Are you a type of who recoils on the very point out of a food regimen or a structured consuming sample? You should still wish to take a look at the Mediterranean food regimen. Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty’s current hospitalisation has introduced ischemic cerebrovascular stroke of the mind into the dialog. The fashionable Mediterranean food regimen is being lauded by many as a dynamic preventive help to this well being affliction.

On World Health Day (April 7) Dr Shantesh Kaushik, a Senior Consultant and Cardiovascular and Thoracic surgeon, Apollo Hospital, elucidates on the a lot hyped Mediterranean food regimen and the position it might play in avoiding ischemic strokes of the mind.

The Mediterranean food regimen is predicated on the wholesome meals historically eaten by a number of the international locations bordering the Mediterranean Sea like Italy, Spain and, Greece. Dr Kaushik endorses the identical, asserting, “The Mediterranean diet is among the most accepted diets shown to be effective in the long term in halting the deterioration of blood vessels, whether in the brain or the heart.”

To the layman, the connection between blood vessels and ischemic cerebrovascular stroke of the mind might not be immediately clear. The physician explains, “When the blockage process affects the heart vessels, you get a heart attack. When it affects the brain vessels, you get a stroke. A cerebrovascular stroke means the brain arteries are blocked, which is causing restricted blood supply to parts of the brain.”

There are two varieties of strokes: Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) and main stroke. TIA is a reversible stroke, the place slightly blockage breaks off and will get caught within the arterial circuit. This causes a short lived lower within the blood provide to the mind leading to a slight lack of motor and sensory capabilities. Because of considerable circulation within the neighbouring blood vessels, the blood circulation returns to that a part of the mind and restoration takes place.

Dr Kaushik warns, nonetheless, that early indicators shouldn’t be ignored. “The TIA is usually a precursor to a major stroke within three to six months. When a clot leads to the lack of blood supply to a part of the brain, it can result in half the body being paralysed which is called hemiparesis. Depending on how much and which part of the brain is damaged, the upper part of the body or the lower part or just the face is paralysed. Today, we doctors can remove the clot, restore the blood supply and reverse the stroke but it’s crucial that patient is rushed to the hospital within three hours of the stroke.”

Which results in an vital query: What could be executed to stop a stroke? “All the diseases of the blood vessels are completely preventable,” shares Dr. Kaushik. But that is the place the excellent news stops. “Unfortunately, today, our lifestyle has become problematic. We don’t follow the three basic rules — good diet, exercise and sufficient sleep. Lack of sleep increases inflammation in the body. The body records it as if you are at war. For example, how long can you use a cell phone without recharging it? Sleep is the only time the body is at rest and the cells can reboot. So, every person needs to three to four REM (Rapid Eye Movement) cycles of sleep. And brain function is directly related to exercise,” he provides.

Diet, too, is a crucial a part of stopping strokes and that is the place Mediterranean food regimen is available in. Dr Kaushik elaborates on its fundamentals. “The Mediterranean diet stresses on eating an adequate number of fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals and pulses. We should have at least three vegetables in a day and also four fruits. Fruits is where we fall short in our Indian diet. Multi-coloured fruit and berries are particularly good. So are tree nuts like almonds (six in a day) and walnuts. In non-vegetarian dishes, you can have white meat like fish or chicken. Red meat is negative because it increases your colon cancer risk; the saturated fat content in it is not good. The important aspect of this diet is the inclusion of food with Omega 3 fatty acid like fatty fish, chia seeds, flax seeds or olive oil. Avocado is a particularly good source of healthy fat.”

Point out that the Mediterranean food regimen sounds adjoining to an everyday Indian food regimen, Dr Kaushik agrees, and says, “There is nothing difficult about this diet. It is the best diet. The other diets are variants of this. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is similar to the Mediterranean diet.”

The physician breaks down how the food regimen works on the elementary degree. “First, is the reduction of sodium. Sodium is the main cause of high blood pressure which directly impacts your risk of getting a stroke. Blockages and high blood pressure feed off each other. Preserved food has high sodium and high sugar to prevent deterioration,” he informs. “A diet that stresses on unprocessed food which is locally available and fresh is great because the more you process food, the more you distort its nutritive value and make it damaging to health.”

The different three ions, which decrease our blood stress are potassium, magnesium and calcium, and they’re all integrated into the Mediterranean food regimen. Dr Shantesh Kaushik concludes, “Potassium is obtained from fruits. Calcium has to be low fat, so a good source is reduced fat dairy products and soya products like tofu for vegans. And magnesium is obtained from nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables and salads.”

Foods to eat

Veggies: Kale, tomatoes, spinach, carrots, onions, cucumbers, Brussels sprouts, and so forth

Fruits: Apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, strawberries, dates, figs, and so forth

Nuts, seeds: Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts cashews, pumpkin and sunflower seeds

Legumes: Peas, beans, pulses, lentils, peanuts, chickpeas

Whole grains: Oats, rye, brown rice, barley, buckwheat

Fish and seafood: Salmon, trout, sardines, tuna, mackerel, oysters, shrimp, clams, mussels, crab

Poultry: Chicken, turkey, duck, eggs

Dairy: Yogurt, cheese, milk

Herbs and spices: Garlic, mint, rosemary, basil, sage, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper

Oils: Extra virgin olive oil and avacado oil

Published on: Sunday, April 07, 2024, 12:14 AM IST