Taking Care of Your Health: Ways Restricting Calories Can Be Harmful

Calories are often associated with increased weight which makes most people restrict the number of calories they take. Most people don’t know that too much restriction can cause more health complications. It’s essential to consult your doctor before reducing the number of calories intake. 

Calories are often described as the total heat energy required to raise water temperature by a 1-degree census. The body uses calories for these three functions:

Physical activity: This refers to the total number of calories required to help your body run the day’s activities.

Digestion: When the body uses a certain amount of calories to digest and metabolize the food that you take, which is also referred to as the thermic effect of food (TEF)

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): this refers to the total amount of calories required to help your body function effectively, which includes the function of the heart, brain, and lungs.

This article will explore ways in which restricting calories can be harmful to your health.

Leads to Nutrient Deficiency and Fatigue

When you eat more undersized calories, your body will be subjected to low nutrients and feel fatigued. This is because when consuming food with zero calories, you miss vital nutrients such as vitamin B12 and iron which can even lead to anaemia. Also, most calorie-restricted foods have low curbs, which has the side effects of feeling fatigued. Other essential nutrients you might miss include proteins that will cause muscle loss. To prevent this, you can consider eating in restaurants who use  Nutritional labeling software for food manufacturing to know the calorie composition of your meal. Don’t over-restrict yourself on calories; ensure you eat enough.

Reduced Metabolism

Consuming food with fewer calories will lead to slowed metabolism. Since you are not taking enough calories, your body will reduce the number of calories burned by 23% due to muscle loss. As you continue eating the calories, your metabolism is stopped entirely, and you lose weight; this is why when you resume taking calories, you gain weight faster. To prevent this, always ensure you take the correct number of calories in your diet and consider increasing the amount of protein intake.

You may experience Reduced Fertility

Fertility mostly depends on hormone levels, which are often affected ted by the number of calories intake one has. For women, eating low calories can negatively affect their ovulation. This is because low calories reduce estrogen levels, which are responsible for ovulation. Reduced fertility is accompanied by symptoms such as irregular or no menstrual cycles. For men, few studies exist to proofing that reduced calorie intake will affect their fertility. Eating calories moderately is vital to ensure that estrogen levels are maintained.

Weak Bones

When you restrict the consumption of calories, you reduce the levels of testosterone and estrogen, which in turn alter bone formation. If you exercise and are on restricted calorie intake, you might have hormonal stress, which can cause bone loss. Deformed bone and bone loss can be very complicated; they are often irreversible.

Bottom Line!

It’s vital to consider taking the correct levels of calories in your meals to avoid experiencing the above health problems. In case you have to consult with your doctor to guide you accordingly.