Stunning brain recovery recommendations for stroke survivors

The human body is more resilient than we may realize — and the brain is no exception. After the brain experiences trauma or damage, it gets right to work on repairs. So, if you’re caring for a stroke survivor, know this: New research shows that the brain can indeed make improvements after a stroke, while it attempts to make new connections and compensate for damage.

That’s the first thing stroke patients need to know.

The second thing? There are ways to help the brain do its best work in that recovery effort.

Researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago designed a trial to determine how diet might help stroke survivors avoid mental decline. Stroke patients are roughly twice as likely to develop dementia compared to healthy individuals.

Rush University professor Martha Clare Morris is the creator of the MIND diet, which stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. And as you can guess, this diet incorporates the well-known DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) which is often recommended by mainstream physicians to help control blood pressure.

The MIND diet puts a primary emphasis on leafy green vegetables like kale, spinach, and collard greens — famous for their protective brain benefits. In addition to fruits (particularly berries) and vegetables, additional foods recommended in this diet include nuts, fish, beans, olive oil, and whole grains.

The Rush team tracked the dietary habits and mental changes in more than 100 stroke patients for five years. During that time, researchers grouped participants into three categories: high adherence to MIND, moderate adherence, and low adherence.

Those in the low adherence group had about 50 percent greater cognitive decline compared to participants whose diets landed them in the high adherence group.

In a recent study that was also conducted by Prof. Morris, she and her team found that the MIND diet can be even more effective when followed by healthy seniors. Participants in that study who closely followed MIND meal planning experienced significantly slower brain aging compared to those who ate foods outside the diet.

It was as if they had shaved more than a decade off their brain’s age, Morris told HealthDay News.

There’s one thing I’d like to note about the diet in this study, though. You’ll see that the MIND diet calls for severe limits to butter, cheese, and red meat, completely ignoring the fact that high-quality saturated fats are excellent nutrition — especially for the brain which thrives on saturated fat.

As Dr. Pescatore (one of our OmniVista Health gurus) points out, saturated fats are a problem only when they’re paired with carbs and sugar. And he offers this example: “A grass-fed steak with a side of veggies is A-OK; a roast beef sandwich on white is not.”

In other words, the results of this study would likely have been even more impressive if saturated fat wasn’t made out to be the enemy (as it has been for so long by the government). It’s an essential component to eating well in order to nurture your body… particularly the brain.

And just last week I told you about Dr. Fred Pescatore’s mealtime recommendations designed to reduce inflammation that ages the brain. It’s no surprise that berries and leafy green vegetables are right at the top of his list of the best foods that help us think clearly and stay sharp:

  • Blueberries
  • Strawberries
  • Leafy green veggies
  • Artichokes
  • Eggplant
  • Cabbage
  • Tomatoes
  • Leeks
  • Dark chocolate
  • Tea

And as for tea, not just any tea will do when it comes to protecting your brain. As I mentioned in a recent article, Dr. Pescatore recommends chamomile tea which contains apigenin, a flavonoid that’s been shown to help prevent and treat the mental decline that often follows a stroke.

So, as I suggested before, be sure to add in some grass-fed meats, cage-free eggs, and full-fat cheese for a brain buffet.

Above all else, keep a positive and hopeful mindset. Researchers say that a stroke should not be thought of as the end of clear thinking. As one stroke specialist told HealthDay News, “The brain has a great capacity for repair.”

Especially when you give it plenty of support with your daily diet.

 You can find out much more about the healing powers of nutrition and other natural methods that support brain health in Dr. Pescatore’s Drug-Free Protocol for Reversing Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Learn more or enroll today by clicking here.

 

SOURCES 

https://consumer.healthday.com/cardiovascular-health-information-20/heart-stroke-related-stroke-353/will-certain-foods-bolster-brain-health-after-stroke-730491.html
Will Certain Foods Bolster Brain Health After a Stroke?
HealthDay News
January 25, 2018