Lack of food and drink will cause many health problems. During this time you may often hear warnings not to overeat, but please also know that undereating is also a serious condition to watch out for. Not only affects the physical, due to lack of food can also have an impact on the psychological.
What happens to your body if you don’t eat enough?
Lack of eating and drinking can be caused by various reasons, ranging from lack of appetite due to illness to unhealthy dietary habits. Therefore, recognizing a healthy eating pattern is an important thing to do. When you don’t eat enough, not only will you lose weight, but also your overall health condition. There are several things that can happen when the body is not eating enough, including:
Tired easily
Often not eating can lead to calorie deficiency disease whose symptoms are always feeling tired and lacking energy. In fact, calories can be regarded as the fuel that the body needs to have energy for activities. Calories that enter the body are obtained from the food and drinks we consume. So if we run out of food and drink, our body’s fuel will automatically be less. As a result, we become energy short. Lack of energy will adversely affect the function and fitness of the body and cause feelings of physical fatigue and mental fatigue.
Always hungry
Lack of food and drink will cause you to always feel hungry. This is due to a decrease in calories so that the body sends signals that make you hungry. When calorie needs are not met, then you will continue to feel hungry.
Constipation
Lack of food and drink will cause constipation, so that the frequency of bowel movements becomes less frequent and the amount that comes out is less. This may cause the stool to become harder and harder to pass.
Easily hurt
Lack of food not only causes the body to lack calories, but also the nutrients needed to keep the immune system optimal. Lack of food and drink will result in a weakened immune system so that you become susceptible to disease, and it takes a longer time to recover.
Hair loss
Lack of various nutrients such as protein, minerals, essential fatty acids, and vitamins can cause hair loss. It can also have an impact on changes in hair color or structure.
Reproductive disorders
Lack of nutritional intake makes the body prioritize nutrients for the sustainability of more important processes for the body such as breathing and blood circulation. This can have an impact on the disruption of sex hormone production which leads to decreased sex drive and disrupts the reproductive process.
Sleep disturbance
Not only overeating can cause sleep disturbances, it turns out that lack of eating can also trigger the same thing. Having trouble falling asleep or waking up when you’re sleeping because you’re hungry can be a sign that you’re not eating enough.
Growth disorders
No less important, lack of food and drink will result in impaired growth at a young age. At this time, the body needs good and adequate nutrition. Meanwhile, lack of nutrients can lead to growth disorders, such as bone growth.
skin problems
Lack of food can also cause skin problems. This could be due to a lack of vitamin E and niacin. This condition can cause the skin to be more easily damaged by UV exposure or become inflamed.
Always feeling cold
Body temperature can be maintained when the calorie needs are met. So when experiencing a calorie deficiency disease, a person’s core body temperature can decrease and cause the body to constantly feel cold.
Depression
Depression is not always a sign of malnutrition. However, recent evidence suggests there may be a link between malnutrition and depression. Symptoms of depression have also been linked to lower intake of omega-3 fatty acids as well as lower levels of vitamin D in the body.