October 16, 2017
Your daily caloric intake is based on a variety of factors: our age, weight, height, gender, activity level, and any current deficiencies.
To function daily, each of us has a basal metabolic rate (BMR). This metabolic pathway functions to sustain the basic human physiology. When we breathe, smile, laugh, cry, and sleep (basically live) we burn calories. In essence, our BMR is how many calories we require just to be alive (e.g., energy our vital organs require to function correctly). It’s symptomatic of our metabolism and, therefore, our endocrine system (hormonal regulatory system within our bodies). Your BMR will decrease with age, but will also worsen if you continuously under-eat on restricted diets or simply do not eat enough. When we don’t fuel our bodies with adequate amounts of food, it causes stress on our bodies and will alter hormone levels.
4 Ways Under-Eating Can Harm Us
Metabolism Slows Down
If we are not getting enough fuel (food) daily, our bodies will do whatever it takes to prevent change to occur, as it does not like to much change. It will keep us in homeostasis (state of balance) in order to keep us alive. Our metabolism will slow down to hold on to as much energy as possible, without expelling it, as it should. The body does this by reducing the function of the thyroid, leading to hypothyroidism and shutting down our sex hormones. This is why people who under-eat as a way to lose weight, usually do not actually lose weight.
Stress Increases
Under-eating puts added stress on our bodies, which means there is more cortisol flowing through our blood and our adrenals are over-active. Increased cortisol will release insulin by breaking down amino acids to convert to glucose and leptin, our satiety hormone (this tricks our brain into thinking we are full, when we really aren’t). The increased stress on our pancreas to balance the glucose can lead to insulin sensitivity or resistance and, ultimately, form type 2 diabetes. You do not have to be overweight to be diabetic.
Menstrual Issues
Under-eating can lead to menstrual irregularities or missed periods. It can also be the root cause of pregnancy issues. Thyroid and sex hormone deregulation can also be a play a major role in this. It’s important to have our hormones in-check when trying to get pregnant or maintaining a regular menstrual cycle.
Erratic Blood Sugar and Sleepless Nights
We will also be victim to blood sugar swings, which could lead to having hypoglycemic lows with symptoms of dizziness, mental fogginess, vomiting, and severe headaches. In a normal healthy state, when we sleep our blood sugar drops. Our livers must release stored glucose to keep blood sugar stable. If we do not obtain enough energy from our food, we do not have the necessary stores of glycogen in our livers to create glucose in events of excessive exercise or when we haven’t eaten for a long period of time. This chronic state could cause increased cortisol to force our bodies to produce glucose from other sources by pulling at muscle tissue or inhibiting the proper use of amino acids and, instead, converting them to blood sugar. This added cortisol and adrenaline keeps us awake or causes us to wake often throughout the night, leading to restless nights and increased irritability.
Here is my recommendation:
- Eat enough food
Really that’s it. Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate, then compute your maintenance calories as a function of your daily activity levels. Eat at maintenance to ensure optimal energy input. Once you have achieved this, then set new goals and adapt your caloric intake and output appropriately. Always consume nutritionally dense foods, incorporating wholesome organic options (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seeds, nuts, legumes and healthy fats, and proteins). Once you achieve balance, indulging once in awhile is OK in my opinion – I recommend it.
“Eating enough food” sometimes can be a psychological, up-hill battle. Remember, that our bodies are smart, and will do amazing things to keep us alive. However, as you can read above, what happens on the inside and the symptoms we encounter on the outside are not fun and can worsen and be extremely detrimental to our health and overall well-being if we under-eat. Take small steps and do not be afraid to eat. The outcome, in fact, will far outweigh the short term anxiety we may feel. Just start small and do your best.
