Skipping A Meal - Can It Be Hazardous To Your Health?

In the race of getting to work on time, finishing files and completing all the tasks on your to-do list, eating is sometimes given the last priority. You may think that skipping a meal does no harm, but in fact it can have quite a detrimental effect on your physical and mental health.

Here are a few things that may happen when you skip a meal

You lose muscle weight: While skipping a meal may make you lose weight, this is not healthy weight loss. Skipping a meal makes the body lose muscle weight not fat. Losing muscle weight can, in turn, lead to a loss of energy and make you tire easily.

1. You will crave junk food: When you skip a meal, your body craves for fillers and snacks. Thus, you are more likely to binge on chips and other such unhealthy snacks. In the long run, this can make you put on weight. It can also make you eat more for your next meal.
2. You may be less productive: Skipping a meal can make you slowdown in terms of time taken to make decisions. It can also make you physically unsteady and leave you feeling lethargic thus, making you less productive. Not eating at regular times can also make you moody and affect your ability to concentrate on tasks.
3. Your metabolism is affected: Skipping a meal may put your body into starvation mode so as to store energy. Not only does this slow down your rate of metabolism and leave you with less energy, it can also lead to weight gain as the calories are stored as fat instead of being burnt as energy.
4. It can increase your risk of lifestyle diseases: Skipping a meal can make your blood sugar levels drop. Not having breakfast or lunch can also make you eat a heavier dinner that elevates your sugar levels. This type of fluctuation can affect your body’s insulin response time and lead to diabetes in the long run. Skipping meals can also lead to high blood pressure and hypertension.

It can cause indigestion: Stomach upsets like gas, bloating, acidity, pain etc are very often caused by skipping a meal. This is because when you skip a meal, the stomach is left empty for a long time leading to a build-up of gastric acids in the stomach. This acid then attacks the lining of the stomach causing ulcers and abdominal pain.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!