In discussions around BMI , the focus is often on obesity and its health consequences. If the BMI is too low, many people tend to laugh at it tiredly and rarely take it seriously.
However, many individuals are very underweight and often want nothing more than to gain a few kilos.
Find out if your BMI is too low and what you can do about it. Calculate BMI now!
When the BMI is considered too low
In short, BMI describes the ratio of height and weight and, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), serves as an indicator of certain health risks and diseases.
Although the focus is clearly on diseases that can be attributed to obesity, underweight can also have health consequences.
Before we discuss the risks, however, it is first necessary to clarify when you are considered underweight.
With a healthy BMI between 17.5 and 24 , an adult woman is considered normal weight . Anything above this is considered overweight and any value below it indicates underweight.
Since men usually have a higher proportion of muscle mass, the range for normal weight is shifted upward by one unit. Normal weight is considered for men if the BMI is between 18.5 and 25 .
You can quickly and easily find out whether your BMI is too low with our BMI calculator .
Underweight according to BMI – a cause for concern?
If your BMI is slightly below the established norm, this is by no means a cause for concern.
Again and again, the BMI is under fire , as it ignores some important aspects for a healthy body. For example, neither the ratio of muscle and fat mass nor the physique are taken into account in the formula. It is also often criticized that the limit values were set arbitrarily .
Underweight is often considered a health hazard only if it occurs in connection with malnutrition or malnutrition and the body thus suffers from a lack of nutrients.
In the case of severe underweight , however, a doctor should be consulted in order to clarify possible health risks associated with a low BMI. The consequences include, for example, osteoporosis, a weakening of the heart and other organs, or a poorer healing process.
In addition, being underweight often involves hormonal changes that can lead to the absence of menstruation. The body is also less resilient and does not recover well from infectious diseases.
Underweight also often has psychological consequences , because while our society recognizes obesity as a problem, underweight is often laughed at. Affected individuals often do not feel taken seriously.
Why the BMI is too low
In addition to an incorrect diet , the most common reasons for being underweight often include diseases or metabolic disorders .
We will discuss a few of the most common reasons in more detail below:
A negative energy balance
A low BMI can occur if you burn more calories than you consume.
In order to check whether you can meet your daily energy needs with your diet, it is first necessary to find out what your calorie requirements are. It's best to use one of the numerous calorie calculators on the Internet.
The next step is to use a calorie tracking app to document what you eat throughout the day. Keep a diary of everything you eat for a week, then compare the calories you take in to your previously calculated daily intake. Don't forget to include exercise in your app . If the energy balance is negative , this is probably the reason for your underweight .
On all our VERIVAL products you will find a nutritional table that provides information about how many calories your porridge, cereal and similar products have.
Age as a reason for underweight
Age can also play a role in underweight. Although the basal metabolic rate decreases with age, older individuals tend to be underweight rather than overweight.
This is partly due to the fact that the appetite decreases with age . Often, but not always, this loss of appetite is related to medication or more frequent depression .
Since the calorie requirement decreases, but the nutrient requirement remains the same, older individuals should pay particular attention to consuming nutrient-rich foods.
Underweight due to illness
Another reason for a low BMI is various diseases such as metabolic diseases, mental health conditions or injuries, to name a few examples.
Since the causes of underweight in this case are very individual, a doctor should definitely be consulted. Self-diagnosis and treatment is strongly discouraged in this context.
What you can do about being underweight
Unless your low BMI is due to an illness, we have some tips for you on how to gain a few pounds in a healthy way.
In the case of illness , however, we strongly recommend consulting a doctor.
Eat high-calorie but healthy foods
Not surprisingly, but very effective: To gain a few kilos, you should eat high-calorie foods .
However, to avoid just gaining unwanted fat and instead keeping your body supplied with numerous nutrients , you should ensure that you are eating healthily.
The classics among healthy, high-calorie foods include, for example, all types of nuts . They are not only suitable as a tasty snack for hunger pangs, but also work excellently in our breakfast.
For our delicious sugar-free nut granola recipe , we use a variety of nuts and skip industrial sugar. This will give you a healthy breakfast packed with a few extra calories in no time.
Granola Basic Recipe – Sugar Free Nut Granola
Ingredients
- 30 g Brazil nuts
- 20 g hazelnuts
- 20 g cashews
- 20 g walnuts
- 20 g pecans
- 50 g spelt flakes
- 1 tablespoon crushed flaxseed
- 2 tbsp amaranth pops
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp agave syrup (if needed)
- 1 tbsp almond sauce
Preparation
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First, preheat your oven to 150 degrees convection.
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Then put all the nuts on a board and chop them up a bit with a knife.
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Then put the nuts in a bowl and add the flaxseeds, the amaranth pops, and the spelt flakes.
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Next, mix all the ingredients together and add the agave syrup and liquid coconut oil.
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Mix all the ingredients well and then spread the nut granola on a baking tray.
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Put the granola in the oven for about 40 minutes and stir a little every 10 minutes.
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After the baking time, take the granola out of the oven and let it cool down briefly. You can then enjoy it right away or store it in an airtight container.
Pay attention to regular meals
Perhaps you are one of those people who tend to forget to eat in stressful everyday life . If that's true for you, this tip is for you!
For you, eating regularly is particularly important, so you should plan 3-5 meals a day into your daily routine. In addition to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you can treat yourself to one or two snacks . It's best to always have healthy snacks with you.
