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Dr. Yousef Sadat Nejad, ND, Toronto, ON (2026)

01/22/2026

🧠 5-HTP, Serotonin & Appetite

Stress eating isn’t about willpower — it’s about brain chemistry.

If you notice cravings hit hardest when you’re stressed, anxious, or exhausted, that’s not a personal failure.
It’s physiology.

One compound that often comes up in this conversation is 5-HTP 👇

What is 5-HTP?

5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) is a compound your body uses to make serotonin — a neurotransmitter involved in mood regulation, stress response, sleep, and appetite control.

When stress is high, serotonin signaling can drop.
That’s when many people start to notice:

• Stronger cravings
• Emotional or stress eating
• Nighttime snacking
• Difficulty sticking to a weight-loss plan

Important clarification 👇
5-HTP is NOT a fat burner and it doesn’t “shut off” appetite.

Instead, it works upstream — by supporting serotonin production, which can help calm stress-driven eating patterns and make behavior change easier to maintain.

This is why stress chemistry is often missing from weight-loss conversations.
You can’t out-diet a dysregulated nervous system.

That said, 5-HTP isn’t for everyone and context matters.

It should NOT be combined with SSRIs, SNRIs, or MAOIs, and it’s best used as part of a structured, short-term plan — not indefinitely.

When used appropriately, it can be a helpful tool for people whose eating patterns are strongly influenced by stress, mood, or poor sleep.

✨ Fix the signal, not the behavior.
Weight loss works better when stress is addressed first.

📩 Comment “5HTP” and I’ll send you the evidence-based guide explaining:

• What 5-HTP actually does
• Who it may help with stress eating
• Who should avoid it
• Key safety considerations

12/22/2025

💨 Why do you get more gas during the holidays?

If your gas and bloating explode during the holidays, it’s not random — and it’s not just overeating.

🚫 It’s not your gut “getting worse.”
It’s usually a temporary overload of fermentable carbohydrates, combined with disrupted meal timing and slower digestion.

💨 Fermentable carbs = gas production
Holiday foods are loaded with FODMAPs — fermentable carbs that gut bacteria rapidly break down into gas.

Common holiday triggers include:
• Onions & garlic
• Wheat & pastries
• Desserts high in fructose or sugar alcohols
• Dairy-heavy meals
• Alcohol and carbonated drinks

🔬 This is the strongest evidence we have
Clinical research shows that up to 65% of people with bloating and excess gas have carbohydrate malabsorption. Restricting high-FODMAP foods improves symptoms in over 80% within one month.

📅 Why the holidays make it worse
During this time, most people are also:
• Eating faster
• Skipping meals, then overeating
• Drinking more alcohol and carbonation
• Eating late at night

All of this slows digestion and increases fermentation, which means more gas and bloating.

✅ What ACTUALLY helps during the holidays

• 💧 Hydration: aim for 2–3 liters per day

• 🚶‍♂️ Walk after meals to support gut motility

• 💊 Lactase or gluten-digesting enzymes if you’re eating lots of desserts

• 🥥 Kefir or coconut-cultured probiotics — alcohol disrupts the microbiome, and these are often better tolerated short-term

🧠 Gas is a signal — not a failure.
This doesn’t mean your gut is broken.
It means it’s overloaded — and the fix is strategic, not extreme.

💾 Save this if holiday bloating keeps ruining your plans.

12/19/2025

🧬 This amino acid helps repair your gut barrier.

One of the most overlooked reasons gut healing stalls is oxidative stress.

That’s where cystine comes in 👇

Cystine is an amino acid your gut relies on during inflammation, stress, illness, surgery, or heavy training. Its main role is supporting glutathione production — one of the most important antioxidants protecting the intestinal lining.

🧬 Cystine → Glutathione

When glutathione is low, oxidative stress damages intestinal cells, weakens tight junctions, and disrupts the gut barrier.

We commonly see this pattern in IBS, IBD, leaky gut, SIBO, post-infectious gut issues, chronic stress, intense training, and post-surgical recovery.

🔬 Research shows cystine can help reduce intestinal permeability, protect tight junctions, and lower inflammatory markers like IL-6.

📊 Early human trials (using cystine + theanine) show reduced inflammation and improved recovery in high-stress clinical settings.

🧪 Clinically, I think about cystine when I see signs of oxidative stress, elevated CRP or IL-6, gut barrier dysfunction, heavy training loads, or exercise-induced GI symptoms.

✨ Repair first. Then rebuild.
This isn’t a forever supplement — it’s a targeted, short-term tool when oxidative stress is the bottleneck.

💾 Save this if gut healing has felt stuck.

12/01/2025

What if one bowl of spicy fermented cabbage a day could reduce belly fat, improve blood sugar, and curb cravings?

Sounds wild—but it’s real. And it’s backed by clinical science.

It’s called The Kimchi Protocol… and here’s how it works 👇

Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish made from napa cabbage and radish, fermented with salt, garlic, ginger, and chili.

Because it’s fermented, it’s packed with probiotics—the good bacteria your gut needs to thrive.

And here’s what most people don’t realize:
➡️ Your gut doesn’t just control digestion.
It regulates your fat-controlling hormones leptin, ghrelin, and insulin.

When your gut is inflamed or imbalanced, these hormones misfire.
➡️ Cravings go up.
➡️ Hunger cues go haywire.
➡️ Fat storage increases.

🔥 But here’s the science that stopped me:
In a clinical study, participants ate 300 grams of kimchi per day for 4 weeks (about 1 bowl/day).
They didn’t change their diet. No added exercise.

After 28 days, researchers saw:
📉 Body Fat ↓
📉 BMI ↓
📉 Waist-Hip Ratio ↓
🩺 Glucose, Insulin & Cholesterol ↓
🔥 Inflammation ↓
🧠 Appetite Regulation ↑

This isn’t a crash diet or supplement.
It’s microbiome support through real food
simple, spicy, effective.

Ready to try it?
I’ve broken it all down into a simple guide:
🥄 What 300g actually looks like
🛒 What brands to buy (or how to make your own)
🥗 How to easily work it into daily meals

👇 Drop the word “Kimchi” in the comments and I’ll DM you the full Kimchi Protocol for FREE.

11/27/2025

🫁🔥 If your PPI and antacids aren’t helping your acid reflux… this might be why.

Most people are told reflux happens because they have too much stomach acid.
But here’s what almost no one talks about 👇

🔥 HIGH stomach acid can cause reflux

Yes — too much acid can irritate the esophagus.
That’s the classic burning, sour taste, nighttime reflux most people know.

🔥 BUT LOW stomach acid can cause reflux too

This is the part almost no one is told.

When stomach acid is too low:
• Food sits in the stomach longer
• Digestion slows
• Fermentation and gas increase
• Pressure builds
• And that pressure pushes acid up — even if total acid is low

Low stomach acid also means your LES (lower esophageal sphincter) doesn’t get the signal to stay closed…
which makes reflux even more likely.

⚠️ Why your PPI or antacid may not be helping

If you have low stomach acid, blocking acid won’t fix the problem.
It can actually make digestion slower, pressure higher, and reflux worse.

This is why some people:
• Don’t improve on PPIs
• Only get partial relief
• Still feel bloated or full after meals
• Have reflux + gas or pressure
• Feel worse the longer they take antacids

🧪 Signs you may have LOW stomach acid

🩸 Low or borderline B12
🍽️ Early fullness / protein sits in your stomach
🧪 Positive H. pylori test
🔬 Stool test markers showing maldigestion
💨 Bloating + reflux after meals
💊 Reflux not improving on PPIs

If your reflux isn’t improving, it doesn’t always mean you have too much stomach acid.
Sometimes… it’s the opposite.

Your gut deserves precision — not assumptions.

💬 Comment ACID and I’ll help you figure out whether your reflux is coming from too much acid or not enough.

11/14/2025

🦠 Before you spend $200 on probiotics, listen to this — it might actually make your gut worse.

Probiotics are marketed as a must-have for gut health — but here’s what most people don’t tell you 👇

🚫 They’re not harmless for everyone.
For most healthy individuals, probiotics can be safe and beneficial.
But for some groups, they can do more harm than good.

⚠️ If you have a weakened immune system (from cancer, HIV, transplant, or immunosuppressive therapy) or are critically ill, probiotics can increase the risk of serious infections — including sepsis, pneumonia, or endocarditis.

These cases are rare but well-documented in medical literature.

😬 Even if you’re generally healthy, probiotics aren’t always the answer.

If you have SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth), probiotics can make symptoms worse — more bloating, gas, and brain fog.

Adding more bacteria to a gut that’s already overgrown just fuels the problem.

💭 Some people with IBS or functional gut disorders also notice more bloating and discomfort after starting probiotics. In those cases, stopping probiotics often brings relief.

💡 Here’s the truth:

✅ Probiotics can help — but they’re not for everyone.

✅ Gut health starts with finding the root cause, not just adding bacteria.

✅ Sometimes, removing the wrong inputs is the first step to healing.

🔬 Before spending hundreds on supplements, get your gut properly assessed:

💩 Functional stool testing (like GI Advanced or Genova)

🥗 Diet & lifestyle review

🧠 Personalized strategy

Your gut deserves precision, not prescriptions.

💬 Curious if probiotics are helping or hurting your gut?

Comment PLAN and I’ll reach out to help you assess your gut health safely and effectively.

11/12/2025

Have you ever heard someone say, “Naturopathic Doctors want you to not need them forever”?

That’s not because we don’t love working with you it’s because our goal is to empower you to take control of your health, not rely on us indefinitely.

If we’ve done our job right, by the time you’re ready to “graduate,” you should have:

1️⃣ A deeper understanding of your body, how it communicates imbalance through symptoms, and what those signals really mean.

2️⃣ A lifestyle that supports long-term health, not short-term fixes, from nutrition and sleep to movement and stress management.

3️⃣ A plan to stay well, knowing how to prevent flare ups, relapses, or burnout before they start.

4️⃣ Confidence in self-care, you know what to do when life gets busy or symptoms creep in.

5️⃣ Root-cause awareness, not just what’s happening, but why it’s happening.

6️⃣ Sustainable habits, because true healing isn’t a protocol, it’s a lifestyle.

Our mission isn’t to keep you coming back forever.
It’s to see you thriving, energized, resilient, and informed so you can live your life fully and confidently.

And honestly, Every time you message saying your digestion is finally calm, your mood is stable, or your energy’s back, it feels like our version of saving Gotham. 🦇💚

Because helping you reclaim your health isn’t just the goal, it’s the purpose.

11/04/2025

✨ The 3 Levels of Nutrition You Must Understand to Lose Weight

🔥 You don’t need another diet… you need a better understanding of nutrition.

Because fat loss isn’t just about eating clean, it’s about mastering the 3 levels of nutrition that actually make your body change 👇

🥇 LEVEL 1: NET CALORIES — The Foundation 🧱

Calories control the direction:
➡️ Burn more than you eat = weight loss
⬅️ Eat more than you burn = weight gain

You can’t fix what you don’t measure. Even knowing roughly how much you eat gives you control instead of guessing.

🥈 LEVEL 2: MACRONUTRIENTS

Carbs 🍚 fuel your workouts & brain.
Fats 🥑 support hormones & recovery
Proteins 🥩 build muscles

Two people can eat 2,000 calories — but the one with the right macro balance looks leaner, stronger & performs better.

🥉 LEVEL 3: MICRONUTRIENTS — The Secret Weapon

Vitamins, minerals & antioxidants don’t change the scale, they change how you feel.
Better energy ⚡️
Sharper focus 🎯
Deeper sleep 😴
Stronger immunity 🛡️

They’re the difference between surviving your plan & thriving on it.

💡 Calories decide IF you lose weight.
Macros decide WHAT you lose (fat or muscle).
Micros decide HOW you feel doing it.

Master all 3 → and your results become predictable.

👇 Comment PLAN and I’ll help you build your personalized calorie, macro & micro strategy

10/13/2025

Ready to move better, feel stronger, and perform pain-free? 💪

Corrective exercise isn’t just about “fixing” posture — it’s about retraining your body to move the way it was designed to. Whether you’re an athlete, desk worker, or weekend warrior, these six steps create a roadmap to restore balance, strength, and confidence in movement.

Step 1: Postural & Movement Assessment 🧠
We identify muscle imbalances, compensations, and postural habits holding you back.

Step 2: Functional Assessment 🔍
We assess how your body performs in real-life movement — squats, lunges, pushes, pulls, and stability.

Step 3: Corrective Strategy Development 🧩
A personalized plan targets overactive and underactive muscles to restore alignment and control.

Step 4: Implementation & Education 📚
You’ll learn the why behind each movement, creating lasting changes instead of temporary fixes.

Step 5: Reassessment & Progression 🔁
We track progress and adjust exercises to keep you challenged and pain-free.

Step 6: Maintenance & Long-Term Integration 🔒
We integrate new patterns into daily life and training so results last long-term.

💡 Did you know? These corrective exercise sessions are often covered under your naturopathic health benefits — so you can improve mobility, function, and performance without extra cost.

If you’ve been feeling tight, sore, or stuck despite stretching and training, it’s time for a structured, science-based approach. This is how you rebuild from the ground up.

💬 Comment “MOVE BETTER” if you’re ready to start your corrective journey.

10/02/2025

Living with IBS can feel like a never-ending cycle of bloating, cramps, and unpredictable bathroom runs.

If you’ve tried meds, diets, and stress hacks with little relief… you might be wondering: can acupuncture actually help? 🤔

Here’s what the research shows 👇
✨ Stronger than meds: Multiple studies + meta-analyses found acupuncture can improve IBS symptoms even better than standard drug treatments.

⚖️ Sham vs real acupuncture: When compared to sham acupuncture, results are mixed. Some studies show no difference, which means part of the benefit might be from placebo or the relaxing treatment setting itself.

🌱 Quality of life: Many patients report less pain, better digestion, and more energy after acupuncture. The evidence is “moderate” here, but real-world improvements still matter.

👉 Bottom line: Acupuncture isn’t a magic cure for IBS, but it can be a powerful tool to help manage symptoms and support gut-brain balance — especially when combined with nutrition, lifestyle, and stress management.

✨ If it helps you feel better and live better, that’s a win.

Would you try acupuncture for IBS? Drop a 💆 in the comments if yes!

09/11/2025

📣 Big News: I’m officially a triple-certified NASM professional!

✅ Certified Personal Trainer
✅ Performance Enhancement Specialist
✅ Corrective Exercise Specialist

As a Naturopathic Doctor, I don’t just focus on pills or protocols—I focus on foundations. One of the most overlooked foundations for long-term health is: movement. 🧠💪

Whether you’re an athlete, dealing with pain, fatigue, or just want to feel better in your body, I now integrate the science of performance and corrective movement into every treatment plan.

And yes… I’m basically a complete package now 😉

Here’s how this helps YOU:

1️⃣ Performance Optimization
Stronger. Faster. More resilient. VO₂ max, sport-specific programming & recovery strategies backed by functional medicine.

2️⃣ Pain & Posture Correction
Chronic tension, low back pain, shoulder impingement? I assess & correct movement dysfunctions—integrated with hands-on care & acupuncture.

3️⃣ Energy & Fatigue
Fatigue isn’t just about labs. Biomechanics, poor training & recovery all matter. We restore energy from the ground up.

4️⃣ Sustainable Weight Loss
Customized movement + nutrition + stress support = fat loss without burnout. We preserve muscle, boost metabolism, and create long-term change.

5️⃣ Chronic Conditions
I also help patients manage IBD, IBS, Ulcers, PMS, PCOS, Endometriosis, Fertility, ED, Diabetes, Hypertension,Metabolic Diseases, pain, inflammation, Sleep And Stress.

⚡️If one of these 5 areas is something you want to improve—apply to work with me using the link in bio 👆
Let’s build a body that heals, performs & thrives.

05/20/2025

Bloated after eating? Try this anti-bloat trio that actually works👇
⠀
So many people struggle with post-meal bloating — the pressure, the fullness, the “I need to unbutton my pants” feeling.
⠀
The good news? There are natural options that actually have clinical research behind them — and they’re not complicated.
⠀
🌿 Peppermint Oil (Enteric-Coated)
Not just for fresh breath. Peppermint oil relaxes your digestive tract and helps trapped gas move through more easily. Clinical studies show it reduces bloating, discomfort, and cramping — especially in IBS.
⠀
🌿 Ginger Root
You’ve probably used ginger for nausea, but it also helps your stomach empty more efficiently and calms inflammation in the gut. Less food sitting = less bloating.
⠀
🌿 Artichoke Leaf Extract
This underrated herb supports bile flow, which is crucial for breaking down fats. If you feel heavy, gassy, or uncomfortable after eating, this might be the gentle nudge your digestion needs.
⠀
💡 These aren’t just folk remedies — all three have been studied in randomized controlled trials for IBS, indigestion, and functional bloating.
⠀
✨ But just because they’re natural doesn’t mean they’re right for everyone. These herbs can be contraindicated in certain conditions like reflux, gallstones, or bile duct issues.
⠀
👉 Always speak to your primary care provider or Naturopathic Doctor before adding them into your routine — especially if you’re on medications or managing a health condition.
⠀
📥 Save this post to come back to
📲 Share with someone who’s tired of being bloated after every meal
💬 DM me if you’re ready to build a personalized digestive plan that works
⠀

Dr. Yousef Sadat Nejad, ND

01/22/2026

12/22/2025

12/19/2025

12/01/2025

11/27/2025

11/14/2025

11/12/2025

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05/20/2025

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