Few things feel more terrifying and random than a
stroke, which can strike without warning. And fear
of stroke — when a blood vessel in or leading to the brain
bursts or is blocked by a blood clot, starving brain
cells of oxygen and nutrients — is well founded. After
all, stroke is the number-three killer in the U.S.,
affecting more than 700,000 people each year. Here are
five foods that cause the damage that leads to stroke.
1. Crackers, chips, and store-bought
pastries and baked goods
Muffins, doughnuts, chips, crackers, and many
other baked goods are high in trans fats, which are
hydrogenated oils popular with commercial bakeries
because they stay solid at room temperature, so the
products don’t require refrigeration. Also listed on
labels as “partially hydrogenated” or hydrogenated
oils, trans fats are found in all kinds of snack foods,
frozen foods, and baked goods, including salad
dressings, microwave popcorn, stuffing mixes, frozen
tater tots and French fries, cake mixes, and whipped
toppings. They’re also what makes margarine stay in
a solid cube. The worst offenders are fried fast foods
such as onion rings, French fries, and fried chicken.
Why it’s bad
For years scientists have known trans fats are
dangerous artery-blockers, upping the concentrations
of lipids and bad cholesterol in the blood and lowering
good cholesterol. Now we can add stroke to the list of
dangers. This year researchers at the University of
North Carolina found that women who ate 7 grams of
trans fat each day — about the amount in two
doughnuts or half a serving of French fries — had 30
percent more strokes (the ischemic type, caused by
blocked blood flow to the brain) than women who ate
just 1 gram a day. Another recent study, also in
women, found that trans fats promoted inflammation
and higher levels of C-reactive protein, which have been
linked to an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease,
and stroke.
What to do
Aim to limit trans fats to no more than 1 or 2 grams a
day — and preferably none. Avoid fast-food French fries
and other fried menu items and study packaged food
labels closely. Even better, bake your own cookies,
cakes, and other snacks.

2. Smoked and processed meats
Whether your weakness is pastrami, sausage, hot
dogs, bacon, or a smoked turkey sandwich, the word
from the experts is: Watch out.
Why it’s bad
Smoked and processed meats are nasty contributors to
stroke risk in two ways: The preserving processes leave
them packed with sodium, but even worse are the
preservatives used to keep processed meats from going
bad. Sodium nitrate and nitrite have been shown by
researchers to directly damage blood vessels, causing
arteries to harden and narrow. And of course damaged,
overly narrow blood vessels are exactly what you don’t
want if you fear stroke.
Many studies have linked processed meats to coronary
artery disease (CAD); one meta-analysis in the
journal Circulation calculated a 42-percent increase
in coronary heart disease for those who eat one serving
of processed meat a day. Stroke is not the only
concern for salami fans; cancer journals have reported
numerous studies in the past few years showing
that consumption of cured and smoked meats is
linked with increased risk of diabetes and higher
incidences of numerous types of cancer, including
leukemia.
What to do
If a smoked turkey or ham sandwich is your lunch
of choice, try to vary your diet, switching to tuna,
peanut butter, or other choices several days a week. Or
cook turkey and chicken yourself and slice it thin
for sandwiches.

More foods that can trigger stroke
3. Diet soda
Although replacing sugary drinks with diet soda
seems like a smart solution for keeping weight down
— a heart-healthy goal — it turns out diet soda is
likely a major bad guy when it comes to stroke.
Why it’s bad
People who drink a diet soda a day may up their
stroke risk by 48 percent. A Columbia University
study presented at the American Stroke
Association’s 2011 International Stroke Conference
followed 2,500 people ages 40 and older and found
that daily diet soda drinkers had 60 percent more
strokes, heart attacks, and coronary artery disease
than those who didn’t drink diet soda. Researchers
don’t know exactly how diet soda ups stroke risk —
and are following up with further studies — but
nutritionists are cautioning anyone concerned
about stroke to cut out diet soda pop.

What to do
Substitute more water for soda in your daily diet.
It’s the healthiest thirst-quencher by far, researchers
say. If you don’t like water, try lemonade, iced tea,
or juice.

4. Red meat
This winter, when the respected journal Stroke
published a study showing that women who
consumed a large portion of red meat each day had a
42-percent higher incidence of stroke, it got nutrition
experts talking. The information that red meat, with
its high saturated fat content, isn’t healthy for those
looking to prevent heart disease and stroke wasn’t
exactly news. But the percentage increase (almost 50
percent!) was both startling and solid; the researchers
arrived at their finding after following 35,000
Swedish women for ten years.
Why it’s bad
Researchers have long known that the saturated fat in
red meat raises the risk of stroke and heart disease by
gradually clogging arteries with a buildup of
protein plaques. Now it turns out that hemoglobin,
the ingredient that gives red meat its high iron
content, may pose a specific danger when it comes to
stroke. Researchers are investigating whether blood
becomes thicker and more viscous as a result of the
consumption of so-called heme iron, specifically
upping the chance of strokes.
What to do
Aim to substitute more poultry — particularly
white meat — and fish, which are low in heme iron, for
red meat. Also, choose the heart-healthiest sources of
protein whenever you can, especially beans, legumes,
nuts, tofu, and nonfat dairy.

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5. Canned soup and prepared foods
Whether it’s canned soup, canned spaghetti, or
healthy-sounding frozen dinners, prepared foods and
mixes rely on sodium to increase flavor and make
processed foods taste fresher. Canned soup is cited by
nutritionists as the worst offender; one can of canned
chicken noodle soup contains more than 1,100 mg of
sodium, while many other varieties, from clam
chowder to simple tomato, have between 450 and 800
mg per serving. Compare that to the American Heart and
Stroke Association’s recommendation of less
than1,500 mg of sodium daily and you’ll see the
problem. In fact, a nutritionist-led campaign, the
National Salt Reduction Initiative, calls on food
companies to reduce the salt content in canned soup
and other products by 20 percent in the next two
years.
Why it’s bad
Salt, or sodium as it’s called on food labels, directly
affects stroke risk. In one recent study, people who
consumed more than 4,000 mg of sodium daily had
more than double the risk of stroke compared to those
who ate 2,000 mg or less. Yet the Centers for Disease
Control estimate that most Americans eat close to
3,500 mg of sodium per day. Studies show that
sodium raises blood pressure, the primary causative
factor for stroke. And be warned: Sodium wears many
tricky disguises, which allow it to hide in all sorts
of foods that we don’t necessarily think of as salty.
Some common, safe-sounding ingredients that really
mean salt:
Baking soda
Baking powder
MSG (monosodium glutamate)
Disodium phosphate
Sodium alginate
What to do
Make your own homemade soups and entrees, then
freeze individual serving-sized portions. Buy low-
sodium varieties, but read labels
carefully, since not all products marked “low
sodium” live up to that promise.