You never thought the day would come when that plate of spaghetti bolognaise would actually seem unappealing. But we all go through periods where our appetites just disappear. You may not necessarily need that many calories for your daily requirements, but if you aren't eating at all, you need to take some precautionary measures - because you could fall sick.

Here's why you could have lost your appetite:

Stress

If you are undergoing tremendous pressure or feeling depressed, your mind is not able to focus properly. This makes you skip meals unintentionally. Dr Chetan Arora, a Mumbai-based nutritionist, says, "You have to keep stress and food separate or else you will end up looking like a skeleton."

Extra workload

If you are constantly worried about meeting your work deadlines, you may invariably have absolutely no time to even think about eating. Dr Arora says, "You need to make your priorities clear. Set at least 10 minutes in your busy schedule to have a proper lunch."

Smoking

Cigarettes contain high amounts of addictive nicotine. "Nicotine stimulates the brain which is why you immediately feel active. But, nicotine will only provide instant energy for a few minutes. After that, it makes you feel too lethargic to do any kind of activity," says Dr Arora. This is why smokers feel that eating food is a cumbersome task.
Indigestion

"Those who suffer from indigestion problems such as constipation on a regular basis are not able to digest their food properly as their bowels do not function normally," says Dr Jaya Devraj, a nutritionist at Belle Vue Clinic, Mumbai. She adds that such people lose their appetite because their stomachs hurt when they eat solid food.

The weather

A change in weather conditions is accompanied by changes in your mood and your food habits as well. For example, you may like eating rice in winters but as soon as summer approaches, the thought of rice can put you off as it is starchy and heavy on the stomach.

A lack of appetite will not allow you to consume all the essential requirements that your body needs for its functioning. This could also lead to complications such as anorexia. Get a nutritionist to make a diet plan for you and follow it regularly.