When discussing BMI, the focus is very often on obesity and the health consequences of it. If the BMI is too low, it is often just smiled at by many people and rarely taken seriously.
However, many sufferers suffer greatly from their underweight and often want nothing more than to gain a few kilos.
Find out if your BMI is too low and learn what you can do about it. Calculate your BMI now!
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When is BMI considered too low?
In a nutshell, BMI describes the ratio of height to 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, being underweight can also have health consequences.
Before we talk about the risks, however, it is important to clarify when someone is considered underweight.
With a healthy BMI between 17.5 and 24, an adult woman is considered to be of normal weight. Anything above that is considered overweight, and anything below that indicates underweight.
Since men usually have a higher proportion of muscle mass, the range for normal weight is shifted upwards by one unit. So, a man is considered to have a normal weight if his BMI is between 18.5 and 25.
You can quickly and easily find out whether your BMI is too low using our BMI calculator.
Underweight according to BMI – a cause for concern?
If your BMI is slightly below the established norm, there is no reason to worry.
The BMI is repeatedly criticized because it ignores some important aspects of 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 thresholds were arbitrarily set.
Underweight is often only considered to be a health risk when it occurs in connection with malnutrition or a dietary deficiency and the body is thus suffering from an inadequate supply of nutrients.
However, if you are severely underweight, you should consult a doctor to clarify the possible health risks of having an excessively low BMI. These include osteoporosis, a weakening of the heart and other organs, and a slower healing process.
In addition, being underweight often results in hormonal changes that can lead to missed periods. The body is also less resilient and recovers less well from infectious diseases.
Being underweight also often has psychological consequences because while our society recognizes obesity as a problem, being underweight is often ridiculed. As a result, those affected often feel that they are not being taken seriously.
Why the BMI is too low
In addition to an improper diet, the most common reasons for being underweight often include illnesses 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 when you burn more calories than you consume.
To check whether you can meet your daily energy needs with your diet, the first step is to find out how high your calorie requirement actually is. It's best to use one of the numerous calorie calculators available on the internet.
The next step is to use a calorie tracking app to document what you eat throughout the day. Keep a diary for a week of everything you eat and then compare the calories you have consumed with your previously calculated daily calorie requirement. Don't forget to also note sports in your app. If the energy balance is negative, this is probably the reason for your being underweight.
You will find a nutrient table on all our VERIVAL products that tells you how many calories your porridge, muesli and the like contain.
Age as a reason for being underweight
Age can also play a role in being underweight. Although the basal metabolic rate decreases with age, older people tend to be underweight rather than overweight.
This is partly because appetite decreases with age. Often, but not always, this loss of appetite is related to medication use or more frequent depression.
Since calorie requirements decrease but nutrient requirements remain the same, older people should take particular care to eat nutrient-rich foods.
Being underweight due to illness
Another reason for a BMI that is too low is various illnesses such as metabolic disorders, mental illnesses or injuries, to name a few examples.
Since the causes of being underweight in this case are very individual, you should definitely consult a doctor. Self-diagnosis and self-treatment are strongly discouraged here.
What you can do about being underweight
If your low BMI is not due to an illness, we have a few tips for you on how you can gain a few kilos in a healthy way.
In the case of an illness, on the other hand, we strongly recommend consulting a doctor.
Eat high-calorie, healthy foods
Unsurprisingly, but very effectively: to gain a few kilos, you should eat high-calorie foods.
However, to avoid just putting on extra fat and instead supplying your body with numerous nutrients, you should make sure to eat healthily.
For example, all types of nuts are among the classics when it comes to healthy, high-calorie foods. They are not only a delicious snack for those little hunger pangs, but also make an excellent addition to our breakfast.
For our delicious sugar-free nut granola recipe, we use lots of different nuts and no refined sugars. This way, you can have a healthy breakfast with a few extra calories in no time.
Make sure you eat regularly
Maybe you're one of those people who tends to forget to eat during a busy day. If that's you, this tip is for you!
It is particularly important for you to eat regularly, so you should plan three to five meals a day into your schedule. Besides breakfast, lunch and dinner, you can easily treat yourself to one or two snacks between meals. It's best to always have healthy snacks with you for this.
