World Stroke Day: Lifestyle changes, healthy foods, exercises to prevent stroke
To avoid risk of stroke, the best thing one can do is to manage chronic diseases like high BP, diabetes, and heart disease. Here are some recommended lifestyle changes.
World Stroke Day is just round the corner and it’s the perfect time to raise awareness about the lifestyle changes that can prevent stroke and reduce chances of a second stroke. To avoid the risk of stroke, the best thing one can do is to manage chronic diseases like high BP, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity and heart disease which could make one more susceptible of getting stroke. Lifestyle changes can play a significant role when it comes to preventing stroke as it can help minimise risk of clogged arteries. Saying no to alcohol, do regular exercise, avoid smoking, losing weight, managing stress can all help.
Eating a well-balanced diet can be the easiest and quickest change you can make in your lifestyle. Adding fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fibres, protein and other essential nutrients to your diet could help manage almost any chronic disease and prevent clogging of arteries.
Dr. Vikas Gupta Director, Neurosurgery Department, Kailash Deepak Hospital Delhi suggests dietary changes to reduce risk of stroke.
Fruits and vegetables: Eating seasonal fruits and vegetables can help lower the risk of a stroke as these are naturally low in fat and calories, but rich in fibre. Fruits and veggies also contain essential nutrients like potassium, fibre, folate, vitamin A and vitamin C. Potassium rich foods like white potatoes, bananas, tomatoes, prunes, melon and soybeans can help keep your blood pressure under normal range which is considered as one of the leading risk factors of stroke. Food high in magnesium such as spinach also helps minimise the risk of stroke. You should have at least two servings of fruits and include seasonal vegetables on a daily basis to cut the risk of a stroke and maintain a healthy weight.
