How to gain weight
Be it weight loss or weight gain, eating healthy foods is important. For most individuals, the focus has always been on weight loss, but what is important is maintaining a healthy weight. A wholesome diet can provide you with many benefits, keeping you physically and mentally fit. Healthy eating doesn’t mean compromising your daily food intake or restricting yourself from eating your favourite treats. It means you need to have a balanced diet and opt for foods rich in nutrients as opposed to those that offer zero nutrients (for example, fast foods or processed foods).
If you are underweight or are advised to gain weight, then here are some tips on how to gain weight naturally. This list of healthy foods to gain weight can also help boost your general health and well-being.
Food to Gain Weight for Females
Females are structured differently than men. Also, their metabolic activity is different. So, a diet plan to gain weight must be formulated accordingly. A weight gain meal plan for females must include these foods:
1.Whole Milk: Milk is a rich source of fat, carbohydrates, and proteins. It provides ample quantities of vitamins and minerals. Drinking at least 2 glasses of whole milk or full-cream milk will not just help you gain weight but also provide the required nutrition to make your diet healthy and balanced.
2. Dried Fruits: Dried fruits are rich in nutrients and are packed with calories. Being energy-dense and naturally high in sugars, they feature in the list of healthy ways to gain weight in females.
3. White Rice: In India, rice is rated as a staple food. Thus, it is part of most Indian diets. But the type of rice that is consumed makes all the difference. Go for white rice if you want to add a few kilos. White rice is the result of refining. The fibre from the grain is removed during the refining process which increases its glycemic index. This leads to a quicker breakdown of sugar in the body, releasing sugar instantly into the bloodstream which is helpful in weight gain.
4. Red Meat: Red meat plays a significant role in building muscle and gaining weight. Steak, sliced from the fleshy part of beef, is rich in leucine and creatine. Also, they contain both proteins and fat. These nutrients are known to increase muscle mass.
5.Dark Chocolates: Dark chocolates are rich in calories as well as fats and have added sugar, all contributing to weight gain.
6. Whole Grain Cereals: Whole grain cereals have high amounts of unsaturated fats which provide healthy calories and the essential carbohydrates required to gain weight quickly. They are fortified with minerals and vitamins and are rich in fibre and antioxidants which are good for the body.
7. Cheese: Cheese is a rich source of fat and calories. Also, protein and calcium are packed in ample quantities. So, if you are looking to add a few kilos, get a hand on full-fat cheese.
8. Butter: Butter is rich in calories. Each tablespoon contains about 102 calories. Thus, it is a wonder food to gain weight for females. In addition to using it generously while cooking food, add one tablespoon of sugar to a tablespoon of butter. Eat it twice daily post meals.
9. Olive Oil: Olive oil is a healthy fat when it comes to weight gain. You can use it as a medium of cooking or as a salad dressing to enjoy its benefits.
10. Peanut Butter: Peanuts are a rich source of fatty acids, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. A tablespoon of peanut butter provides almost 90 calories which help you gain weight easily. Also, being nutritionally dense, they act as a constant source of energy.3
11. Potatoes and Starch: Starchy foods like potatoes, oats, cornstarch, legumes, etc. are a source of extra calories which help in easy and quick weight gain. Go for baked and grilled potatoes to boiled ones as baking and grilling keep the carbohydrate content intact. Just add butter to add taste and calories.
12. Dates: Dates are a good source of iron and dietary fibre. They are high in sugar. Eating a handful of dates every day is one of the healthy ways to gain weight in females.
13. Ginger: Including ginger in your daily diet can confer a magical effect. Ginger is a revered appetite stimulator. Consuming it before meals enhances the production of digestive juices which help you consume a larger meal, providing more calories.
14. Dry Fruits: Nuts, dry fruits, and seeds are calorie-rich and loaded with nutrients that help you gain weight naturally. Add them to smoothies, salads, or simply munch.
15. Whole Eggs: Eggs must form a part of the diet for weight gain for females because of their muscle-building properties. They provide a healthy combination of proteins and fats. The best part is that you can consume as many as you like in a day.
16. Fatty and Oily Fish: Eating oily fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel provide the required proteins, healthy fats, and omega-3 fatty acids required for muscle building, leading to healthy weight gain.
17. Chicken Breast: The chicken breast contains high amounts of healthy fats and proteins which facilitate muscle growth and recovery and therefore must be a part of the weight gain meal plan for females. It is also packed with loads of nutrients that help in making the body healthy.
18. Banana: Bananas are a rich source of carbohydrates and calories. The fully ripe ones are packed with sugar. Mix a fully ripe banana with milk or curd for weight gain.
19. Avocados: Avocados are a wonder fruit when it comes to weight gain. Being calorie-dense and packed with fats, they provide the required calories and nutrition to gain weight.
20. Mango: Mangoes are rich in carbohydrates, sugar, and proteins. This makes it an essential part of a diet for weight gain for females. Coupling it up with a glass of milk boosts easy weight gain.
What to Eat?
- Add Calories to Your Daily Diet: Weight gain is all about the input-output equation. If you take in more than what you burn, the excess will be stored as body fat. Eat approximately 1000 extra calories per day over and above the recommended daily calorie intake.
- Say NO to Junk Foods: Although junk foods are packed with calories, they contain high amounts of added salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats. These impact the body adversely, so it’s best to avoid junk calories.
- Avoid Fizzy Drinks: Fizzy drinks like colas and sodas have empty calories and added sugar with no nutritional values. Prefer shakes and smoothies made from full-cream milk with fruits, nuts, and seeds as a healthy replacement.
- Dress Up Your Salads: In the search for high-calorie options, foods like salads are bound to go down. But it’s important to consume your salads as they provide vital nutrients and roughage. Consider using dressings to make your salad a high-calorie diet.
- Keep Protein Intake High: A high protein intake coupled with regular exercise helps build muscles. Without adequately developed muscles, the extra calories are stored in the body as fat.
- Eat the ‘Good’ Fats: Not all fats are good and therefore they must be added carefully to weight gain meals for females as they contribute to heart ailments. Consume polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats and avoid trans fat.
- Stay Hydrated: Once you are hydrated, your muscles are hydrated too. This improves muscle strength and aids in recovery and building. Healthier muscles allow you to work out for longer durations which helps develop muscle mass, adding to extra kilos.
How to Eat?
- Increase Portion Size: To increase the calorie input in each meal, simply eat more in every meal. This can be done by increasing the portion size.
- Eat Frequently: Instead of 3 basic meals a day, make it to 6 meals per day. Add healthy snack options in between the basic meals to increase your calorie intake. Prefer energy-dense foods like dark chocolates, peanut butter, or coconut milk as a mid-meal snack.
Eat minimum three meals per day
If your goal is to gain weight in a healthy manner, try to eat a minimum of three meals each day. Numerous popular diet plans suggest increasing the number of meals, but those who look towards gaining weight in a healthy manner can stick to three. One should keep in mind what matters most is the type as well as portions of food you eat rather than the number of meals you consume each day.
Exercises help you gain weight
People who desire to gain weight must exercise sensibly. Here is the list of top ten exercises for women that would help them gain weight.
- Low intensity workout
- Push-ups
- Jogging
- Swimming
- Bench press
- Lunches & Squats
- Dead lifts
- Yoga
- Pull-ups
- Dumbbell shoulder press and upright Barbell rows
source 1:-ontherun.in
source 2:-www.healthkart.com
source 3:-www.kolorshealthcare.com
