ARE YOU TRYING TO GAIN WEIGHT?
That’s always fun. You can eat all you want… pizzas, lasagna, steaks, and burgers… right? Wrong! Your focus should be on gaining weight in a healthy way. You want more nutrition instead of empty calories. After all, your aim is to increase your weight, NOT your cholesterol. So, how do you do this? Are there healthy weight gain foods you can eat? Turns out, yes! In today’s post, we’re going to talk about the best foods to help you gain weight. Are dry fruits the right choice? Should you eat more nuts and seeds? We'll talk about all of these AND more…
#1 DRIED FRUITS
First on our list of weight gain foods are dried fruits. They’re perfect for weight gain. No empty calories! One way to gain weight is by eating dry fruits. These come packed with calories. Even a handful of dried fruit every day would be enough to help you gain weight. Compared with fresh fruit, dried fruit has a lot less volume. This means you’ll be able to eat a lot more of these fruits. You won’t feel full or stuffed as quickly as you would with fresh fruit. For instance, one cup of grapes gives you about 60 calories. But if you eat a cup of raisins, you get as much as 400! Among the many dried fruits, raisins are the most popular. You could also try other kinds like apples, apricots, and cranberries. If dried fruits made it to our list, nuts, and seeds should definitely follow.
#2 NUTS AND SEEDS
They’re also packed with nutrients and calories. Nuts and seeds come with polyunsaturated fats. These are actually healthy for you, so whatever calories you’re getting won’t be harmful. There are a variety of nuts and seeds for you to choose from. Brazil nuts and pumpkin seeds are quite popular for snacking. You can also choose between pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and sunflower seeds. Cashews and almonds are also great options. The best way to eat these nuts and seeds is by roasting them. You can also sprinkle them on your salads. On top of that, they’re a good addition to yogurts and ice creams.
Not everyone loves eating nuts and seeds, though. If you don’t want to eat nuts by the handful, try nut butter instead. They also pack similar amounts of calories. For instance, just put peanut butter over your bread. One spoon of peanut butter gives you as much as 100 calories. So, eating peanut butter regularly can give you the weight gain you want. Dried fruits, nuts, and seeds are great options. But it’s time you eat something even more tempting. Something that will get your mouth watering.
#3 CHEESY PASTA
We’re talking about cheesy pasta! Pasta is quite possibly one of the most popular foods on the planet. If you’re one of those people who look to pasta as a form of comfort food, then you’re in luck! Pasta is packed with calories and is a great food to help you gain weight. If you cook just two cups of spaghetti, you’ll be eating about 400 calories. Obviously, pasta can’t be eaten plain. You need a sauce to go along with it. Bolognese sauce, for instance, would come with an additional 160 calories per cup. Add a bit of parmesan cheese and you’re putting in 45 more calories. By the time you’re finished with the meal, you’ll have added nearly 600 calories. Pasta even makes a great base for a lot of meals. All you have to do is add a bit of sauce and your meal will be ready.
Pasta is good. But there’s only so much you can eat every day. And you can’t eat it for breakfast, right? So what’s a healthy breakfast option that will also help you put on weight?
#4 AVOCADOS
My choice is avocados! Avocados have become quite popular lately. And rightly so. People have started to realize that it’s actually a superfood that can improve their health. The fruit has made its way into most houses. A lot of folks like eating it in a sandwich. Avocados are packed with monounsaturated fats, which are good for your health. They’re also rich in fiber, vitamins, and potassium. They also pack a good amount of calories. If you eat just one avocado, you would be adding nearly 200 calories. Those calories come with a lot of important nutrients. Eating an avocado every day could literally keep the doctor away in your case! There are other ways you can enjoy avocados apart from eating it as a fruit or putting it in a sandwich. You can make guacamole out of it, and use it as a dip for tortilla chips. You can also use guacamole as part of your tacos and burritos. If you also drink smoothies as part of your diet, avocados can make a good addition to your blender. This is especially true in the case of smoothies that have berries and chocolate. Avocados mix well with them since they only have a mild flavor.
So we solved your breakfast with avocados, and your lunch with some pasta. But what about mid-meal cravings? You need something healthy to eat during snack time. Something that would also contribute to healthy weight gain.
#5 PROTEIN BARS
Well, that’s what protein bars are for… Protein is very important for your body. It’s the building block for muscles. While you’re packing the calories, you should make sure you’re getting the proper amount of protein. One way to do both is through eating protein bars. Go to any fitness section of a grocery store and you’re sure to find them. These bars have become popular among fitness enthusiasts, as they give you the energy and protein required to develop muscles. Obviously, this doesn’t mean you should ignore your meals and only eat protein bars. That wouldn’t help your nutritional requirements. It won’t give you the energy levels you need for the day. There are simply not enough calories in a protein bar to do that.
Protein bars are at best a snack in between meals. They are also eaten before or right after a workout in order to help your muscles recover. Some people prefer drinking a protein shake rather than eating a protein bar. The problem is protein shakes will make you feel full at a faster rate and for a longer duration. You may not gain the weight you want after drinking one.
Not a fan of protein bars for snacks?
#6 BAGELS
Try bagels then. Everybody loves a good bagel. They’re terrific comfort food. You want to have more bread if you’re looking to increase your calorie intake! Not only are bagels delicious, but they also hold more calories than some cereals. When you eat bread and cereal, you’re taking in complex carbohydrates that take a bit longer to be converted into energy. This is why simple sugar foods give you such a rush, as they get converted into energy a lot faster. But breads and cereals are a lot healthier for you. Bagels come with an additional amount of calories that you don’t find in the other breads. If you eat one slice of white bread, you get about 70 calories. Compare that with one small bagel, which gives you 180. The larger bagels you usually get at coffee shops end up giving you as much as 300 calories! You can add to your calorie intake by adding nut butter to your bagels. This nut butter comes with an additional 190 calories. Add any fruit spread to include 50 more calories, taking the total calorie count to nearly 550. People tend to add peanut butter to their bagels. You don’t have to restrict yourself to that. Most nut butter comes with a similar calorie number, such as almond and cashew spreads. I personally love Nutella on bagels. Try that!
Until now, we talked about food and snacks. Everything from dried fruits to bagels, you can help yourself to any one of these delicious weight gain foods. But the oils you’re using to cook your food matter too! If you’re trying to gain healthy weight, go for healthier oils.
#7 HEALTHIER OILS
You may be tempted to add fat to your food for those extra calories. While that might seem like a good idea, you need to be sure it’s good for your health as a whole. This is especially true with the oils you use while cooking your meals. Olive oil is packed with monounsaturated fats. You can use this oil while working with vegetables, pasta, or even bread. It will add some healthy calories to your meal. Canola oil is another healthy oil you can use for cooking. It’s packed with omega-3 fatty acids as well as monounsaturated fats. It’s essentially an all-purpose cooking oil. If you’re looking for something to add as dressing for your salads, walnut and grape seed oils are your best options. They’re also light in flavor, so you won’t be overdoing it on your salad.
#8 GRANOLA
we have granola. It’s both delicious and healthy! Granola is another great way to add calories. The best part is you can make it on your own. All you have to do is combine nuts, dried fruits, whole-grain cereals, and seeds. This can be done in any combination you want. You can have this granola as part of your breakfast. If you want to add flavor to your granola, you can include a few chunks of dark chocolate. Peanut butter chips will also do the trick. Keeping granola handy can also make for a good snack in between meals.
You can nibble at that rather than eat bigger snacks. Gaining weight by eating only healthy foods can be a challenge. Believe it or not, men and women are affected by this differently. Let’s keep the conversation going with a couple more healthy food posts, shall we? Here’s what you need to know… You can read our posts on 9 TOP Foods You Need To Eat If You're A Woman Between 20-40s Or 8 Foods To Avoid For The Flat Belly You've Always Dreamed Of Go ahead, and click one. Or better yet, read both, and learn more about your health and nutrition.
Do you already eat these foods? Let us know in the comments below!
The information I provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. You should never use content in my writing as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or another qualified clinician. Please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if indicated for medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information in this blog. Thank you.