Want to keep your mind sharp later in life? Eating fish may help if you cook it the right way.

A new study once again shows us that making very simple diet choices can keep you healthy. Researchers brought in 260 people and asked them what foods they usually ate. No one had dementia or any other problems that kept them from thinking clearly.

The researchers then scanned their brains using an MRI machine. This measured the volume of gray matter. A high volume points to a healthy brain. When gray matter goes down, it shows that brain cells are shrinking, which is not good. People who ate baked or broiled fish every week had better gray matter measurements years later. These people were also much less likely to develop trouble thinking or Alzheimer's disease. However, eating fried fish didn't offer these benefits!

Want to learn more about healthy cooking? Visit the American Heart Association for recipes that include fish and other ingredients that can help your brain, and other parts.

I'm Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV, with the news that doctors are reading; health news that matters to you.