Severe food restriction can lead to several physical and mental health problems. On average, the typical dieter in America goes on four diets a year, says Walden Eating Disorders. More often than not, diets do not result in sustained weight loss....CONTINUE READING
According to the NIA, calorie restriction refers to reducing your average daily caloric intake below what is typical or habitual, without malnutrition or deprivation of essential nutrients.
Your body requires energy for a variety of vital functions. When you drastically reduce your calories for a prolonged amount of time, there will be negative side effects.
Your body gets energy from the calories in the food and drinks you consume. Your body requires a certain amount of calories each day to function and perform basic and automatic bodily processes. Undereating can harm many vital processes in the body, affecting the way you feel and function.
1. Low Energy Levels
Calories are units of energy your body uses to function. When you aren’t eating enough calories, you’re likely to feel very low energy and more fatigued than normal.
This can be a result of not consuming enough calories, specifically carbohydrates. Undereating can also lead to a deficiency in essential micronutrients such as B vitamins and iron which are essential for energy production.
2. Trouble Sleeping
Glucose is the brain’s number one source of fuel, and if you are consistently undereating, energy is not readily available to Support your active brain throughout the night.
As a result of this energy depletion, you may experience restlessness when you shut your eyes. The next time you’re having trouble sleeping, consider it possible that your body is sending you a signal that it needs more fuel!
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3. Food Cravings
Studies confirm that appetite and food cravings increase in response to drastic calorie restriction due to changes in levels of hormones that control hunger and fullness. If you drop your calorie intake drastically, your body may start sending you signals to eat more food as a way of avoiding potential starvation.
4. Irritability & Mood Swings
Frequently experiencing mood swings and irregular emotional states is another sign of under-eating. The brain needs fuel to regulate emotions, and eating too little can even exacerbate existing mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety.
Reducing calories often goes hand in hand with self-control. Research has shown that the self-control factor contributes to a drop in blood glucose levels, which leads to hypoglycemia and symptoms of irritability.
5. Hair Loss
It’s normal to lose several strands of hair daily. However, if you’re noticing an increased amount of hair accumulating in your hairbrush, it may be a sign that you’re not eating enough food. Research shows hair growth can be impacted when you significantly drop your caloric/protein intake or have a nutrient deficiency.
Many nutrients are needed to maintain normal, healthy hair growth. Inadequate intake of calories, protein, biotin, iron, and other nutrients is a common cause of hair loss.
6. Irregular or Missing Periods
If your cycle becomes irregular or has been missing for a few months, pay careful attention to your diet. The absence of a menstrual cycle for three or more consecutive months, also known as secondary amenorrhea, can be a sign that the body is not receiving enough calories to Support both basic metabolic needs, advises Rachel Fine, MS, RDN.
Extreme dieting or calorie restriction can cause sudden weight loss, decrease your body fat, and lower your estrogen levels, which can result in the disappearance of your period.
7. Constipation
it’s not uncommon for people to experience digestive irregularity and constipation after drastically decreasing caloric intake.
When a person undereats, their body has less food to convert into stools, which can cause constipation. If your diet is lacking a type of fiber called soluble fiber, such as root vegetables, fruit, and grains, this may also contribute to digestive difficulties.
8. Feeling Cold
Feeling cold all the time can be a sign that your body does not have sufficient energy to fuel your metabolism and regulate its healthy temperature. Consuming too few calories may cause a person’s core body temperature to drop, which can create a constant feeling of being cold.
Chronic calorie restriction leads to lower levels of T3 thyroid hormone, which is the hormone responsible for maintaining our body temperature.
9. Reproductive difficulties
When a person’s body is not receiving enough nutrition, it prioritizes which processes to focus on maintaining, such as the life-supporting processes like breathing.
As a result, sex hormone production can take a back seat. Significant undereating can also result in low levels of estrogen and is often accompanied by low insulin levels, high cortisol, and low thyroid hormones (specifically T3), which all affect a person’s fertility, says Lily Nichols, RDN.
10. Getting Sick Often
Undereating can also lead to an imbalanced diet and a lack of essential macronutrients from carbohydrates, protein, and fat. This can mean that your body does not receive enough specific nutrients to maintain a healthy immune system and fight off disease.
Our body needs a balance of macronutrients to repair muscles and replenish them from daily metabolic strains from activity, says Dr. Kantor.
How To Determine How Many Calories You Need
Basal metabolic rate is the number of calories your body needs to accomplish its most basic (basal) life-sustaining functions. One popular way to estimate BMR is through the Harris-Benedict formula, using your weight, height, age, and gender.
In Conclusion
Knowing exactly how much food your body needs each day to function optimally will allow you to make healthier food choices and create a kinder and more balanced relationship with your body. The food we eat and the quantity have an extremely powerful effect on our bodies, and it can either heal or hurt us…CONTINUE READING>>
