According to doctors, about 5 million people across the globe die of stroke every year. A stroke is something that can affect anyone, and it can easily lead to disastrous consequences even if you happen to survive it. But worry not because a stroke is highly preventable, and changing your diet for the better can help lower your risk of it.

Do take note that there is no foolproof way to keep a stroke from striking. However, experts say that doing some dietary and lifestyle changes can help in keeping it at bay. What’s important is you prevent two of its biggest risk factors from bugging you, and they are high blood pressure and high bad cholesterol.

Basically, you can fend off both high blood pressure and high bad cholesterol by making the right food choices, of course combined with regular exercise and also quitting smoking, reducing stress and keeping alcohol consumption in moderation. Make sure that you regularly consume the following to lower your stroke risk:

Citrus Fruits

Thanks to the loads and loads of antioxidants present in citrus fruits, adding them to your diet on a regular basis can help in lowering your stroke risk, doctors say. Citrus fruits are popularly consumed in juice form, and it’s a good idea for you to juice them at home — boxed or canned ones can come loaded with sugar and other unnecessary ingredients.

Whole Grains

Making whole grains super effective at keeping a stroke from happening is the fact that they are loaded with fiber, which is very good at lowering bad cholesterol as well a high blood pressure. With so many whole grains to choose from nowadays, you should have no trouble dodging a stroke.

Sweet Potatoes

Just like whole grains, sweet potatoes are teeming with fiber that helps lower both bad cholesterol and blood pressure. In addition, sweet potatoes supply the body with potassium, which is a blood pressure-lowering mineral. Potassium works so very well by causing the blood vessels to relax and widen.

Nuts and Seeds

On a daily basis, experts recommend for you to include a handful of nuts or seeds in your diet on a regular basis. There are a couple of reasons why they are phenomenal at lowering one’s stroke risk. First, they are good sources of fiber. Second, they have omega-3 fatty acids that help lower bad cholesterol levels.

Fish

And speaking of omega-3 fatty acids, it’s a wonderful idea for you to regularly consume fish because they contain high amounts of those beneficial nutrients — the oilier, the better. Some of the oiliest fish that you can get your hands on include herring, salmon, mackerel, trout, tuna and sardines.

Garlic

If you don’t mind consuming foods with a kick, feel free to add lots of garlic to your diet. Numerous studies have proven that garlic has the amazing ability to thin the blood and prevent the formation of a blood clot, which is something that causes a stroke to happen in the first place.

Dark Chocolate

Go ahead and snack on dark chocolate to lower your stroke risk significantly. Just make sure that you go for the dark kind, which means it contains at least 70% cocoa. And also, just because dark chocolate is proven to help prevent a stroke doesn’t mean you should stuff your face with it — more than 100 grams a day is a no-no.

Coffee of Green Tea

Provided that the coffee you are addicted to isn’t the kind that is loaded with sugar and made fancy by whipped cream and syrups, drinking it on a regular basis can help in fending off stroke, experts say. If you do not like the side effects of high doses of caffeine, worry not because green tea can also help keep a stroke at bay.