After a stroke, nutrition at home: the right diet

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Stroke is a fairly serious diagnosis that can lead to significant complications up to the loss of the ability to move normally and even eat. Therefore, those who have had a rupture of a vessel or blockage of an artery have two key goals: to recover well and to prevent recurrent problems with blood flow.

Nutrition after a stroke, with a qualified doctor's help in creating a menu, plays one of the key roles in achieving the above goals.

The importance of proper nutrition after a stroke

Since the stroke itself is directly associated with destructive processes in the blood vessels, it is necessary to create a diet that will help the damaged parts of the system recover. If atherosclerotic plaques are allowed to develop, then re-occlusion of the artery or vessel is not excluded. In order for cholesterol levels to decrease, it is necessary not only to take medications, but also to properly organize nutrition after a stroke.

What you should know about the calorie content of food after an ischemic stroke

It is important to remember that ischemic stroke usually results in complete orpartial paralysis. But even if everything went without such sad consequences, the patient is not able to lead an active lifestyle due to severe weakness in the legs. This means that when using the previous diet, the amount of calories received will not be fully consumed. The result of this process will be excess weight and poor blood flow. To avoid such a development of events, nutrition after a stroke is based on a diet that excludes high-calorie foods, while leaving the diet itself varied.

It is worth knowing the fact that you need to eat on the first day after a stroke. If this is not done, then the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract will quickly atrophy, which can lead to ulcers. Another negative consequence of malnutrition after a stroke is the increased permeability of the intestinal wall to bacteria. In this case, the danger lies in the penetration of the bacteria themselves into the bloodstream, which can worsen the already serious condition of the patient.

Why you should pay attention to table 10

After a stroke, nutrition can be different and the differences largely depend on the reasons for which the blockage of blood vessels occurred. If you pay attention to WHO data, you can determine the optimal principles for organizing a diet for people who have had a stroke. This is the so-called table 10, which implies the following actions:

- reduction in the total calorie content of food due to carbohydrates and fats that have an animalorigin;

- increase in the diet the percentage of foods that are rich in magnesium and potassium;

- limit fluid and s alt intake;

- exclusion from the diet of substances that excite the nervous system (chocolate, spices, caffeine, alcohol).

Nutrition after an ischemic stroke should be calculated in such a way that fish, soy, milk and cottage cheese act as a source of protein. It is also important to take care of increasing the proportion of vegetable fats. Seafood deserves special attention when organizing a diet, since their use can not only prevent the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries (the cause of ischemic stroke), but also accelerate the process of resorption of already existing cholesterol deposits.

If we divide nutrition after an ischemic stroke into elements, then the daily diet will look like this:

- proteins 90 g;

- fat 70g;

- carbs 400g;

- liquid from 1.5 liters;

- s alt not more than 6 g;

- the total calorie content will be 2500 kcal.

The right diet not only promotes recovery after a stroke, but also prevents new cases of clogged arteries.

What foods should be essential components of the diet after a stroke

In addition to the necessary dietary restrictions, the diet of a person who has had a stroke should be enriched with specific foods that play an important role in the recovery process. This category includesthe following batteries:

- green tea (neutralizes the effects of intoxication resulting from the active use of drugs);

- berries: blueberries and cranberries (strong antioxidants that can destroy atherosclerotic plaques and rid the body of free radicals);

- clean water (after a stroke, nutrition must include a significant amount of water, which speeds up metabolism and thins the blood);

- vegetables: beets, cabbage and spinach (accelerate biochemical processes and have a beneficial effect on the brain);

- bran bread (valuable because it is a source of vitamin B6, which activates brain activity and reduces the risk of a second stroke);

- semi-viscous or crumbly cereals;

- first courses: cabbage soup, soups, borscht;

- low-fat baked or boiled fish: cod, navaga, perch, pike, carp, zander;

- eggs;

- dairy products and milk itself.

The main thing is to understand that diet is a tool to restore the previous state. In other words, if the nutrition of the patient after a stroke is organized correctly, then there is every chance to live a relatively long full life.

Prohibited foods

In order for food not to cause destructive processes after blockage of arteries or blood vessels, it is necessary to exclude some foods from the daily diet:

- marinades;

- pickled vegetables;

- mushrooms;

-legumes;

- pasta;

- muffin;

- carbonated water;

- sauces that have been cooked in broth;

- canned food;

- coffee;

- chocolate;

- spicy (prohibited due to sodium content, which increases cholesterol and blood sugar);

- smoked;

- s alty;

- flour;

- fried;

- bold;

- sweet.

Eating after a stroke at home implies a complete rejection of s alt in the first months of recovery. Only when the patient's condition noticeably improves, you can use it in small quantities. The ban on the use of s alt is explained by the fact that it attracts fluid from the surrounding tissues into the blood vessels. The consequence of this process is increased blood pressure.

Drinking mode

Eating after a stroke inevitably involves constant fluid intake. This point of the diet should be taken as seriously as possible, since dehydration can lead to an increase in pressure, which, in turn, can cause another, and more extensive stroke.

You can be guided in calculating the amount of liquid by the following principle: the volume of clean water consumed should be twice the rest of the liquid that enters the body during the day. On average, the patient should drink 2 liters of water per day.

How to organize meals for especially seriously ill patients

It is not uncommon for older people who have had an ischemic stroke to develop comorbidities. It is also important to take them into account when drawing up a diet, otherwise serious complications are possible.

It can be diseases such as diabetes, liver disease, hypertension and gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, the recommendations of the attending physician in such a situation should be strictly taken into account. Also, in certain cases, after a severe ischemic stroke, the patient's ability to chew and swallow food is impaired. The usual diet will not be relevant here. Nutrition after a cerebral stroke in this case involves the use of a probe and special mixtures (they can be easily purchased at a pharmacy).

Only when the chewing reflex is at least partially restored, the patient can begin to feed liquid or mashed foods on a blender. In other words, it should be food that does not require effort to chew (low-fat cottage cheese, boiled and stewed vegetables, etc.).

It is worth considering that after a severe stroke, the patient will not be able to eat large portions of food or uncooked pieces of food. Therefore, someone needs to take care of him, spoon-feeding him without haste.

Menu example

In order to more clearly present nutrition after a stroke at home,it is worth considering a specific example. The daily menu might look like this:

- Breakfast: some white bread and warm milk withhoney.

- Second breakfast: black bread, green salad and weak tea.

- Lunch: vegetable soup with lean beef meat, mashed potatoes, salad with fruit, lemon juice and honey.

- Dinner: some black bread with butter, dill or chopped herbs and kefir.

Results

As you can see, after a stroke, nutrition plays an important role in the recovery process. The main thing is to approach the issue of menu formation thoroughly and strictly adhere to the instructions received from the doctor. The number of days that the patient can enjoy directly depends on the accuracy and literacy of actions.