I’ve never met a piece of cheese I didn’t like. And I firmly believe breakfast wouldn’t be complete without some creamy and delicious Greek yogurt and berries.
But according to the folks in mainstream medicine, that must mean I have a death wish.
I can’t pinpoint exactly when it happened. But for decades now, they’ve been trying their best to turn dairy foods into the enemy.
We’ve been warned that they’re full of the kinds of fats that will raise our cholesterol. And we’ve been shamed into giving them up because they’ll supposedly increase our heart disease risk.
If you do dare to indulge, you’re supposed to only choose rubbery reduced-fat cheeses, watery 2 percent or skim milk, and sugary low-fat yogurt. None of the delicious full-fat stuff.
But a new study has left a lot of folks with milk on their faces. Because according to the latest research, dairy foods could help slash your risk of stroke.
Indulge in dairy to reduce stroke risk
Stroke is one of the top causes of death and disability in the nation.
And yet the mainstream doesn’t have a lot of advice to offer when it comes to steps ordinary folks like you and I can take to prevent one from happening.
But now researchers say some of the very foods they’ve warned you away from in the past could help you avoid a deadly stroke.
It turns out making dairy foods a regular part of your diet … regardless of whether they’re full fat or low fat… could slash your risk of a stroke by about 10 percent.
Specifically, the study found when it comes to stroke…
- milk could cut risk 5 percent
- yogurt could reduce risk by 9 percent
- cheese could cut risk by 12 percent
And remember, that risk reduction link was seen with TOTAL INTAKE regardless of the fat content of the dairy foods.
Nutrient pair may be behind reduced risk
Experts say it’s likely the calcium and potassium in dairy foods providing that stroke protection. Both nutrients are often lacking in the Western diet.
As I’ve shared with you before, potassium helps us maintain supple and elastic arteries leading to healthier blood pressure. And studies have shown that an increase in calcium in the diet is linked to lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
While we’re all at risk of not getting enough of these two critical nutrients, seniors are even more likely to have deficiencies. But eating more milk, cheese, and yogurt could help raise your levels and reduce your stroke risk at the same time.
But don’t stop there. The study also confirms something else we’ve seen before. And that is eating more fiber could also help protect you from a stroke.
Fiber has long been known to cut the risk of serious cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke. So it’s no surprise that the researchers found that for every 10 extra grams of fiber eaten in a day, stroke risk dropped by 23 percent.
The problem is that most folks don’t come anywhere close to hitting their fiber targets. So step up your stroke-fighting game by eating more fiber-rich fruits such as apples and pears, vegetables like peas, broccoli, and cauliflower, and legumes.
The bottom line? Go ahead and indulge in some “forbidden” dairy and boost the fiber in your diet, and you could end up practically stroke-proof.
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