Learn to recognize the signs and symptoms your body uses to tell you that you’re not eating enough.
Stress, busy schedules, illness, pain, and the hustle and bustle of everyday life can take their toll on us. More specifically, our appetite and the way our body regulates hunger. This can often lead us to not eat enough. Additionally, many people looking to lose weight often unintentionally end up eating less or restricting their food in order to achieve that goal.
Whatever the cause, not eating enough food and depriving the body of important nutrients can manifest in ways that wreak havoc with metabolism and hormones. Both may take longer to show up if you’ve been consistently undereating.
8 Symptoms You May Experience If You Don’t Eat Enough
Let’s dig in and take a look at the not-so-subtle signs that your body may not be getting enough protein, carbohydrates, and vital fats, and what you can do to increase your food intake with a balanced diet.
1. Low energy
If you’ve been feeling completely exhausted for several weeks, regardless of how much sleep you get or the quality of your sleep, it might be time to reevaluate your diet. When we constantly undereat, the body cannot feed itself properly. That can make you feel lethargic and sluggish.
We often see this specifically in the case of low-carb diets. Since starchy carbohydrates are the body’s main source of quick energy, it makes sense why restricting them can lead to less than ideal energy levels.
Look at your usual intake both in volumes and in variety. Are you eating balanced meals that incorporate all the five fundamental components? Including starchy carbs? Are you eating when you’re hungry and listening to your body’s signals? Take a moment to reflect here and see if you can make some adjustments.
2. Dizziness
Dizziness can be one of the first physical signs of not eating enough. When you’re not eating enough, your blood sugar levels can plummet and make you feel dizzy or faint. If you feel dizzy all the time and can’t figure out why, take a look at your food intake.
For a quick snack, eat something with carbs and protein, like a banana with some almond butter, a handful of berries and nuts, or vegetable sticks with some hummus. This combination of carbohydrates and protein will help increase and stabilize your blood sugar levels to help boost your energy.
However, if dizziness persists after making these diet and lifestyle changes, talk to your doctor to rule out potential problems.
3. Poor cognition and productivity (ie brain fog)
Have you ever had forgetful moments where you say things like, “Where did I put my keys?” That happens to all of us, but frequent brain fog could be your body’s way of telling you to control how you’re eating (ie eat more food)! Brain fog can be a sign of various health problems, but it’s also one of the key symptoms of not eating enough throughout the day.
Postponing lunches or interrupting your normal meal times to attend meetings or take calls delays the energy your body needs to keep going. So if that 3pm lull hits you hard and you realize you haven’t had lunch, that’s your cue to head to the kitchen or grab a snack.
It’s best to fill up on whole foods as best you can. Choose a hearty salad with lots of fresh vegetables, maybe some sweet potatoes, avocado, grilled chicken, or your protein of choice, and a flavorful dressing. Foods rich in B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and antioxidants can help boost brain function and prevent cognitive decline (1). Goodbye brain fog.
4. Hair loss and brittle nails
This may come as a surprise to you, but if you don’t eat enough food or get enough nutrients, your higher priority organs will take the lead in getting those nutrients. This includes your brain, heart, and lungs, rather than your hair, skin, and nails. The health of your hair, skin, and nails is closely related to what you eat and the amount of vitamins and minerals your body absorbs.
It is normal to lose between 50 and 100 strands of hair each day. If you’re losing more strands than usual and your nails seem to break more easily, you may want to focus on nourishing your hair and nails from the inside out.
Start by eating foods that help make more keratin, the protein that makes hair and nails stronger. Spinach, beans, oats, salmon, eggs, and berries are excellent sources of nutrients for hair and nails. Protein, biotin, iron, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids, in particular, are the best nutrients to help you maintain the thickness, shine, and growth of your crop.
5. Irritable mood
The hanger is a real thrill! If you’re fighting a busy day and run out the door without breakfast, your blood sugar and mood can take a hit. Studies show that low glucose levels can actually cause aggression and violent behavior (2). So when you haven’t eaten anything, irritability can be one of the first noticeable side effects of not eating enough food.
The best way to prevent perch is to eat regular meals and nutritious snacks. Enjoying consistent meal times will help keep your blood sugar stable, so you can stay on track with your positive mood and good energy. When you feel the first sign of hunger coming, don’t reject it! Listen to it and have a meal or a snack, depending on how hungry you’re experiencing, so you’ll feel better than the irritable, cranky version.
6. Feeling cold
Do you have chills all the time? You need to consume a substantial amount of food to keep your body warm while you perform other bodily functions.
If you don’t eat enough, you probably won’t be able to efficiently carry out thermogenesis, which is a process that helps your body generate heat. Some research suggests that people who follow a restrictive diet have lower body temperatures than those who don’t (3).
Women who are also underweight or have low body fat may develop “downy” hair (also known as lanugo), as a way for their bodies to cope with heat loss. When your body doesn’t have enough body fat to keep warm, it can develop lanugo to help trap heat. It is common in people with anorexia nervosa or extremely thin people.
7. Constant thirst
Making sure you eat enough is actually a way to monitor your hydration levels. Many of the electrolytes obtained from food affect thirst. These include sodium, potassium, and magnesium. If you’re still thirsty after drinking a glass of water, it’s a red flag that you may not be consuming enough calories.
Sometimes your body can also mistake thirst for hunger and steer you away from the water bottle. Just remember to try to consume hydrating beverages like caffeine-free teas, sugar-free carbonated drinks, and good water.
8. Amenorrhea
Amenorrhea is the scientific term for a missed period. Women can miss their periods for a variety of reasons, including pregnancy, dietary changes, and stress. Sometimes certain medications you take, including birth control, can also affect your cycle. Specific health conditions like hypothyroidism and polycystic ovary syndrome can also affect your hormone levels, and therefore your period as well.
Amenorrhea can also occur if you don’t eat enough and have low body fat, or if you under weight (about 10 percent below “normal” weight), which is different for each of us. Being underweight can stop ovulation and cause abnormal changes in hormones, which is why some women with disordered eating habits or women who are high-performance athletes can often miss their periods. In some cases, their bodies also do not receive enough nutrients to carry out normal bodily functions.
The female athlete triad is basically an interrelated cycle that includes low energy intake, amenorrhea, and low bone density. This is most often seen in athletes trying to maintain a certain level of “lean” for a particular sport such as figure skating, ballet, gymnastics, or others.
Food to go
The most important takeaway from this article is that you need to be aware and in tune with yourself and your body’s ability to show you signs that something may not be right. Use these 8 signs and symptoms to see for yourself and determine whether or not you need to use a little more energy.
Do you want to experience more balance in your food choices?
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