Nina Kaufmann

In a world steeped in diet culture, women are constantly taught to shrink themselves – whether through losing weight or inches, pursuing goals that often do more damage than good. Social media is filled with posts about “how to suppress your appetite” or “lose 5 pounds in 2 days,” but this focus ignores the other side of the equation: the dangers of not eating enough food.

What happens when your quest for the “perfect body” starts to affect your health? Or when your busy schedule and endless to-do lists cause you to skip meals despite feeling hungry?

These behaviors often lead to either forgetting to eat or consuming far too little food. Stress, too, can suppress your appetite due to hormonal imbalances. It’s a survival mechanism: when your body perceives danger (like being chased by a bear), digestion becomes less important. However, under normal circumstances, your body needs sufficient food to function properly. Without it, systems like metabolism, digestion, and hormonal balance fall into disarray. Though some of the effects of eating too little might not be immediately obvious, over time, your body will begin to show signs that it’s not getting enough food.

It’s also crucial to remember that our bodies require a healthy amount of fat to function optimally. Ensuring you get enough calories and nutrients is essential for normal bodily processes.

Your body will send you signals when it’s not receiving enough food. These signs vary from person to person, but there are six common signals that many people experience when they need to eat more.

1. Lack of Energy
Feeling sluggish and constantly tired, especially when even getting out of bed seems challenging, is a classic sign that you’re not consuming enough food. And no, coffee is not a substitute for proper nutrition! Calories are energy, and your body needs enough to survive and thrive. Balanced meals are key here – focus on foods rich in protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Incorporate whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes into your diet to ensure your body gets the nutrients it needs for a healthy metabolism and sustained energy levels.

Notice how I said add to your diet – not remove. Nourishing your body is about embracing all the foods you enjoy, not imposing restrictions.

2. Feeling ‘Hangry’
Have you ever found yourself snapping at others when you’re hungry? That’s being ‘hangry.’ Hunger lowers blood sugar, which directly affects your mood and can even cause headaches, migraines, or feelings of weakness.

The solution? Eat regularly to keep your blood sugar stable and avoid those mood swings. Balanced meals, along with regular snacks, help prevent the highs and lows that come with unstable blood sugar.

3. Brain Fog
If you’re constantly forgetting where you left your phone or losing track of what you’re doing, it may be time to head to the fridge. Brain fog can be caused by many factors, including stress, a lack of calories, and unstable blood sugar levels. Regular, balanced meals that provide sufficient energy can improve your focus and productivity. B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants, in particular, are excellent for brain health, so consider adding foods like fish, leafy greens, and nuts into your diet.

4. Feeling Cold
Your body needs energy to generate heat, so if you’re frequently cold for no apparent reason, it might be a sign that you’re not eating enough. In cases of severe malnutrition, such as with eating disorders, the body can produce lanugo—a layer of fine hair—to compensate for the lack of insulating body fat. Thermogenesis, the process of producing heat, becomes difficult without adequate food intake.

5. Brittle Nails and Hair Loss
When you don’t consume enough calories, your body has to prioritize where it uses its energy. Vital organs like your heart, lungs, and brain come first, leaving little energy for non-essential functions like hair and nail growth. If you notice your nails becoming brittle or your hair falling out more than usual, it’s a sign your body isn’t getting enough food – and I do mean food, not just micronutrients. I often see people recommending supplements or specific micronutrients as a solution for hair loss; this might help, but not without getting enough food. Nutrient-dense foods like eggs, fish, spinach, and legumes can support healthier hair, nails, and skin, so add them to your meals if you enjoy them.

6. Missing Periods
While a missed period can result from various factors, like stress and hormonal imbalances, amenorrhea (the absence of menstruation) often occurs in women who don’t have enough body fat. When the body lacks the energy (from food) to function properly, it stops ovulation and menstruation, leading to hormonal imbalances. Just like with hair loss and brittle nails, this happens because body needs to prioritize essential functions; ensuring that the brain, heart, and lungs work properly.

This is especially common among women with disordered eating habits or professional athletes. If you’re interested in learning more about how to care for your hormones without dieting, check out my course Nurturing Female Hormones: Beyond Diets and Restrictions to discover how to nurture your body in harmony with your menstrual cycle.

Conclusion
Tuning into your body’s signals is essential for overall health and well-being. Your body knows exactly what it needs, and it’s your job to listen and respond with care. While it can be challenging to break free from years of diet culture, remember that your body is designed to survive and thrive. Trust it.

And if you need support on your healing journey, you can find loads of resources here, or book a private consultation with me.

Want the Best Support On Your Healing Journey?

If you are tired of feeling stuck in the guilt and shame cycle around food, I would love to support you. Working with me is rooted in intuitive eating and self-compassion, helping you reconnect with your body’s wisdom and find peace with food so that you can achieve true, long-term health!

Book a free discovery call with me and let us explore how you can create a relationship with food that feels calm, joyful, and nourishing.

Together, we’ll:

• Unpack and heal the root causes of your food struggles.
• Gently release the harmful diet rules and beliefs.
• Rebuild your relationship with your body and food.
• Learn health and nutrition tools that actually work for you, not against you.

Clients often tell me they go from obsessing over food and feeling like they “can’t be trusted” to finally enjoying meals again; in peace, in balance, and without guilt. And that’s all I want for you, being able to live a full, happy, healthy life!

Book a free discovery call today, and let’s see how intuitive eating coaching can help you feel more at home in your body; no more diets, guilt, or stress.
I offer different packages so working with me can fit your lifestyle and your budget. Check them out here.

Book Your Free Discovery Call Today

What It Looks Like to Work with Me

Each client’s journey is unique, but here’s a bit of a framework on how we’ll work together:

• Free Discovery Call – No-pressure chat to see if we’re a good fit. No strings attached!
• 1:1 Coaching Sessions – In-depth, 60-90 minute sessions focused on intuitive eating, mindset shifts, and practical strategies, individualized for your specific needs.
• Unlimited Messaging Support – Have questions, concerns or breakthroughs between sessions? I’ve got you covered.
• Workbooks and Practical Exercises – Tools to help you integrate intuitive eating into your daily life; whether we’re talking intuitive eating journals, gentle nutrition guides or coping with your emotions tools!
• Ongoing Guidance and Accountability – Support that flows with your needs, every step of the way. I’m here to listen—while I will offer insights and advice, I recognize that you’re the expert of your body and your experience. Therefore, everything we work through will be centered around your needs.

Or in the words of my client, “Nina helped me change my relationship with food in a way I never thought it could be possible. She gave me life long tools to empower myself and my health.“

Book Your Free Discovery Call Today

Take the first step toward food freedom: my coaching packages start at just 97€!