Understand how to identify the indicators and signs your body exhibits to signal that you’re not consuming sufficient food.
Stress, hectic routines, illness, sorrow, and the daily grind can significantly affect us. More specifically, they can influence our appetites and our body’s ability to manage hunger. This often results in a situation where we aren’t consuming enough food. Moreover, many individuals aiming for weight loss inadvertently end up undereating or imposing restrictions to meet their objectives.
No matter the reason, failing to eat enough and denying your body vital nutrients can show up in ways that disturb your metabolism and hormones, both of which might take a while to notice if you’ve been consistently under nourishing yourself.
Let’s explore the subtle indicators that your body may be lacking in essential proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, along with tips on how to boost your food consumption through a balanced diet.
If you’ve been feeling consistently tired for several weeks, no matter how much you sleep or the quality of your rest, it might be time to reassess your dietary habits. When we continually undereat, our bodies are unable to properly fuel themselves. This can lead to feelings of lethargy and fatigue.
This is particularly noticeable with low carbohydrate diets. Since starchy carbohydrates are the body’s main source of quick energy, it’s understandable that limiting them can result in suboptimal energy levels.
Review your typical consumption in terms of both quantity and diversity. Are your meals well-rounded, including all the components of the Foundational Five? Are you including starchy carbs? Are you eating when hungry and responding to your body’s signals? Take some time to reflect on this and consider making necessary changes.
Dizziness can often be one of the initial physical indicators of insufficient food intake. Insufficient food can cause a drop in blood sugar levels, resulting in feelings of dizziness or faintness. If you frequently feel lightheaded and cannot pinpoint the cause, examine your eating habits.
For a quick energy boost, consider snacking on something that combines carbohydrates and protein, such as a banana with almond butter, a handful of nuts and berries, or vegetable sticks with hummus. This mix can help elevate and stabilize your blood sugar levels, enhancing your energy.
However, if dizziness continues despite dietary changes, consult your doctor to exclude other potential concerns.
<pEver find yourself forgetting things like, “Where are my keys?” While it happens to everyone occasionally, frequent brain fog could signal that you need to check your nutrition (i.e. eat more)! It can indicate several health issues, but it's also a key symptom of inadequate food intake throughout the day.
Postponing meals or interrupting regular eating times for meetings or calls delays the energy your body requires. So, if that afternoon slump hits and you realize you haven’t eaten lunch, that’s your signal to head to the kitchen or grab a snack.
It’s wise to choose whole foods whenever you can. Opt for a substantial salad packed with fresh vegetables, perhaps sweet potatoes, avocado, grilled chicken, or your preferred protein, along with a delicious dressing. Foods rich in B-vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and antioxidants can enhance brain function and stave off cognitive decline (1). Goodbye brain fog.
It might surprise you, but if you’re not getting enough nutrients, your body’s critical organs will take the lead in nutrient distribution. This prioritization means that hair, skin, and nails may not receive the attention they need. The health of your hair, skin, and nails is intimately linked to your dietary choices and the vitamins and minerals your body absorbs.
It’s normal to shed between 50-100 hair strands daily. If you’re losing more than usual and your nails are breaking easily, it may be time to focus on nourishing these from within.
Start incorporating foods that encourage keratin production—the protein essential for healthy hair and nails. Foods like spinach, beans, oatmeal, salmon, eggs, and berries are excellent for their nourishing properties. Protein, biotin, iron, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids are particularly beneficial for maintaining the strength, sheen, and growth of your hair.
Hanger is a valid emotion! If you’re racing through a busy day without breakfast, your mood and blood sugar levels may take a significant hit. Research indicates that low glucose can result in irritability and aggressive behaviors (2). So, when you skip meals, feelings of irritability can be among the early signs of insufficient food intake.
The simplest way to combat hanger is to incorporate regular meals and healthy snacks. Sticking to consistent meal schedules helps keep your blood sugar stable, allowing you to maintain a positive mood and energy levels. When hunger strikes, don’t ignore it! Heed your body’s signals and grab a meal or snack appropriate to your level of hunger to ensure you feel your best rather than grumpy and irritable.
Are you perpetually chilly? You must consume adequate food to keep your body at a comfortable temperature while performing essential bodily functions.
If you’re not meeting your caloric needs, you may struggle with thermogenesis, the process that helps generate body heat. Some studies suggest that individuals on restrictive diets have lower body temperatures than those who eat sufficiently (3).
Women who are also underweight or possess low body fat may develop fine hair—known as lanugo—as their bodies attempt to conserve heat. When fat stores are insufficient to regulate temperature, lanugo may develop to assist in heat retention. This is often observed in those with anorexia nervosa or those who are significantly slender.
Ensuring you eat adequately can also help manage your levels of hydration. Key electrolytes found in food, such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium, influence thirst. If you feel thirsty even after drinking a glass of water, it’s a sign you might not be getting enough calories.
Moreover, sometimes your body may confuse thirst with hunger, leading you away from hydration. Just remember to focus on hydrating options like caffeine-free teas, unsweetened seltzers, and good old plain water.
Amenorrhea refers to the absence of menstruation. Women may skip their periods due to a variety of factors, including pregnancy, dietary changes, or stress. Certain medications, including contraceptives, can also disrupt your cycle, along with health issues like hypothyroidism and polycystic ovarian syndrome, which can affect hormone levels.
Amenorrhea can also arise from inadequate food intake coupled with low body fat or being underweight (about 10 percent below “normal” weight), which varies from person to person. Being underweight can halt ovulation and result in hormone irregularities, leading to missed periods in women with disordered eating habits or those who are elite athletes. In some instances, their bodies are simply not receiving the nutrients essential for standard bodily functions.
The female athlete triad outlines an interconnected cycle involving low energy intake, amenorrhea, and diminished bone density. This is most frequently seen in those striving to maintain a certain degree of leanness for specific sports such as figure skating, ballet, or gymnastics.
The main takeaway from this discussion is to be aware and attuned to your body’s signals that something may be off. Utilize these eight signs to check in with yourself and determine whether you may need a bit more energy intake.
Then discover your balanced eating style!
Take this quick 45-second quiz to find out which balanced eating archetype you fit into, along with what your unique needs are to maintain equilibrium in how you nourish yourself. This way, you can finally liberate yourself from food and diet fixation, keep a balanced weight, and foster a healthy relationship with food and your body.
