Eating is important as you come into life. When in mother’s womb fetus eat via mother’s diet and then as soon as baby is born it feeds on mother’s milk.
Process of eating continues from breastfeeding to weaning diet and then regular solid foods. Why is eating so important?
Or What will happen if you stopped eating? For all these question answer is, your body will go into starvation mode. Is starvation mode really dangerous?
May be if the body is not directed in the right way. If your body goes in to starvation mode very often then your body processes change drastically and it then it allows and makes your body habituated to survive on on much less nutrition as compared to adequate nutrition.
During this process of starvation it is very important that you keep your body hydrated with the help of plenty of fluids and water.
Body needs energy to sustain and to do it’s daily activity. This energy comes from food we eat. Food is fuel or say power supplier to the body.
Whatever extra food we have eaten is stored in body’s reservoir. So when you fast these reservoirs are broken down and energy is released. But if you fats for more than 6 hours, this is what happens to your body:
What will happen if you stop eating?
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After 6 hours of eating: You start feeling hungry after 6 hours of fast, as your body has already broken down all the food into glucose to supply energy to the various metabolic process of the body.
After 6 hours the glycogen start running out is the time when the Hunger Kicks in. Being hungry is the combination of being hungry and irrational anger.
This leads to fights with your loved ones or people around you. This happens because your brain runs out of energy and is unable to make good and wise decisions.
After 20hrs of fasting: At this stage your body will start producing ketone bodies which are produced from the breakdown of stored fat in the body. These ketone bodies are used to supply energy. Brain will use only glucose from rest of the sources.
3days of fasting: At this stage there is production of more ketone bodies. Nearly 30% of energy supplied to the body is via ketones.
4 days of Fasting: Now body is using ketones for 70% of its energy.
After 3 weeks of fasting: Now almost all the nutritional reservoirs are depleted. At this stage protein will be broken down to supply energy. Proteins are muscles of your body. So that means muscle wasting begins now. You will start loosing you muscle mass and starting loosing weight drastically and in very unhealthy way. You immune system will start falling down, metabolism.
Further more there are various system in the body which are disturbed. So we say 7 meals a day is very important.
Your body uses food as fuel to keep all the important organs and cells in your body running well. When you don’t eat, your body doesn’t get the fuel it needs and your organs and body parts can suffer as we discussed earlier.
The Heart & Circulation: heart muscle is capable of shrinking and can weaken when you don’t eat. This can create irregular heartbeats and circulation problems. Blood pressure can get very low during starvation and make you feel dizzy when you stand up.
The Stomach: Your stomach becomes smaller when you don’t eat so when you start eating again, your stomach is likely to feel uncomfortable (you may have stomach aches and/or gas). Also, your stomach will not empty as fast making you feel full longer.
The Intestines: There are changes in your bowel movements. Your intestines will move food slowly often resulting in constipation and/or stomach aches or cramps when you eat meals.
The Brain: It would be difficult to do any work which involves lots of thinking and concentration. Your brain, which controls the rest of your body’s functions, does not work properly without food. It will also make you feel sad and anxious.
Body Cells: The balance of electrolytes in the blood can be changed with malnutrition or with purging. Without food, the amount of potassium and phosphorous can get dangerously low which can cause problems with your muscles, changes in your brain functioning, and cause life-threatening heart and rhythm problems.
Bones: When you don’t eat, your bones often become weak due to low calcium and low hormone levels, which increases your risk of getting broken bones now and developing weak bones when you’re older.
Skin: Your skin becomes dry when your body is not well hydrated and when it does not get enough vitamins and minerals from food.
Hair: When your hair doesn’t get enough nourishment from the vitamins and minerals that are naturally found in healthy food, it becomes dry, thin and it can even fall out.
Nails: Your nails require nutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals from your diet. When you don’t eat, you deny your body what it needs and your nails become dry and brittle and break easily.
Teeth: Your teeth need vitamin D and calcium from food sources. Without both of these minerals, you can end up with dental problems such as tooth decay and gum disease. Purging can also destroy tooth enamel.
So in order to loose weight or feel lighter do not let your body starve of energy and water. Supply your body with enough energy to carry out its daily metabolic and basic process in body. This will help you to maintain good health.
Incase you keen to loose weight approach a Registered Dietitian (RD) who can help you to reach you desired goal.
For weight management you can enroll with us. Mail us on info@nutrichoice4u.com.
We will guide you ahead with desired goal and guarantee and commitment, if there is equal commitment form your side. We will be happy to help you.
RD Neha Kava
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Mam
Can starvation in long run result in type 1 diabetes
Hello Sanchit,
Type 1 diabetes is since birth. Type 2 diabetes is something which you can invite. Do not starve yourself in any case. There are many other problems like acidity, heart burn, acid reflux, constipation etc due to starvation.
regards