Fun fact about my reading into neurotransmitters and your body's ability to utilize it. Tryptophan has to cross the Blood-Brain-Barrier (BBB) in order to be synthesized into serotonin. However, it has to compete with other large groups of amino acids to cross the barrier so the amount that makes it in is actually a ratio. Studies have shown that eating just protein-rich foods didn't increase tryptophan or serotonin in the brain, but here's a little trick.

Try a high tryptophan-rich diet WITH carbohydrates.

why?

When you eat sugars and starches, insulin is released to take care of the glucose (sugars) in the blood. When this happens, some portion of those large amino acids I mentioned will go along with it, but tryptophan is not affected by insulin. Result? More tryptophan to cross the BBB to make more serotonin!

But always eat a balanced diet -- don't overdo it. According to my book

" Modest increases in this ratio usually have no effect on mood or cognition, larger increases can positively enhance mood and cognition (e.g., memory or attention) "

Found this rather interesting. Maybe this is one of the reasons why comfort foods are so comforting, they help bring the ratio tryptophan up . Also, just for you @Sansiro here is a list of foods high in trytophan.

9 Foods High in Tryptophan and Why You Need It


Reference:

Meyer, J. S. (2019). Chapter 6: Serotonin. In Psychopharmacology: Drugs, the brain, and behavior. essay, Oxford University Press.