Understand how to identify the signs and symptoms your body exhibits when it isn’t getting enough food.
Factors such as stress, hectic lifestyles, health issues, sorrow, and the daily grind can negatively impact us, especially our appetite and how our bodies manage hunger. This can frequently result in inadequate food intake. Furthermore, many individuals aiming to lose weight inadvertently engage in undereating or food restriction to reach their weight loss goals.
Regardless of the reason, insufficient food intake deprives your body of essential nutrients, resulting in issues that can disrupt your metabolism and hormones. These changes may take a considerable amount of time to notice, especially if you have been continually under-eating.
Let’s explore the clear signs that your body might not be receiving enough essential proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats, along with tips on how to boost your food intake through a balanced diet.
If you’ve been feeling outright drained for weeks, regardless of sleep duration or quality, it might be time to reassess your nutrition. When we consistently eat too little, our bodies lack the fuel needed for proper functioning, which can lead to feelings of lethargy and sluggishness.
This is particularly evident in those following low carbohydrate diets. Since starchy carbohydrates are the primary quick energy source for the body, it’s clear why limiting them can cause energy levels to dip.
Examine your normal intake in terms of both quantity and variety. Are your meals well-balanced, including all the Foundational Five elements? Have you included starchy carbohydrates? Are you responding to your hunger cues? Take a moment to consider possible adjustments.
Dizziness can often be one of the first physical indications of inadequate food intake. When you’re not consuming enough, your blood sugar can drop, making you feel faint or dizzy. If you’re frequently experiencing lightheadedness with no clear explanation, examine your food consumption.
For a quick energy boost, opt for a snack that includes both carbohydrates and protein, such as a banana with almond butter, a mix of berries and nuts, or veggie sticks with hummus. This combination will help elevate and stabilize your blood sugar, enhancing your energy levels.
However, if dizziness continues even after adjusting your diet and habits, consult your doctor to rule out other concerns.
<pHave you experienced moments where you forget where you placed your keys? While this happens to everyone, frequent brain fog could be a signal from your body that it’s time to evaluate your nutrition (i.e., eat more)! Brain fog can point to various health issues, but it is also a significant symptom of not consuming enough throughout the day.
Delaying lunches or interrupting your regular meal times for work meetings or phone calls can hinder the energy your body requires. So when that 3 p.m. slump hits and you realize lunch hasn’t happened, that’s your hint to head to the kitchen or grab a snack.
It’s beneficial to prioritize whole foods. Consider a robust salad filled with fresh vegetables, perhaps some sweet potatoes, avocado, grilled chicken, or your chosen protein, topped with a delicious dressing. Foods rich in B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and antioxidants can enhance cognitive function and prevent mental decline (1). Farewell, brain fog.
This may be an unexpected revelation, but if you aren’t consuming enough food or nutrients, your body will prioritize delivering essential nutrients to critical organs like the brain, heart, and lungs at the expense of your hair, skin, and nails. The health of hair, skin, and nails is closely linked to your diet and the vitamins and minerals your body effectively absorbs.
It’s typical to shed 50-100 hairs daily. If you’re noticing more hair loss than normal and increased nail brittleness, focusing on nourishing them from the inside may be needed.
Start by incorporating foods that boost keratin production, the protein that fortifies your hair and nails. Spinach, beans, oatmeal, salmon, eggs, and berries are wonderful sources of nutrients beneficial for hair and nail health. In particular, protein, biotin, iron, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids are essential for maintaining the thickness, shine, and growth of your hair.
Hanger is a legitimate emotional state! If you’re having a hectic day and skip breakfast, both your blood sugar and mood can significantly decline. Research indicates that low glucose levels can actually provoke aggression and unrest (2). So if you skip meals, irritability may be one of the first noticeable effects of inadequate food consumption.
The best strategy to keep hanger at bay is to enjoy regular meals and nutrient-rich snacks. Consistent meal times can help stabilize blood sugar levels, ensuring your mood remains positive and your energy levels steady. When you start to feel hunger, don’t dismiss it! Respond promptly with either a meal or a snack based on how hungry you feel, allowing you to maintain your best self instead of becoming moody or irritable.
Always feeling cold? You need to consume enough food to maintain your body temperature while performing other bodily functions.
If you aren’t eating sufficiently, thermogenesis—a process that aids the body in heat generation—may falter. Some studies suggest that individuals on restrictive diets tend to have lower body temperatures compared to others (3).
Underweight women or those with low body fat percentages may develop a layer of soft hair (known as lanugo) as a means to counteract heat loss. When your body lacks sufficient fat to maintain warmth, it can grow lanugo to help retain heat. This is often observed in individuals with anorexia nervosa or those significantly underweight.
Ensuring adequate food intake is one way to manage hydration levels. Electrolytes found in food like sodium, potassium, and magnesium can influence thirst. If you find yourself thirsty even after drinking water, it’s a sign you might not be getting enough calories.
Sometimes your body can also wander into confusing thirst with hunger, steering you away from drinking enough water. Aim for hydrating drinks such as caffeine-free teas, unsweetened carbonated seltzers, and plain old water.
Amenorrhea is the medical term for missing a menstrual cycle. Several factors, including pregnancy, dietary changes, and stress, can cause women to miss their periods. Certain medications, such as hormonal contraceptives, can also have an impact on the menstrual cycle, as can specific health conditions like hypothyroidism and polycystic ovarian syndrome, altering hormone levels and thereby affecting menstruation.
Amenorrhea can occur when insufficient eating leads to low body fat or being underweight (around 10 percent below one’s “normal” weight), which varies for each individual. Being underweight can inhibit ovulation and trigger hormonal changes, explaining why some women with disordered eating or high-performing athletes often experience missed periods. In some instances, their bodies are not receiving enough nutrients to support normal functions.
The female athlete triad is a linked cycle encompassing low energy intake, amenorrhea, and diminished bone density. This is commonly seen in athletes striving to maintain a specific level of “leanness” for sports like figure skating, ballet, gymnastics, and more.
The most significant lesson from this article is to remain aware and familiar with the signs your body may display when something is off. Utilize these eight signs and symptoms to introspect and assess if you might need to enhance your caloric intake.
Then discover your balanced eating style!
Take this brief 45-second quiz to determine which balanced eating archetype best fits you and what your unique needs are to maintain harmony with your nutritional choices. This way, you’ll find freedom from diet fixation, stabilize your weight, and foster a healthy relationship with both food and your body.
