Today I want to talk to you about seven signs that your body might be trying to tell you that you're not eating enough. So stress, busy schedules, feeling sick, experiencing grief, or just experiencing the hustle and bustle of everyday life can really take a toll on our appetites and the way our bodies regulate hunger, which often leads to us not eating enough. We don't really talk about both sides of the spectrum when it comes to nutrition when it comes to our appetite, and also our weight. There are so many articles — more than I could ever count on the media on blogs — about how to lose 5 pounds, lose 10 pounds in 10 days, weight loss this weight loss that, but the media really fails to share the other side of someone else's story which may be the challenge to gain weight healthfully or to increase their appetite again, no matter what the cause or the reason. While high cortisol levels can really cause overeating and these hormones produced are in response to stress and they can suppress appetite. This again may lead to skipping meals. It might lead to undereating do to stress, and that cortisol increase, it can be a decreased appetite situation or just not feeling that mind-body connection. Not eating enough food and depriving your body of the important nutrients can really manifest in ways that wreak havoc on your metabolism, on your hormones, both of which take longer to notice. So if you've been consistently under eating for a pretty long time for unique body type, I want to really dive in and take a look at subtle signs that your body might be not getting enough vital protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, minerals overall caloric intake, and what you can do to really increase your food intake with a balanced diet. So here are some signs that you might not be eating enough. So number one, I think this is the most obvious one, which is low energy. If you've been feeling straight-up exhausted for several weeks, regardless of how much you've been sleeping or regardless of the quality of sleep, it might be time to re-evaluate your diet. Energy looks like a lot of different things, and our philosophy at NS doesn't exactly equate energy with calorie counting or calories per se. However, it is undeniable that one of the most common dangers of not eating enough calories is low energy levels and according to the USDA dietary guidelines women should consume around 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day and men should get around 2,000 to 3,000 calories a day again. Keep in mind that these are completely guidelines. We are all very very different a lot of us don't even count calories. If you lead a very active lifestyle or if you exercise frequently, we all have a really unique makeup to determine how many calories we actually need per day, but you also want to focus on the quality not just the quantity of calories that you're consuming, especially if you're goal is to increase your appetite and increase your weight healthily. Fueling your body with quality proteins, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats will not only help you increase energy levels by literally revving up your metabolism, but also feeding your physical body. In fact research shows that consuming a fiber-rich diet can prevent obesity, metabolic syndrome, it can promote beneficial bacteria in the gut, and those are all great reasons to incorporate more whole foods in your diet. Number two — dizziness. Dizziness can be one of the first physical signs of not eating enough, especially if you're not eating enough food your blood sugar levels can really plummet and that means that you might feel a little faint, you might feel dizzy, you might have mood swings. It can also be a sign that you may be dehydrated. So really drinking enough and plenty of water throughout the day is key, and of course you could always mix it up with juices, unsweetened iced tea, infused waters, smoothies, anything to get in that hydration as well. For a quick snack boost, maybe eat something with carbohydrates and proteins, so that you're stabilizing your blood sugars, and you get that satiety from the protein. Maybe something like a banana and almond butter or hard-boiled egg and some crackers or veggie sticks and some hummus. This combination of carbohydrates and proteins will really help you increase your blood sugar levels, but not to a point where it's going up and then it's plummeting, like if you were to just eat a piece of fruit really quick. So the thing to remember too with dizziness Iis that if it persists after you eat a meal, or a snack, or you make changes to your diet and you make changes to your lifestyle, really be sure that you chat with your dietitian or your doctor to also rule out any potential health conditions or issues. Number three — poor cognition or productivity (i.e. brain fog.) If you've ever had those moments of forgetfulness and like , ”Where did I put my keys,” or “What was that thing I was going to do?” It happens to all of us all the time, but frequent brain fog could also be your body's way of telling you, ”Hey, it's time to check in with how your nourishing yourself with food with hydration.” Also with stress management I’ll add. But brain fog can also be a sign of several health challenges. So it's one of those important key symptoms to pay attention to. If you're not eating enough throughout the day you might experience that. Maybe you're postponing lunches or interrupting normal meal times to attend meetings or take calls. All of these things can delay energy in your body that you need to keep going. So if that's three p.m. lull hits hard and you realize, ”Wow I haven't even had lunch yet and I'm feeling really dizzy,” or “I can't even think straight,” you really need to make sure that you prioritize your health and go eat a meal. And again, it's about the whole foods too. So really try to get in those quality nutrients so that you're stabilizing your blood sugars, and you're feeling really nice and satiated. You're getting a lot of those great nutrients. So, salads, veggies, sweet potatoes, avocados, grilled chicken or tofu if your plant-based — whatever you want. Try to make food enjoyable and tasty, but also really nutritious. So foods rich in b-vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and antioxidants can really also help boost brain function and prevent cognitive decline, especially if you make those part of your daily routine for long-term health, so you can say bye to brain fog from that. Number four — hair loss and brittle nails Now, this might seem surprising to you, but if you're not eating enough food and if you're not getting enough nutrients the highest priority organs in your body really take the lead and getting that nutrition that you're providing your physical body. So for example, your heart, your brain, your vital organs. Those are going to get first priority rather than your hair, your skin and your nails and that's why you also may notice that your physical appearance takes a hit when your body doesn't get the nutrients it needs. Maybe your skin is looking a little dull, your nails are breaking easier. Hair, skin and nail health is so closely tied to what you eat, along with how many minerals, the healthy fats, the protein and overall nutrients that your body is absorbing. So, it's really normal to lose between 5,200 strands of hair every day, but if you're losing a lot more hair than usual in the shower and you're really noticing it when you brush it ou,t or your nails are breaking, you might want to focus on nourishing your hair and nails from the inside out by starting to eat more food. Protein is a big player, B vitamins, minerals like zinc and iron, vitamin C. These are all really great sources of hair and nail loving nutrients. So biotin is also a popular one that you often see in supplements. The jury's out on whether or not they really meet that need. But if you're just consuming a whole food diet, really rich in all of these nutrients like protein, iron, vitamin C, healthy fats, all of these good things is you're really going to help nourish your skin and hair. I also have a few articles on nutritionstripped.com specific to the guide to healthy hair. Number five — irritable mood. Have you ever heard the term “hangry”? It's definitely a real emotion. If you're ever battling a busy day, you had to rush out the door, maybe you skipped breakfast or even lunch, your blood sugar and your mood can take a huge dip. Studies show that low glucose levels can cause aggression and more violent behavior. Now, it doesn't have to be that extreme, but feeling hangry is a mood swing. So when you haven't had anything to eat irritability, maybe that first noticeable side effect — especially if you're interacting with other people — that you're not eating enough calories. In addition to feeling maybe a little off your game or having a really moody attitude, hunger can also cause headaches. It can cause migraines to worsen If you do experience migraines. You can feel light-headed or you can even feel nauseous. The best way to prevent “hanger” is to eat regular meals, have some healthy snacks as needed. If you need to even during the day, take some breaks just away. Anything that you can do to enjoy a normal meal time that will help your blood sugar stay stable, so you can really stay on track with your nutrition but also your positive mood your good energy and feeling the best that you can, versus moody and irritable. Number six — feeling chilly. If you ever had the chills or you feel really cold all the time, it could be a sign that you need to eat more food. Your body really does need a certain number of calories every single day, like we talked about, to keep your body warm while also performing other bodily functions. This is just science 101. And if you're not eating enough, you're not probably able to efficiently carry out all of those processes like thermogenesis, which is a process that helps your body generate heat and also regulate heat. Some research suggests that people who follow a restrictive diet or don't consume enough calories have lower body temperatures than people who do not. Women who are also underweight or have very, very low body fat might also develop what's called Downey which is hair or lanugo, which is a way that your body copes with heat loss. So it's literally like you grow peach fuzz. When your body doesn't have enough body fat to heat itself up, it can grow this lanugo to help trap heat and it's a really common side effect, I guess you could say, and people with anorexia or people who are just extremely thin and on a restrictive diet. Number seven, if you're thirsty, making sure you're eating enough is one way that you can manage, your hydration level is because many of the electrolytes you get in food or in drink affect your thirst including sodium, potassium, magnesium. If you still feel thirsty after chugging down a glass of water, it might be a red flag that you maybe not be consuming enough calories let alone enough electrolytes. So sometimes your body can also mistake thirst for hunger and also misguide you away from the water bottles. That's just another key factor just to remember. And remember, try to avoid all the sugary, sweetened energy drinks, sports drinks, juices sodas, sweetened coffee, sweetened teas because those will increase your blood sugar levels and also drop pretty quickly, which can also make you feel really hungry. Number eight is amenorrhea, and that's a scientific term for missing your period. So women may lose their periods for a variety of reasons including, pregnancy changes in your diet, stress , big lifestyle changes, and sometimes certain medications that you take including birth control can also affect your cycle too. Specific health conditions conditions like hypothyroidism, polycystic ovarian syndrome, these can also affect, of course your hormone balance your hormone levels and therefore your period but amenorrhea can also happen if you don't eat enough, if you have low body fat, or are underweight and you exercise a lot and by underweight, I mean about 10 percent under normal weight which is different for each of us. But being underweight can really stop ovulation, it can cause abnormal changes in your hormones, which is why a lot of women who do have disordered eating habits or women who are high performing athletes may miss their period. The female athlete rriad is basically an interrelated cycle that includes low energy intake, so not eating enough essentially, amenorrhea — the loss of your period, and low bone density. This most often is seen with athletes trying to maintain a certain level of leanness for a particular sport like figure skating, ballet, gymnastics. There's a lot of studies done with that. But all in all the biggest take-home point with this video and also with the article that I'll link around this is to really make sure that you're aware and in tune with yourself and your body's ability to show you some of these signs that something might not feel great or feel right as it should be. If you need any help at all, that's why you have doctors, that's why you have dietitians like me. That's what we're here for. They will really help work with you to come up with a plan to make sure that you're increasing your overall nutrient intake, your overall energy intake with calories to make sure that you feel a little bit more restored and Status Quo. So again, this isn't a diagnostic video — all of these are just some signs that you might be experiencing if you're not eating enough, but I would love to hear from you is this helpful for you? Have you ever experienced any of these eight signs that you might not be eating enough? I would love to hear from you. And if you have worked around that please share your success story. If you still are challenged with it, let me know after you try some of these tips and how it goes. Alright, so I hope you have a really beautiful day.
