Gain Weight and Be Healthy

Obesity is such a problem in so many places, that many people might ask, "Why would anyone want to gain weight?"

There are a few reasons why someone might wish to gain weight. Some people are naturally thin and would like to be larger. Physical illnesses can result in excessive weight loss. Eating disorders can result in massive weight loss and can, in fact, result in death from the lack of nutrition. Many elderly people have trouble preparing foods and are prone to excess weight loss as well.

Whatever your reason for wanting to gain weight, you need to do so in a healthy manner. The foods you eat must supply you with much needed calories and give you all of the nutrients and phytochemicals that your body may have been missing for a while.

In order to gain weight, you need to consume more calories than you are currently taking in every day. You really shouldn't guess how many calories you need. If you have been fighting an illness, you should speak with your doctor about your daily calorie needs. You can also use an online calculator such as MyPyramid.gov or this Nutrition Guide.

Once you know how many calories you need to aim for each day, use a food diary to track your daily intake. A food diary will help you track your calorie intake and help remind you when it is time to eat and help you be sure you are getting all of the nutrients you need. If you prefer to keep your food diary online, you can join Calorie Count. This site is free and allows you to track the calories you take in as well as the calories you burn with exercise. It also rates your daily diet's nutritional value.

Choosing Healthy Foods to Gain Weight

Remember that you need to choose healthy foods to really be healthy. This is especially important if you are recovering from an illness or have been undernourished for a long time. You want to gain weight and you want to improve your health as well.

Tips for Increasing Calories While Keeping a Healthy Diet

* Add cheese, nuts and dressings made with olive, walnut or canola oil to salads.
* Eat starchy vegetables such as potatoes and corn more often.
* Go for dried fruits or fruit juices as healthy higher calorie snacks.
* Add cream or cheese sauces to fish and baked chicken breast.
* Choose herbs and spices to increase the flavors of your food rather than relying on salt.
* Add powdered milk to soups and sauces to offer calories and protein.
* Spread Peanut butter on whole grain bread, apples or celery sticks to get a great source of protein and calories.
* Stick with healthy desserts, such as a bowl of berries with whipped topping and lot of chopped nuts.
* Spoon healthy salad dressings on sandwiches and as a dip for vegetables.
* Dip whole grain bread into olive oil, walnut oil or flax seed oil. If you don't care for much meat, add legumes such as black beans, kidney beans and pinto beans as protein sources.
* Pick dark chocolate as a treat. Dark chocolate has antioxidants that other sweets don't have.

The foods that you choose to eat are important for more than just the amount of calories they contain. The foods you eat also have to give you the nutrients you need. Keep your high-calorie foods healthy; don't add non-nutritious junk foods to your diet. Junk foods may have lots of sugar and unhealthy fats that add the calories you may want, but they don't have much to offer nutritionally. Make sure you eat foods that have good nutritional value along with those extra calories.

Carbohydrates

Your body needs carbohydrates for energy. Carbohydrates are the best fuel for your body, although your body can use fats and proteins for energy if necessary. Since you need to gain weight, you should make sure you get enough carbohydrates to fuel your body as well as add the nutrients you need. Your best sources of carbohydrates are fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Vegetables and fruits should be the cornerstone of any healthy diet. You don't want to avoid healthy green vegetables like green beans and asparagus just because they are low in calories. Green vegetables have a lot of nutritional value. You can add healthy calories to those vegetables by topping them with nutritious foods like olive oil, almonds and shredded cheese. You may also want to eat more of the starchier vegetables such as potatoes and corn. The starchy vegetables pack more calories into regular serving sizes.

You can add lots of fruit to your diet too. Fruits are packed with vitamins and phytochemicals that will boost your health. For example, instead of drinking extra sugary sodas, enjoy orange juice or other fruit juice. You will get the calories you need, plus a lot of vitamins that soda doesn't have. Snack on fresh fruits any time of day to increase your calorie intake.

Another large source of carbohydrates are the grains and cereals. The USDA suggests that you eat six to 11 servings of foods from the bread and cereal group. At least three of those servings should be from 100 percent whole grain products. Whole grains are a great source of fiber and nutrients.

Fats and Oils

Healthy fats include the essential polyunsaturated omega-3 essential fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids. You can only get these fats from your diet and they are important for healthy hair, skin, neurological function.

The omega-3 fats from fish, seafood, canola oil, flax and walnuts is usually deficient in western diets. The lack of omega-3 fatty acids creates an imbalance between the two fatty acids.

Most diets contain more than enough of the omega-6 fatty acids. Many experts believe that consuming too much of the omega-6 fatty acids along with insufficient amounts of omega-3 fatty acids is unhealthy. Omega-6 fatty acids are found in most vegetable oils like sunflower oil, safflower oil and corn oil.

Monounsaturated fats like olive oil are also good fats that will help keep your cardiovascular system healthy. These fats are found in olive oil.

You want to add healthy fats to your diet by eating lots of fish, flax seeds and nuts. Choose salad dressings, cooking oils and mayonnaise made with canola oil.

Avoid foods that contain large amounts of saturated fats and trans-fats. Red meat, processed lunch meats, hot dogs and sausage have all been connected with higher risks of diseases such as heart disease and some cancers so you should eat those meats only sparingly. Avoid fried foods as well. Fried foods such as French fries, donuts and fried fish or chicken are sources of trans fats and not a healthy way to get the calories you need.

Proteins

The protein sources you choose are important too. Your body needs protein for muscle and organ structure and for normal immune system function. Your body also uses protein to make hormones and brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.

Healthy protein sources include poultry, fish, legumes, nuts and seeds. Red meat is OK once or twice each week, but more red meat contains a lot of saturated fat. A diet high in saturated fat has been linked to cardiovascular disease. Processed meats like hot dogs, sausages, bologna and other lunch meats are high in calories, but also associated with higher risks of cancer.

Dietary Supplements

Taking a multivitamin with extra calcium may be beneficial for many people. "Weight gaining" supplements are available that can add extra calories to your diet. These supplements usually have a lot of protein and carbohydrates. These types of weight gaining supplements are fine, however if you are recovering from an illness, it is good to speak with your doctor first to be sure the extra protein is OK.

Portions Sizes and Meals

You can either add more calories to you diet by eating more meals per day, by adding snacks and by increasing your portion sizes. If a large meal makes you feel stuffed and uncomfortable, eat small portions, but eat more often. You can add healthy snacks through out the day.

Exercise to Gain Weight

Exercise is important for good health and the right type of exercise can help you gain muscle, which will give you more body mass. Weight-lifting exercises that are designed to build muscle should be included with your weight-gaining diet and perhaps aerobic exercise should be cut back a bit. For more on exercise to gain muscle, read How to Build Muscle.

Source:

University of Michigan Health System. "Healthy Weight Gain." Adult Health Advisor 2005, 4.

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