We live in a world where more than the thoughts, behaviors, and gestures it is our appearance that reflects our personality. As they say, if you are Thin, you are IN! Therefore, people tend to worry a lot about their looks and turn to unhealthy ways of keeping their bodies in shape. The quest to lose weight entails turning to drastic measures like intermittent fasting and cutting calories from the daily diet, consuming low-carb or even no-carb meals, and refraining from eating protein-rich foods. This leads to the development of protein deficiency in our body.

Not many people are aware that protein is an essential building block for our muscles and a vital micronutrient for our optimal well-being. Nutritionists suggest that one must consume at least 20gms of protein with every meal. Any lesser amount than this would lead to causing lack of protein. Remember that protein deficiency doesn’t happen overnight; several signs hint at the onset of protein deficiency. Check out all those red flags that indicate your body needs more protein.

You Don’t Lose Weight Despite Regular Workouts

If you workout regularly and still don’t see any changes in your weight, it indicates protein deficiency. What happens is that weight lifting breaks down muscle fibers. If you don’t consume a protein-packed meal right after working out, you miss out on the most critical refueling process. So, all you end up with after an intense workout session is broken down muscles. Protein is necessary to repair the muscle fibers and make them stronger, whereas a lack of protein leads to muscle loss. Therefore, you don’t observe any changes in your weight.

You can’t Help Craving for Carbs and Sugar

Research suggests that a protein-rich diet generates feelings of fullness and prevents ill-timed hunger pangs. So, if you consume a meal that lacks enough protein, you’ll feel unsatisfied. Naturally, you’ll reach out to fatty and sugary foods to feel satiated. That’s not the case when you include enough proteins in your diet because it balances things, prevents cravings, and keeps you satisfied. You can choose between sirloin steak, wild-caught fish, chicken breasts, and ground turkey.

Your Skin Becomes Flaky and Dry

If you feel that your usually soft, glowing, and plump skin suddenly feels flaky and dry, it means you aren’t consuming enough protein. Since proteins are vital for our hair, skin, and nails’ growth, lack of protein in our body affects their health tremendously. Therefore, your skin becomes drier, and your nails get brittle. Even your hair will start falling out if you don’t address the issue immediately.

You Feel Hungry Often

Whether deliberately or unintentionally, if your diet includes more carbs and fewer proteins, you are likely to get hungry sooner than you expect. It happens because carbohydrates are digested quickly, whereas proteins take longer. Hence, if you have milk and cereal in the morning, this will raise the blood sugar levels for a while, and then it will go down quickly, making you feel hungry just after one hour. You would want to consume more carbohydrates to feel energetic and active. Don’t make this mistake. Try to eat a balanced diet comprising all essential nutrients, such as proteins, carbs, and fat. Ideally, your meal should contain 40% protein, 30% fat, and 30% carbohydrates.

You feel Lethargic and Tired All Day Long

One of the worst outcomes of protein deficiency in your body is that it affects your ability to focus and stay active. Your brain gets all foggy, and this causes feelings of laziness and lethargy. Proteins make you feel alert and energetic, while carbohydrates make you sleepy and lazy. The same symptoms occur when you develop iron deficiency, a condition known as anemia. Anemia also causes extreme fatigue and loss of energy. So, ideally, you should incorporate foods rich in both protein and iron. Beans, ground beef, quinoa, and chicken liver are some of the best options.

You start Losing Hair

When your body doesn’t get enough protein from the daily diet, everything from our skin to hair, and muscles to nails cry for help. One of the main warning signs of protein deficiency is thinning of hair. If you feel that your ponytail is getting lighter, do think about increasing your protein intake. Basically, for healthy hair, skin, and nails, our body needs essential amino acids, which are abundant in foods that offer complete proteins such as salmon, beef, or other types of meat. However, if you don’t like to eat meat, many plant-based foods provide complete protein. For your information, complete proteins are those that contain all nine essential amino acids. These are nutrients that our body cannot produce itself and must be taken from food sources.

You Struggle to Lose Weight

It is possible that you weigh less but actually not lose even a single pound. It happens when there is a lack of protein in your daily diet. To lose weight, we tend to exercise and exert a lot, which causes muscle mass loss instead of fat loss. As you age, you gradually lose lean muscle mass. Eating a protein-packed meal is, therefore, essential. If you want to preserve the hard-earned muscle mass, pile up on protein, and avoid empty calories from processed and sugary foods.

You Experience Mood Swings

Protein is a potent mood enhancer; it boosts your mood by providing our body with the essential amino acids that produce serotonin and dopamine. These are two highly significant mood-enhancing neurotransmitters. When you don’t consume enough protein, the body doesn’t produce serotonin and dopamine, which causes mood swings, depression, and anxiety.

You Bloat a Lot

Despite not consuming bloat-inducing foods and beverages if you still feel that your belly, legs, or ankles stay bloated more often now than ever before, this is a clear sign of protein deficiency. Remember that protein is crucial for maintaining a balance between fluids both inside and outside of your body cells. When protein is insufficient, this balance is lost. If you want to regain the lost balance, switch to a protein-packed diet. Switch to chocolate protein powder instead of cocoa powder and Greek yogurt instead of sour cream in baked goods.

You Frequently Fall Sick

If you catch a cold a lot more frequently or feel sick more often, you have developed protein and zinc deficiency. Protein is a powerhouse of nutrition and antibodies. It can easily fend off infections and illnesses simply by boosting your immune system. Similarly, zinc helps in fighting viral infections and has incredible germ-fighting properties. Your diet must include foods rich in protein and zinc. For example, have strawberry, and mango smoothie with Greek yogurt is an excellent option.