If you've spent time on Instagram scrolling through health and fitness posts, you may have noticed the hashtag "clean eating" paired with everything from fruits and veggies to high-protein smoothies, with a few workout shots in between. Clean eating (CE) has grown in popularity due to its enormous health benefits, which allow people to detox while treating problems like  type-2 diabetes and obesity. However, if you are on the way to eating clean, be mentally prepared, as consuming clean foods often leads to unexpected pitfalls. So if you are new to dieting or eating clean for a while, here's what happens when you start eating clean and the side effects it comes with, which often gets unnoticed.

What happens when you start eating clean?

When you subscribe to a clean eating lifestyle, you often cut on carbs and healthy fats and consume mostly lean protein. The problem with cutting down on carbs is that they are your body's primary source of energy, so you often feel tired, and certain bodily functions are affected. Moreover, eating healthy fats boosts metabolism, while eliminating fats from your diet slows it down.

Unnoticed side effects of clean eating include:

1. Constipation

When you are on a mission to eat clean, your calorie intake for the day automatically decreases, resulting in difficult bowel movements. Why this happens because cutting calories shock your digestive system, and it takes time to adjust to such low calories. So the best approach is to begin by eliminating one meal and then gradually transitioning to a CE lifestyle.

2. Muscle loss

Muscle building is a slow process, requiring you to eat in a calorie surplus, train four times a week and rest properly. However, when you eat clean, you frequently eat less, resulting in a calorie deficit. Your weight may also change, and you may believe that eating clean is beneficial, but in reality, you are losing muscle rather than fat. When you lose muscle, your body begins to store more fat, and your workout performance suffers as a result.

3. Mood swings

When you follow a low-carb diet, you may not be getting enough carbohydrates to produce serotonin, a brain chemical that helps regulate mood. A person may also experience difficulty focusing on a task and have brain fog. However, because serotonin is also linked to sleep, your sleep cycle may also suffer.

4. Frequent cravings

This is a common symptom in people who follow a low-calorie diet. If you have been eating 2,000 calories per day and suddenly reduce it to 1,000, your body will experience a shock. So, even if you eat enough fruits and veggies, you will still be hungry because your body is not used to consuming so few calories. That’s whySo, it's best to gradually reduce your calorie intake by 200 calories per week.

5. Nutritional deficiency

Each food has its own set of advantages, and when you restrict your diet to a few foods and stop eating enough, your body does not receive enough nutrients. Moreover, you begin to suffer injuries and bodily pains, which is your body's way of alerting you that certain vitamins and minerals are deficient.