How Adding Omega-3s to Your Diet Supports Brain Health

After a hemorrhagic stroke—in which a blood vessel ruptures in the brain—32-year-old Kelly Fucheck changed her diet to restore her overall physical and mental health. Now 46, she and her family eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein—and Fucheck fits in fish, nuts, and seeds packed with omega-3 fatty acids, sometimes in surprising ways.

“Chia seeds are a good source of omega-3s, but my kids wouldn’t eat them,” says Fucheck, co-owner with her husband of Industrious Spring gym in Spring, TX, and the mother of a son, 17, and daughter, 11. She found a way around her kids’ aversion, though: soaking the seeds and blending them into spaghetti sauce or smoothies. “They don’t notice them,” she says.

Foods rich in omega-3s may be associated with a lower risk for dementia ,