What happens to your body when you don’t eat enough protein

These four scary side effects could stem from a lack of protein in your diet. Here’s what to do about it.

Key Points

• Dietary protein is an essential building block for muscles, cartilage, skin and bones.
• Not eating enough protein can weaken your immunity, and you may be less satisfied after meals.
• Include more dietary protein by eating meat, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, eggs and dairy.

Protein is essential for a healthy diet. This macronutrient makes up the major component of our cells and provides the essential amino acids that keep our bodies up and running. It’s one of the main building blocks of bones, muscles, cartilage and skin. Protein also helps to supply our bodies with vital nutrients and aids in digestion by producing enzymes that help to break down food into molecules for a wide range of bodily functions. There’s a strong demand for protein bars and protein powders, but most of your protein should be coming from whole foods, if possible.

Men and women should consume a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein daily for every kilogram of body weight, and ideally more—1.2 to 1.6 g/kg, especially if you are working to build muscle or have weight loss goals. Here’s what happens when you’re not getting enough.

Your Muscle Mass May Decrease

Quality protein intake is essential for not just building new muscle, but for maintaining the muscle you already have. Not eating enough protein to maintain what you already have could lead to muscle loss, which leads to a decrease in strength and function. Each day, you should work to have a variety of protein foods in your diet to ensure you have all nine essential amino acids, including leucine, which helps stimulate muscle protein synthesis.

You May Be at Increased Risk for Stress Fractures

Besides calcium, our bones also need protein. Bones undergo continuous restoration, and because of this, we need an adequate supply of protein to support this process. When we aren’t getting enough protein to fuel our vital organs, our bodies start to borrow protein from other areas, which includes that stored in our skeletal muscle tissue. Without strong skeletal muscle tissue, our bones are more susceptible to injuries like fractures.

Your Immune System May Become Weaker

Most people may not realize this, but protein supports immunity by helping to build a healthy immune system, both innate and adaptive immunity. Protein is one of the building blocks of antibodies, which are produced by the body’s immune system to help fight off bacteria and viruses. Without these antibodies, bacteria and viruses would be free to roam and infect your body with diseases.

You May Not Feel Satiated After Meals

Feeling hungry after you’ve eaten a meal? It may be due to a lack of protein at mealtime. If you don’t eat enough protein, you may notice that you feel unsatisfied after meals and tend to get hungrier throughout the day. Studies show that consuming an adequate amount of protein can increase the release of an appetite-regulating hormones, therefore keeping you fuller longer.

3 Ways to Enjoy Protein During the Day

If you’ve been told to increase your protein, or you’re just working to get more protein foods in your diet, there are a lot of ways to go about it. Try one of these tips when you’re feeling stuck:

• Start your day strong: Breakfast can be the hardest meal to get in good quality protein, and we’re not talking bacon and sausage. Eggs are a common breakfast staple, but yogurt, cottage cheese, smoothies and even leftovers from the night before can all help bump up your protein in the morning.
• Plant-based protein counts: Some plant foods are complete proteins, like quinoa, soy and pistachios, but for those plant foods that aren’t, their protein still counts. As long as you’re getting a variety of protein foods (amino acids) throughout the day, it usually balances itself out.
• High-protein snacking: If you’re snacking, you should be including protein. Cheese sticks, peanut butter and apples, crispy chickpeas and yogurt are all great ideas to get in at least 10 grams of protein with your snacks.

Our Expert Take

Protein has many important roles in the body. It’s one of the main building blocks of bones, muscles, cartilage and skin, and it helps to supply our bodies with vital nutrients. Without an adequate amount of protein, you may be prone to stress fractures, brittle hair and nails, a weakened immune system and feeling unsatisfied after meals. To prevent this from happening, be sure to get consume an adequate amount of protein daily. Check out our healthy high-protein recipes for delicious meal inspo!

Frequently asked Questions

Are protein supplements ok?

It’s always better to get your protein from whole foods, but protein supplements, like shakes, powders and bars, can help fill in the gaps when you’re not able to eat enough.

What should I do if I think I have a protein deficiency?

If you have symptoms of a protein deficiency, it’s best to see a primary care provider or a registered dietitian for evaluation. They will help you plan a path forward to correct your protein deficiency or to ensure that there are not other issues to be addressed.

Which type of protein foods are the best?

There is no “best” type of protein. Both animal and plant foods provide protein; however animal foods, such as fish, chicken and beef will have more protein per ounce. Some plant-based proteins have the added bonus of fiber and phytonutrients in foods such as beans, nuts and seeds. Eating a variety of protein foods in the diet will ensure you have a healthy balance of all amino acids.

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