Did you know restricting calories may be harmful for your health? – Times of India

The desire to stay in shape can even make you move mountains! From rigorous workouts to opting for starving diets to going for numerous health supplements, we try every possible thing to stay fit and healthy. One thing that we all follow regardless of how we choose to lose weight is managing the calories, call it a fad or a mandate to lose weight; Have you ever wondered how this calorie restriction is affecting your health? Is it good or bad?

The idea of losing weight by going for calorie restriction may seem easy but this may leave you drained and leave you with nutrient deficiencies. Heres all you need to know before you cut down on your calories.

You may have heard that dieting increases your metabolic rate and helps in improving digestion, but you would be surprised to know that reducing your calorie intake may end up affecting your metabolism in the long run. According to a few studies, a regular low calorie intake may slow down your metabolism. Although it helps in losing weight and muscle mass faster, at the same time the calorie restricted diet may also lead to low levels of energy and this also leads to a sharp increase in weight once you are off the calorie restricted diet.

The idea of losing weight and restricting calories go-hand-in-hand, no wonder these calorie restrictions help in losing weight effectively, but at the same time this may leave you with a feeling of energy deficit. Regular low calorie intake may create an imbalance in iron, folate or vitamin B12 levels, which may further lead to fatigue and several ailments like anemia,etc.

Thus, while chalking out your diet make sure, you add every nutrient to manage weight effectively and avert deficiencies. Make sure you eat a balanced diet with a healthy intake of proteins, carbs, healthy fats to name a few!

Yes, this might freak you out but your diet may affect your reproductive health. Regular intake of low calorie may negatively impact your fertility. This directly affects the ovulation cycles and hormonal levels among women. Restricted calorie intake also impacts the menstrual cycles, bone health and suppresses reproductive health by affecting the estrogen and testosterone levels.

Yes, reducing your calorie intake may affect your bone health. This is because low calorie intake affects the estrogen and testosterone levels, this further affects the formation and strengthening of bones. So a regular low calorie diet will affect your bones and also create a deficit of vitamin D.

One thing that you can really feel after following a low calorie diet is that your body becomes more prone to ailments, this is because a low calorie diet directly affects your immunity. However, it also depends on your overall health, age and weight, commonly prolonged intake of less calories may affect your immune system.

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Did you know restricting calories may be harmful for your health? - Times of India