Eating certain foods can help protect you from heart disease, some types of cancers and other illnesses. But can your diet also help protect your brain if you should suffer a stroke or accidental head injury? Or keep your thinking and memory skills strong as you age? Some scientists believe it might. They even think eating the “right” foods –specifically, those high in antioxidants — may help defend astronauts from brain-damaging cosmic rays on future manned missions to Mars.