Like the princess and the pea, your body also notices the tiny green seeds. But in a good way. How? By getting stronger against strokes.

That's because peas are chock-full of folate, a mighty B vitamin known to lower blood levels of a stroke-promoting compound.

Heard About Homocysteine?
Both natural folate and the synthetic kind (folic acid) found in supplements and fortified foods help lower homocysteine levels in the blood. That's a fine thing, because researchers suspect that too much of the substance might encourage "bad" cholesterol to oxidize and contribute to artery-blocking (read heart attack- and stroke-causing) blood clots. Get the whole story on homocysteine by taking this quick quiz.

Time for a Supplement
Because the average diet falls far short of the RealAge-recommended amount of folate, you should take a multivitamin with 400 micrograms. That will help ensure you reach the RealAge Optimum dose of 700 micrograms per day. As for folate-rich foods, peas are a good start -- but you can also stock up on asparagus, artichokes, avocados, bananas, and fortified cereals. (Find other folate-rich foods and see how they rank.)

Did You Know?
If someone you know has a stroke, there's a 90-minute window for minimizing the damage. Here are the signs to watch for.