If you skip meals frequently because you are too tired to cook or don’t eat well to lose weight quickly – should you be concerned? Skipping meals once in a while or being unable to finish your plate before an exam is fine. But frequent fasting or under-eating is a terrible idea. When you stop giving your body the required nutrients, you will experience a number of physical, emotional, and mental health issues.

9 harmful effects of under-eating

1. Constant hunger

If someone feels hungry all the time, it is a clear sign that the person isn’t eating properly. Studies confirm that acute food cravings result from drastic food restrictions. When the calorie intake is low, the body produces more cortisol, the stress hormone. This hormone is responsible for increasing belly fat and giving you hunger pangs.

• Low energy

Do you feel tired even after sleeping peacefully at night? Do you feel breathless after taking the stairs? All these are signs of low-calorie intake. If you don’t take in as many calories as your body needs, it is natural to feel fatigued and even light activity like walking will make you feel fatigued. So, munch on healthy snacks like nuts in between meals to solve this problem.

• Hair loss

If you are tired of experiencing acute hair loss, focus on what you eat instead of changing your shampoo/ conditioner for the 100^th time. The hair needs nutrients to stay strong, long, and shiny. If the hair loss isn’t because of a clinical condition, it is because of inadequate intake of biotin, iron, and protein. If you aren’t providing enough calories to the body, it will prioritize the functioning of your vital organs like the heart and brain over hair health.

• Complicated pregnancy

Undereating often interferes with the female body’s ability to conceive. The pituitary gland and hypothalamus situated in your brain maintain your body’s hormonal balance and reproductive health. Based on signals the hypothalamus receives from your body, it produces hormones to inhibit or stimulate the production of progesterone or estrogen by the pituitary gland. This complex system is extremely sensitive to alterations in weight and calorie intake.

If the body’s fat percentage is too low, there won’t be enough hormonal secretions, thus leading to infertility. So, if you are struggling to make a baby, consume a high-calorie and well-balanced diet for a healthy pregnancy.

• Sleep disorders

Many people know that overeating may lead to sleeping difficulty. But did you know that strict dieting can also cause sleep problems? Human and animal research has proved that self-starvation is directly linked to sleep interruption. If you feel too hungry when you wake up or sleepy throughout the day, you are probably not eating well. So, instead of being on a restrictive diet, consult an experienced dietician.

• Feeling cold

Do you feel cold a lot more than the people around you? If you always feel cold, then you should ask yourself if you are having sufficient food. Your body must burn some calories to create heat and thus, maintain a comfortable temperature. So, if the calorie intake is limited, the core body temperature will be low. The more severely you cut down calories, the harder it will be for you to deal with cold weather.

• Anxiety

Studies have revealed that extreme dieters have high levels of anxiety and depression. Anxiety affects productivity, disturbs sleep, triggers migraines, and causes abdominal pain. So, it is important to eat high calorie foods even when you are dieting. Include fatty fish, eggs, chicken, avocados, etc. in your daily diet to keep anxiety at bay.

• Irritability

Do you often get irritated by little things? Irritability is a common issue that young men and women undergoing calorie restriction experience. So, if you haven’t been eating well lately, it is possibly the reason behind your moodiness. To reduce your irritability, prepare a diet chart to make sure you are having a balanced diet.

• Constipation

Infrequent and irregular bowel movements indicate an inadequate supply of food. If you have less than three bowel movements in a week, you are constipated. Having a hard stool that is challenging to pass also means that you are suffering from constipation, and it might be because of your food choices. When you eat very less, there will be less water in the digestive tract. People who consume adequate calories and plenty of fiber have and regular smooth bowel movements.

The Bottom Line

Both overeating and undereating have their consequences. If you are starving yourself intentionally to lose weight, you must stop it immediately. If you are unable to eat because of decreased appetite resulting from a health condition, ask your doctor to suggest some appetize-boosting medications. Consult the dietician in gurgaon to get a specialized diet chart as per your height, weight, age, and body requirements.