From fatigue to acne and depression…9 signs you need to eat MORE

NO matter how healthy you think you are eating, if you aren't eating enough it can be bad for your health.

Our bodies need food to run properly and if they aren't getting enough fuel then you're going to be faced with a few health issues.

While we all know eating too much is bad for us, leading to obesity and obesity-related disease, not eating enough can be just as bad.

Undereating and being underweight can cause osteoporosis and bone fractures, a weakened immune system, infertility, malnutrition, anaemia and much more.

It will also have an impact on your day-to-day health before causing any long-term illness.

Here's 9 signs your not eating enough...

1. Fatigue

If you're not eating enough one of the most common symptoms is fatigue.

In a nutshell, your body gets its energy from calories and if you're not eating enough calories you won't have enough energy.

Your body needs a certain amount of calories every day to maintain your size, metabolism and physical activity levels.

Not eating all your calories will leave you feeling physically tired, mentally drained and your ability to play sport  and perform physical tasks will drop.

2. Acne

You are what you eat, as the saying goes.

If you're not getting enough nutrients, like vitamin E, it can cause skin problems.

Vitamin E protects your skin from inflammation and UV exposure, so without it you're more likely to get sun burnt and suffer from inflammatory problems like acne.

You should also make sure you're eating enough vitamin B3.

3. Depression and anxiety

Undereating is not the sole cause of mental health problems like depression and anxiety, but it is linked.

In a study of more than 2,500 Australian teens some 62 per cent of those who were "extreme dieters" had high levels of depression and anxiety.

Another study of 67 obese adults found that when their usual high calorie diet was switched to a low calorie diet they were more likely to report being anxious and depressed.

If you are trying to lose weight make sure you eat plenty of fatty fish like salmon to boost your omega 3 levels, which is thought to help ward off mental illness.

4. Frequent illness

Are you someone that always seems to get ill? You may want to look at your diet.

As mentioned above, your body needs a certain number of calories each day to function and maintain your metabolism.

Those calories are also needed to maintain a healthy immune system.

Once you start cutting back calories your immune system struggles to work as efficiently, meaning you are more likely to get ill.

5. Hair loss

It's normal to lose a few strands of hair every day, but losing large amounts isn't normal.

There's many nutrients that are needed to maintain healthy hair growth, things like protein, iron and biotin.

Not eating enough calories and not consuming enough of these nutrients can lead to hair loss.

When you're not eating enough your body will prioritise the calories it gets to maintain the health of your vital organs like your heart and brain, so your hair missed out.

6. Infertility

By now you can probably guess why not eating enough can cause infertility.

As mentioned, when your body isn't getting enough nutrition, it prioritises where calories need to be spent.

Unfortunately that means that your reproductive organs can miss out, leading to difficulty conceiving.

Your sex hormone production can become limited, which means your desire to have sex drops and your body isn't at its prime for having children.

Women may also notice a change in their menstrual cycle.

7. Constantly feeling cold

Something else that requires calories to be maintained is your body temperature.

If you don't eat enough your body can't keep you warm enough, so you constantly feel cold.

A six-year study of 72 adults who consumed less calories found they had a significantly lower body temperature than those who ate more.

In another study of 15 obese women levels of a thyroid hormone responsible for body temperature dropped during a period of eating 400 calories per day.

8. Constipation

If you aren't consuming much food then you won't have much waste to poop out.

If you have constipation you will experience fewer bowel movements than normal, pain in the abdomen, hard and lumpy stools and bloating.

When you don't eat enough your body doesn't have enough food to convert into waste, which can lead to constipation.

Several studies have found that constipation occurs more frequently in people who don't consume enough calories.

9. Irritability

Yes, being hangry is a thing.

When we are hungry it triggers a hormonal response in your body, which can cause you to become a bit more irritable, new research suggests.

So if you're not eating enough you are more likely to be annoyed because of the constant hunger.

Hunger causes a spike in our cortisol - also known as the stress hormone - and adrenaline levels, responsible for the our "fight or flight" response.

Research has also found that hunger causes a spike in neuropeptide Y, which is connected to feelings of aggression.

Undereating can leave you feeling all of these things.

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