Controlling your weight is key to lowering stroke risk There is a lot you can do to lower your chances of having a stroke. Even if you've already had a stroke or TIA ("mini-stroke"), you can take steps to prevent another. Controlling your weight is an important way to lower stroke risk. Excess pounds strain the entire circulatory system and can lead to other health conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and obstructive sleep apnea. But losing as little as 5% to 10% of your starting weight can lower your blood pressure and other stroke risk factors. Of course, you'll need to keep the weight off for good, not just while you're on a diet. The tips below can help you shed pounds and keep them off: Get your copy of Stroke: Strategies to prevent, treat, and recover from a "brain attack"   Protect your brain: That’s the strategy that Harvard doctors recommend in this report on preventing and treating stroke. Whether you’ve already had a mini-stroke or a major stroke, or have been warned that your high blood pressure might cause a future stroke, Stroke: Strategies to prevent, treat, and recover from a "brain attack" provides help and advice. Move more. Exercise is one obvious way to burn off calories. But another approach is to increase your everyday activity wherever you can — walking, fidgeting, pacing while on the phone, taking stairs instead of the elevator. Skip the sipped calories. Sodas, lattes, sports drinks, energy drinks, and even fruit juices are packed with unnecessary calories. Worse, your body doesn't account for them the way it registers solid calories, so you can keep chugging them before your internal "fullness" mechanism tells you to stop. Instead, try unsweetened coffee or tea, or flavor your own sparkling water with a slice of lemon or lime, a sprig of fresh mint, or a few raspberries. Eat more whole foods. If you eat more unprocessed foods — such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains — you'll fill yourself up on meals that take a long time to digest. Plus, whole foods are full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber and tend to be lower in salt — which is better for your blood pressure, too. Find healthier snacks. Snack time is many people's downfall — but you don't have to skip it as long as you snack wisely. Try carrot sticks as a sweet, crunchy alternative to crackers or potato chips, or air-popped popcorn (provided you skip the butter and salt and season it with your favorite spices instead). For a satisfying blend of carbs and protein, try a dollop of sunflower seed butter on apple slices. For more information on lifestyle changes you can make to help prevent a stroke, buy Stroke, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School. Image: zwolafasola/Getty Images Share this story: Post stroke: Addressing thinking and memory problems A stroke can disrupt your ability to think clearly and can cause problems with your memory, attention, and organizational abilities. Both speech and occupational therapists work with people to improve these areas and to develop strategies to compensate for problems— for example, using cue cards and detailed lists or simplifying daily routines. Coping with spatial neglect. One fairly common effect of stroke is called "neglect." This is a lack of awareness of one side of the body and the space around that side of the body. The left side is more commonly affected than the right. If you have neglect, you may bump into things on your left without noticing them, shave or apply makeup only on the right side of your face, or eat food on only the right side of your plate. If you have this problem, occupational and speech therapists will cue you to look frequently toward your neglected side and then teach you to cue yourself. One example: A red line down the left margin of the page you are reading may help remind you to look all the way to the marker so you see all the words on that line. A variety of software programs and games can also help train people to pay attention to the things on the neglected side. Caregivers and family members can help by setting important objects (food, writing implements) on the person's neglected side to train him or her to focus more on that side. Prism glasses— which are shaped in a way that changes the focus point of your eyes—can be helpful to shift your view more toward the neglected side. For more information on preventing and recovering from a stroke, buy Stroke, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School. Image: FatCamera/GettyImages Share this story: Featured in this issue Stroke: Strategies to prevent, treat, and recover from a "brain attack" Featured content: • What is a stroke? • How strokes affect the brain • Medical problems that raise stroke risk • SPECIAL SECTION: Lifestyle changes to help prevent strokes • Diagnosing a stroke • Treating ischemic strokes • Treating hemorrhagic strokes Click here to read more »