Diet taboos for patients with cerebral infarction

The first is high-salt, high-fat, and high-sugar foods that can aggravate atherosclerosis; the second is irritating foods that can interfere with the effects of conventional treatments such as statins and anticoagulants; and the third is excessive refined carbohydrates and highly processed foods that can increase blood viscosity. There are not so many fancy “must-not-touch” foods, but these three categories are clearly recommended to be avoided in clinical practice.

I met Uncle Zhang, a retired teacher at a community geriatric free clinic last year. He was discharged from a cerebral infarction just three months ago. He recovered enough to go downstairs and walk on his own. He felt so good that he secretly took out the soy sauce elbows hidden by his children and ate two large bowls of rice with dried radish that he had pickled for half a year. In the afternoon, he felt dizzy and couldn't stand. When he was sent to the hospital, his blood pressure soared to 187, and the carotid artery plaques were at risk of falling off. It was all in vain. In fact, many people's understanding of high salt is still "use less salt in cooking", but the pickled products that the elderly at home love to eat, the soda crackers, ordinary noodles, and even the take-out oden that you think are bland all contain shockingly high levels of invisible salt. I met an aunt last week who said that she used very little salt in her cooking, and as a result, her blood pressure could not be controlled. When I asked her, I found out that she eats three soda crackers as a snack every afternoon. After looking at the ingredient list, I discovered that the sodium content of each 100g of crackers accounts for 40% of the daily recommended amount. After eating these three pieces, she would use up her salt quota for half a meal.

Speaking of this, someone must ask about a topic that is very noisy on the Internet: Can I eat red meat and can I eat egg yolks if I have a cerebral infarction? Nowadays, the two schools of thought are quarreling fiercely. One school says that red meat is high in cholesterol, and egg yolk is a taboo and cannot be touched. ； The other group says that the daily cholesterol intake limit has been lifted long ago, and you can eat whatever you want. In fact, both sides are a bit extreme. The latest "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Stroke Patients" clearly states that if your low-density lipoprotein is controlled below 1.8mmol/L, it is perfectly fine to eat 50g of lean pork, beef, or 1 whole egg every day. ； But if your blood fat exceeds the standard, you really need to temporarily replace egg yolks with white meat, and red meat with white meat such as chicken, duck, and fish. There is no one-size-fits-all standard, and it depends on your own indicators.

There is also an invisible minefield that many people don’t know: while patients with cerebral infarction are taking medication, it is best not to eat a large amount of citrus fruits such as grapefruit and grapefruit, and not to drink too strong tea or spirits. The furanocoumarins in grapefruit will inhibit the metabolic enzymes of statins, which means that if you take one pill, it will have the effect of two or three pills. It is easy to have adverse reactions such as muscle soreness and abnormal liver function. An old man who had just taken a statin in the morning and a whole frozen grapefruit in the afternoon had suffered muscle pain for several days. After going to the hospital for a checkup, he found out that the drug concentration exceeded the standard. As for the saying that "drinking red wine softens blood vessels" that has been circulated for many years, don't believe it. Last year's "Lancet" study has long made it clear that any dose of alcohol can damage the vascular endothelium. Even a sip of red wine will do more harm than good to patients with cerebral infarction.

Don’t think of the taboos too horribly. I’ve seen some family members go too far and give patients boiled cabbage every day, which doesn’t contain any fat. As a result, the patients are malnourished and their resistance is reduced, making them more prone to complications. In fact, as long as you control the amount well, for example, eat a small portion of braised pork once a month to satisfy your cravings, and monitor your blood pressure and blood lipids after eating to see if there are no fluctuations, there will be no problem at all. After all, a good mood is also very helpful for recovery. Oh, by the way, there is another pitfall that many people step on: Don’t think that only sweet foods are high in sugar. Eating too much refined carbohydrates such as white rice and white steamed buns will also be converted into triglycerides and increase blood viscosity. I was chatting with the nurse in Jinnai before, and she said I have seen many patients who remembered not to eat fatty meat when they were discharged from the hospital. Then they drank milk tea, ate honey, and some ate two large bowls of white rice every meal. As a result, their blood lipids rose higher than before, and their recovery was worse than those who occasionally ate a bite of fatty meat.

In fact, the dietary taboos for patients with cerebral infarction are never just a cold list of fasting. The core is "don't be greedy for more, look at the indicators." If you are really unsure, go to the hospital to register with the nutrition department and spend more than ten yuan to have the doctor customize a recipe based on your blood lipids, blood sugar, and medication. It is much more reliable than the "10 foods you must not eat for cerebral infarction" you read online.