Anecdata, but the healthier my diet has become the worse my overall mood got. The two are probably not related, really - my mood is affected by problems at work (specifically stress aggravated by constant conflicts with a coworker, and our supervisor’s complete inability and unwillingness to do anything about it), financial, political and social instability, lack of sleep, etc.
That said, I used to hate cooking and think it was a waste of time, now it’s something I incorporated into my life and find myself enjoying. It has a positive effect on me, but it’s not really the food itself - it’s the process of cooking, the way I find myself improving, and the sense of success I feel when I make something tasty on my own.
