Healthy Diet After a Stroke

After a stroke, there is a higher risk of poor nutrition (not getting enough nutrients through eating or drinking). This can mean you lose weight and could slow down your recovery. Poor nutrition can be due to:

•   swallowing problems (called dysphagia).
•   problems with arm/hand movements (for example, using a knife and fork).
•   problems with memory and thinking (for example, forgetting to eat).
•   loss of appetite (not feeling hungry).

After a stroke, you may have difficulty eating or drinking and may need to change (or modify) the consistency of your food or drinks. Many people try to go back to their usual diet without knowledge that eating unsafe foods could enter the airway and complicate the scenario. A speech pathologist can assess your swallowing and recommend strategies to help you eat and drink safely.  A dietitian determines your nutritional needs and can suggest ways to make sure you meet your nutritional needs (get enough good food to eat and drink).  If you have trouble swallowing your dietitian and speech pathologist will work together to suggest the best foods and drinks for you (Wirth, Smoliner, Jager, Warnecke, Leischker, & Dziewas, 2013).

Diet consistencies for dysphagia (swallowing problems) are:

Level I  =  Puree food, pudding-like without added texture (oatmeal)

Level II  =  Moist, soft-texture and easily to chew food like ground meat or mash potatoes.  You should avoid rice, bacon, hard cooked eggs, potato chips and fibrous cooked vegetables.

Level III  =  Moist, regular texture in bite-size pieces with exception of hard, sticky or crunchy foods. You should avoid French bread, fresh apples, grapes or cooked corn.

Reference

Wirth, R., Smoliner, C., Jager, M., Warnecke, T., Leischker, A., & Dziewas, R., (2013). Guideline clinical nutrition in patients with stroke. Experimental & Translational Stroke Medicine. 5 (1), 2-25.