My breakfast, during this time, consisted of porridge only (for the oats) and dinner was some combo of fish, carbs, and greens. So on the first night, it was salmon, sweet potato mash, and spinach; On the second, it was salmon (again), spinach (again), and quinoa. By the third night, I’d gotten sick of salmon (and afraid of mercury poisoning), so I opted for chicken, eggs, and chard, like a body builder. And I have to say, over this time frame, my mood went from a dire three out of 10 to more like a five, so I had at least reached ground level.
Days three to five
This is where I went off the wagon—or so I thought. After being really on it in the morning (porridge, pineapple, chicken sandwich for lunch), I went to Countess Luann’s cabaret show in the evening and consumed approximately eight oysters and an unquantifiable amount of champagne.
As it turns out, that last part wasn’t so bad. Oysters not only contain tryptophan but also bucketloads of zinc, which has been shown to significantly lower depression symptoms. All that alcohol, though? While champagne may increase serotonin levels initially, once the body metabolizes the alcohol, those levels quickly decrease. Which is probably why I felt so anxious the next day. “Is that part of your serotonin diet?” asked my colleague Kerry when she saw me mainlining a Coke at 9:30 a.m. “No, Kerry,” I replied, “It’s not.”
Still, I got back on that proverbial horse and enjoyed a dinner of chicken and chickpea salad (chickpeas are also high in tryptophan). After five days of eating (mostly) only mood-boosting foods, I found myself at a solid six—lowered slightly by the alcohol but bolstered by how much fun I had.
Days five to seven
After consuming mostly chicken, fish, and a rotating cast of grains and greens for five days, I started to feel a little bored of the diet. It was time to mix things up. On the fifth day, I ate steak for dinner, and on the sixth, I opted for a tofu noodle soup (as a soy product, tofu is a rich source of tryptophan). My pineapple snacking had become quite tedious also, so I swapped it out for dark chocolate, with a few almonds thrown in for good luck. By the seventh, in which I circled back to fish (mackerel) for dinner, I would say I was at a tentative seven out of 10. But then again, I also came on my period, which is always when my mood radically shifts (for the better).
Ultimately, it’s worth acknowledging that after a week of consuming only mood-boosting foods, my mood had gone from a miserable three to a much perkier seven, which must be worth something! However, there were plenty of other factors at play here: hangovers, where I was at in my menstrual cycle, and the social activities I’d partaken in that week. Whether I’d eaten food that was good for the gut (not really) or done any exercise (also not really).
A mood-boosting diet is probably not going to transform your mood on its own, in the same way that one bad day isn’t going to be the end of you. Either way, I definitely felt happier by the end of the experiment than at the beginning of it, which is all a girl can ask for.
