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- What is a Stroke?
- What are the Types of a Stroke?
- Changes in Thinking, Behavior and Mood After Stroke
- Treatment for Stroke – tPA, EVT
- Stroke Care Team Members
- Medications
- Tests
- Risk Factors for Stroke
- Driving After a Stroke
- Going Home After a Stroke
- Stroke Recovery Journey Map
- Stroke Services Directory
Risk Factors for Stroke
Some risk factors are not under your control.
- Age (risk increases with age)
- Gender (men have a greater risk than women)
- Family history (stroke or heart disease)
- Ethnicity (such as Aboriginal, African, South Asian)
- History of stroke or TIA
Some risk factors are under your control.
Risk factor | What you can do… |
---|---|
Tobacco use |
Quit tobacco products. This will help to reduce further plaque build-up in your arteries and will also help to prevent blood from clotting or sticking to the plaque. You are more likely to be successful in quitting smoking if you plan ahead and have support:
Contact Smokers’ Helpline for support and information on medications to help you quit:
|
High blood pressure |
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Excessive alcohol |
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High Cholesterol |
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Diabetes |
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Food Choices |
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Exercise |
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Stress |
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Atrial Fibrillation |
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Make healthy food choices
Members of the health care team will teach you, your family and support persons about:
- Eat mostly plant-based foods daily such as:
- vegetables and fruit
- legumes (such as kidney beans, black beans, chick peas and lentils)
- nuts, nut butters and seeds (unsalted)
- whole grains such as whole grain bread, brown rice or pasta, couscous, quinoa, barley, bulgur and wheat berries
- Eat fish a few times a week.
- Choose white meat such as chicken or turkey. Limit red meat. Avoid processed or cured meats.
- Include low fat dairy products such as milk, milk alternatives (fortified soy beverage) or yogurt daily.
- Limit cheese to portions the size of your thumb.
- Include healthy oils such as olive oil or canola oil.
- Limit sweets to once a week or less.
- Avoid soft drinks and juice. Drink water when thirsty and eat fruit instead.

What do healthy servings look like?
Before you put food on your plate, in your mind divide your plate into 4 equal parts:
- Fill ½ of your plate with vegetables (such as broccoli, asparagus, green beans, carrots, lettuce or other green leafy vegetables). Vegetables contain fibre, plenty of vitamins and minerals,
and are low in calories. - Fill ¼ of your plate with whole grains or starchy vegetables such as potatoes (white or sweet) or corn.
- Fill the other ¼ of your plate with protein foods such as fish, lean meats, eggs, and meatless protein choices like legumes (such as kidney beans, black beans, chick peas or lentils) or tofu.
- Have a glass of water, milk or milk alternative (fortified soy beverage) and a piece of fruit to complete your meals.
Use this picture as a guideline to help you keep healthy servings on your plate.

Fibre
Did you know most Canadians get ½ of the fibre they need every day? In general, adults should get 25 to 38 grams each day.
To increase your fibre include whole grains, fruits and vegetables, oats, oat bran, ground flax seed, psyllium, and dried or canned legumes such as kidney beans, black beans, chick peas or lentils.

Salt
Limit your intake of salt (sodium).
Most of the sodium in your diet comes from processed foods and restaurant or take-out meals. Adults should have less than 2000 milligrams (mg) of sodium each day.
