Elizabeth Bailey
We all know that eating too much is bad for our bodies. But what happens when you eat too little? These six negative consequences can have too little food.
Video placeholder
Anyone who wants to lose weight is quickly exposed to the risk of not eating enough food. But what exactly happens when you eat too little? Undereating can be dangerous for the body. These are the most common possible consequences of not eating enough.
1. Weight gain rather than weight loss from starvation
It sounds paradoxical, but it can happen: those who eat little can gain weight as a result. Malnutrition puts the body on alert. As a result, he holds on to his reserves and digestion slows down. This results in weight gain instead of weight loss.
2. Muscle loss through long-term calorie deficit
It is also possible that weight loss occurs, but the muscles are broken down. This is also an alarm reaction of the body: if the body has too little energy, it initially burns fat, but immediately afterward also muscle mass. So what happens if you eat too little over the long term? The muscles become more and more relaxed.
3. Low number of meals creates cravings
Those who hardly consume any food all day have extreme cravings at the end of the day. The consequence of the economy mode of the day: the body demands to fill up its energy reserves quickly, and the desire for rich foods increases. You eat whatever is available, and that can be a whole bar of chocolate or a bag of chips. If this is not an exception but happens more often, the logical consequence is continued weight gain.
4. Blood sugar levels drop due to not eating enough
Regular meals keep our blood sugar levels constant. If we eat too seldom and too little, the blood sugar level can drop extremely.
This can have the following consequences:
- Tremble
- dizziness
- Inner unrest
- Extreme tiredness and exhaustion
- difficulty concentrating
- irritation
Too little food can therefore negatively affect the body and psyche due to low blood sugar levels.
5. Cold hands and feet from lack of energy
Do you often have cold hands and feet, even in summer? This may be because you are eating too little. The body uses a significant portion of the energy from food to maintain body temperature. The organs always have priority to ensure life support. So the blood is pumped to the organs and the limbs are neglected when there is a lack of energy and gets cold.
6. Malnutrition leads to significant nutrient deficiencies
If you eat too little over a long period, you risk a lack of nutrients. This danger exists particularly with an unbalanced diet, especially with mono-diets. Above all, protein deficiency, vitamin B-12 deficiency as well as calcium and magnesium deficiency can be the consequence of insufficient and unbalanced food intake. The effects on the body are different depending on the nutrient deficiency.
If you experience any unusual symptoms such as hair loss, cramps, or headaches while on a diet, you should urgently consult a doctor and have your blood values checked.
So what happens when you eat too little?
Too little food intake can have numerous negative effects on the body, even make us sick – and even lead to weight gain.
