To be honest, I don't know that I have connected "eating healthy" with "brain power" before. I have been aware that I feel different (sluggish, out of it, etc)when I eat lots of sugar, fat, etc but I didn't connect it with my brain! It makes me more curious to eat healthy and notice the difference in my brain function!

However, eating healthy is easier said than done. For the common reasons (cost, convenience, time, etc)but for especially because of my brain function. I can get overwhelmed with too many food choices at once (buffet restauarants, potluck dinners, etc) and so I end up eating more than I want because it's too hard for my brain to sort through the choice process. Whether it's more nutrient dense or more junk-ish type food. Or if there's just too much food in general, it can get overwhelming (I need to use it all before it goes bad!)

While it does control my life (as I try not to let it) it does require active, consistent, choice-making.

You are not alone!! Out of sight, out of mind! Our bodies are very forgiving. We can eat just about anything we want and can get by, especially when we are young. Most of us over 50, however, begin to realize that our early choices may not have been good ones! Most of those choices are developed from habit. Brain health is no different than health for heart, lung, back, and the rest of the body. The brain is out of sight, quietly doing its job. Unfortunately, we eventually pay for our choices. The nutrition provided by our mother, school, our own choices, begins to shape our eating habits and our evolving health. Unfortunately, we develop nutritional bad habits shaping our future health, most notably the health of our blood vessels, in all of our body, but especially the brain. Our choices early influence our life style as we age and our ability to enjoy it. It is not too late to change!

Overstimulation and arousal can definitely be challenges for me. When I boost my stimulation levels it is usually triggered by 1 of 2 things. Either I am bored/alone for a long period time so I want (a lot) of background noise, or I didn't sleep well the night before so when I get home from work the next day my motivation to do something besides watch tv, music, etc is much lower.
I've found two things that have helped- keeping a stack of library books to read (another way to entertain myself) and I found that when I got a new roommate my stimulation levels dropped. I didn't feel the need to "entertain myself" so much

Actually, to amend my previous comment..... I don't think overstimulating/entertaining myself is due to boredom! I think my life is too full most of the time to be "bored" I think it's usually caused by feeling anxious about something and doing something overstimulating seems like the best way to "pass the time" until the situation is resolved. But it rarely is effective to soothe my feelings-it often just increases anxiousness