A Simple Nutrition Plan for Stroke Survivors: The 800-gram Challenge

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Once I returned home from in-patient rehab, I assumed that I would jump right back into my old habits, which included tracking my meals and macros as I did prior to the stroke.

This was a big priority for me as I had lost a little over 15 pounds during my three-week stay in the hospital and rehab center.

However, that was a much too ambitious goal so early in my recovery.

Just the thought of planning a meal, cooking it, and cleaning all the dishes was overwhelming. It felt impossible that I could do all of that in a timely manner. Not to mention, looking at a phone or computer screen for any extended period of time was headache-inducing.

As I was stuck at home with little energy to cook and no ability to go to the grocery store alone, I was reminded of a simple and unique nutrition framework called the 800-gram challenge, which encourages you to eat significantly more fruits and vegetables.

This simple diet challenge became the nutritional plan that I leaned on in the earliest weeks and months of recovery.

It helped me to create sustainable habits to fit more fruits and vegetables into my diet, which I continue to follow to this day

What is the 800g challenge?

The 800g challenge, created by EC Synkowski, is based on a 2017 study that showed eating 800 grams of fruits and vegetables a day was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, some cancers, and most causes of death.

In this simple diet framework, your goal is to eat 800 grams of fruits, vegetables, and beans a day. Outside of this requirement, you can eat whatever else you’d like when hungry.

But by eating more fruits, vegetables, and fiber, you’re expected to feel fuller and snack less – if at all. You’re also likely to improve the overall quality of your diet by consuming all the different micronutrients that fruits and vegetables offer.

Synkowski shares more details on the 800-gram challenge and its origins in this podcast from the Ready State.

What Foods Are Good for Stroke Recovery?

Eating a healthy diet is a critical part of not only recovery after stroke but overall health and wellness.

For stroke survivors, the general nutrition advice from stroke recovery resources focuses on the basics – you should eat more fruits and vegetables as well as salmon for the omega-3 fatty acids — but that’s generally the gist of most nutritional advice.

The Mediterranean Diet – one that emphasizes plant-based foods and healthy fats, such as fish – is also often cited as a good nutrition plan for stroke survivors.

However, without any specific amounts or targets to hit, I always found it difficult to stick to any particular eating habits, such as the Mediterranean Diet. Without any guardrails, it’s very easy to snack too often or eat just a handful of fruits and vegetables and believe you’re sticking to an appropriate diet.

That’s where the 800g challenge proved to be a significant help for me.

As I struggled to cook for myself in the weeks after stroke, I wanted to avoid eating out constantly.

The 800-gram challenge provided me with a realistic goal to hit every day that helped me believe I was eating in a way that would be helpful for recovery after stroke, just as an exercise program from a physical therapist would be.

Best Foods for Stroke Survivors

While it sounds difficult to eat 800 grams of fruits and vegetables every day, it was surprisingly much easier than I expected.

If you don’t have a food scale, 800 grams is roughly six cups of whatever your favorite fruits and vegetables may be. On her website, Synkowski outlines the foods that count toward the challenge and sample meals that hit the 800 gram threshold.

In their book Built to Move, Kelly and Juliet Starrett write, “The easiest way to hit 800 grams is to include fruits and vegetables at every meal and snack.”

The challenge was also a fun way to experiment with different fruits and vegetables that I didn’t even know existed.

For example, when we’d visit the local farmer’s market, I’d always look for new things I had never tried before. One day, I was introduced to lemon cucumbers. While I was informed I could eat them raw, almost like an apple, I quickly learned I was not a fan of ‘lemon cukes.’

On the other hand, golden kiwis and tangelos were other fruits that were new to me, but I’ve now come to love them. Golden kiwis specifically are known for having the highest vitamin C content of most common fruits, and they are now one of my favorite afternoon snacks.

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How the 800-Gram Challenge Supports Recovery After Stroke

After having a hemorrhagic stroke that left me struggling to plan and make my own meals, the 800-gram challenge was a fun and simple yet effective way for my post-stroke self to eat healthy every day with very little restrictions other than centering my diet around fruits and vegetables.

I followed this routine for a few months before I felt comfortable cooking more often and began tracking my macros again.

But in the end, I found the 800-gram challenge to be so helpful that I still pretty much follow it today as it helped me create habits that include loading my meals with fruits and vegetables.