, survivors can activate neuroplasticity and help the brain heal itself after stroke. By activating neuroplasticity through repetitive exercise, the brain is able to repair lost connections.

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.

Bananas are an excellent source of dietary potassium, and in addition to regulating blood pressure, bananas may also control the heart rate, enhance sleep, and keep angina at bay. Senior stroke survivors need professional guidance on changing their diet to prevent a second stroke and speed up recovery.

Whole-Wheat Pasta

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.

Swallowing is a complicated task that needs your brain to coordinate many different muscles. If your stroke damages the parts of your brain that do this, then this will affect your ability to swallow. Swallowing problems are also known as dysphagia.

Dysphagia affects more than 50% of stroke survivors. Fortunately, the majority of these patients recover swallowing function within 7 days, and only 11-13% remain dysphagic after 6 months. One study reported that 80% of patients with prolonged dysphagia required alternative means of enteral feeding.

They found that having one egg a day, compared to two eggs or less per week was linked to a 12 per cent reduced risk of stroke. The reductions in risk were linked to the two most common types of stroke (ischaemic and haemorrhagic) as well as for fatal stroke.

What soup is good for stroke patients? ›

Carrot apple soup

This easy soup matches sweet carrots and tangy apples. Serve with a sandwich or salad to keep you satisfied longer.

Salmon, tuna, and mackerel are some healthy seafood options for seniors during stroke recovery. The omega-3 fatty acids found in these fish lower the risk of heart disease and fight against inflammation, which are two factors associated with recurrent strokes.

Some general recommendations to help your loved one cope are: Choose soft and moist foods that are easy to swallow, such as bread dipped in milk/milo, scrambled eggs, steamed fish, ice cream and yoghurts.

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.

1. Fruits and vegetables

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.

“They should not go to sleep, and they should not call their primary care doctor first. Instead, they should just go immediately to the emergency room.” And no matter how much someone might try to talk you out of taking them to the hospital, don't let them, says Dr. Humbert.