8 Signs Your Body Says You’re Not Eating Enough

Learn to recognize the signs and symptoms your body uses to communicate to you that you are not eating enough.

Stress, busy schedules, illness, grief, and the hustle and bustle of everyday life can take a toll on us. Specifically, our appetites and how our bodies regulate hunger. This can often lead to not eating enough. Additionally, many people in pursuit of weight loss often end up not intending to diet or restrict to achieve that goal.

Regardless of the cause, not eating enough food and depriving your body of essential nutrients can manifest in ways that wreak havoc on your metabolism and hormones. Both may take longer to notice if you’ve been eating less.

8 Signs You May Get If You’re Not Eating Enough

Let’s dive into the subtle signs that your body may be lacking essential proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, and what you can do to increase your nutritional intake.

1. Low Power

If you’ve been feeling straight up tired for a few weeks, regardless of how much you snooze or the quality of your sleep, it may be time to reevaluate your diet. If we eat less often, the body cannot process itself properly. That can make you feel tired and sluggish.

We often see this in the case of a low-carbohydrate diet specifically. Seeing as starchy carbohydrates are the body’s main source of quick energy, it makes sense that limiting them would lead to lower energy levels at best.

Look at what you usually eat in terms of volume and variety. Are you eating a balanced diet that includes all of the Fundamental Five components? Including starchy carbohydrates? Do you eat when you’re hungry and listen to your body’s signals? Take a moment to think here and see if you can make some changes.

2. Dizziness

Dizziness can be one of the body’s first signs of not eating enough. If you don’t eat enough, your blood sugar levels can drop and make you feel dizzy or faint. If you always feel light-headed and you don’t know exactly why, look at the food you eat.

For a quick boost, eat something with carbs and protein, like a banana and almond butter, a handful of berries and nuts, or veggie sticks with some hummus. This combination of carbohydrates and protein will help increase and stabilize your blood sugar levels to help boost your energy.

However, if dizziness persists after making these changes to your diet and lifestyle, talk to your doctor to rule out potential problems.

3. Poor Vision and Productivity (ie, Brain Fog)

Have you ever had moments of forgetfulness where you say things like, “Where did I put my keys?”? That happens to all of us, but brain fog is often your body’s way of telling you to check your nutrition (ie, eat more food)! Brain fog can be a symptom of several health challenges, but it’s also one of the most important signs of not eating enough throughout the day.

Postponing lunch or interrupting your regular mealtimes to go to meetings or take phone calls delays the energy your body needs to keep going. So when that 3pm lull hits you and you realize you haven’t had lunch, that’s your cue to head to the kitchen or grab a snack.

It is best to fill up on whole foods as much as possible. Get a hearty salad with lots of fresh vegetables, maybe sweet potato, avocado, grilled chicken, or a protein of your choice, and a nice dressing. A diet rich in B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and antioxidants can help boost brain function and prevent cognitive decline (1). Bye-bye brain fog.

4. Hair Loss and Brittle Nails

This may surprise you, but if you don’t eat enough food or don’t get enough nutrients, the most important organs will take the lead in getting those nutrients. This includes your brain, heart, and lungs, instead of your hair, skin, and nails. Hair, skin, and nail health are closely related to what you eat, and how many vitamins and minerals your body absorbs.

It is normal to lose between 50 and 100 hairs every day. If you’re losing more locks than usual and your nails seem to break easily, you may want to focus on nourishing your hair and nails from the inside out.

Start by eating foods that help produce more keratin, the protein that strengthens your hair and nails. Spinach, beans, oatmeal, salmon, eggs, and berries are all excellent sources of nutrients that love hair and nails. Protein, biotin, iron, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids, in particular, are the best nutrients to help you maintain the thickness, luster, and growth of your plant.

5. Irritable state

Hanger is a real emotion! If you’re struggling through a busy day and rushing out the door without breakfast, your blood sugar and mood can get really low. Research shows that low glucose levels can actually cause aggression and violent behavior (2). So when you don’t eat, irritability may be one of the first noticeable side effects of not eating enough.

The best way to prevent a “hanger” is to eat regular meals and nutritious snacks. Enjoying consistent meal times will help keep your blood sugar stable, so you can stay on track with your good mood and energy. If you feel the first sign of hunger coming on, don’t put it off! Listen to it and grab a meal or snack, depending on how hungry you are so you’ll always feel like a better person versus the moody, annoying version.

6. Feeling Cool

Do you have a cold, all the time? You need to eat a large amount to keep your body warm while doing other physical activities.

If you’re not eating enough, you’re probably not doing well in thermogenesis, which is the process that helps your body produce heat. Some research suggests that people who follow restrictive diets have lower body temperatures than those who don’t (3).

Women who are also underweight or have low body fat may have “downy” hair (also known as lanugo), as a way for their bodies to cope with heat loss. If your body does not have enough fat to warm itself, you can grow Lanugo to help prevent heat. It is common in people with anorexia nervosa or people who are very thin.

7. Chronic thirst

Making sure you eat enough is actually one way you can manage your hydration levels. Most of the electrolytes you get from food affect thirst. These include sodium, potassium, and magnesium. If you still feel thirsty after downing a glass of water, it’s a red flag that you may not be consuming enough calories.

Sometimes, your body can also mistake thirst for hunger and mislead you away from the water bottle. Just remember to aim for beverages like decaffeinated tea, carbonated unsweetened seltzers, and good ‘ole water.

8. Amenorrhea

Amenorrhea is the scientific term for missing your period. Women can miss periods for a variety of reasons, including pregnancy, diet changes and stress. Sometimes, certain medications you take, including birth control, can affect your cycle, too. Certain health conditions such as hypothyroidism and polycystic ovarian syndrome can also affect your hormone levels and, therefore, your period.

Amenorrhea can occur if you don’t eat enough and have low fat or low weight (about 10 percent below “normal” weight), which is different for each of us. Being underweight can stop ovulation and cause abnormal changes in your hormones, which is why some women with disordered eating habits or athletic women may not have periods. In some cases, their bodies also do not get enough nutrients to perform normal bodily functions.

The female athlete’s triangle is basically a relative cycle that includes low energy intake, amenorrhea, and low bone density. This is often seen in athletes who try to maintain a certain level of “dependency” in a specific sport such as figure skating, ballet, gymnastics, or others.

The Takeaway

The biggest takeaway from this article is to be aware and in tune with yourself and your body’s ability to signal that something may not be feeling right. Use these 8 signs to check yourself and decide if you may need to use more energy.

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