Calories should not be restricted below healthy levels, but when you restrict your calorie intake to healthy amounts, you can see beneficial results. Calories keep you supplied with energy and help your body remain in balance and properly functioning. Therefore, eating too few calories -- as often happens in people who experience anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder that strictly restricts the amount of calories a person can eat -- can result in serious risks to health and even an untimely death.
Healthy Weight
Weight gain is caused by consuming more calories than you burn each day. Therefore, restricting the amount of calories you eat to fewer than the amount you burn will result in weight loss. If you are already at a healthy weight, restricting your calorie intake will help you maintain the healthy weight.
Better Diet
To restrict your calorie intake in a healthy way, begin eating more foods that are rich in nutrients. These foods are often low in calories but contain a significant amount of fiber, which causes you to feel full more quickly on fewer calories and remain full longer. To engage in calorie restriction without feeling hungry, add fiber-dense foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains to your diet. This means that your diet will become more well-rounded and healthier.
Prevent Diseases
Obesity occurs when you consume more calorie than you burn. All foods contain calories, and when you eat too much, you can put on weight. Over time, continuous weight gain can result in obesity. Being overweight can be challenging for daily functioning, but it can also have significant consequences on a person's overall health. According to the Obesity in America website, obesity can result in type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome and sexual dysfunction in men. Therefore, restricting your calorie intake to healthy levels can help you ward off obesity and many of the related health problems.
Longer Lifespan
There has been evidence found in studies with rodents that calorie restriction will result in a longer lifespan. It is believed that these effects will translate into the human population, according to MayoClinic.com. To eat a calorie-restricted diet, you will probably need to eat 20 to 30 percent fewer calories. The long lifespan may result from the reduced risk of chronic diseases that often occur when you constantly overeat, says MayoClinic.com
Lower Cost
If you restrict your calorie intake, you will be eating less food and especially fewer prepackaged foods. Eating less will result in buying less food, which will cause you to spend less money on your food. Even if you are buying more nutritious foods, the amounts you spend will still be less.
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