Although more often than not, we hear about people wanting to lose weight and about all sorts of crash diets and weight-loss programs, many of us feel like we actually need to gain weight. Being underweight can lead to health issues and many different deficiencies in the body. In order to avoid this from happening, you can make certain changes in your diet, such as eating more protein, fats, and high-calorie foods for weight gain.
You may want to gain weight if you’re an athlete and want to put on more muscle, if you’ve been in hospital recently and lost a lot of weight, or if you’re a naturally thin person with a high metabolism. All of these are valid reasons to want to gain weight, but one thing to keep in mind is that there are a lot of unhealthy weight gain options that you should avoid. It’s best to gain weight in a healthy way: by sticking to superfoods for weight gain.
We’ve put together a list of superfoods that will help you gain weight in a healthy way. Let’s take a look at our top picks for foods that will help you put on weight.
1. Milk
Milk is an excellent food for weight gain that can easily be incorporated into your everyday diet. Milk has a combination of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. It is also rich in vitamins and nutrients, as well as having a high concentration of calcium.
If you’re trying to gain weight and build muscle, then milk is a great protein. It provides both whey proteins and casein proteins. When you increase your intake of milk alongside a weight-lifting routine, you can increase your muscle weight.
Drinking one or two cups of whole fat milk in a day can be a quick and easy way to gain weight. You can have the milk for breakfast, as a snack between meals, or right after a workout session. You could also have milk with cereal for breakfast or make some delicious and fun smoothies with fruits and nuts.
2. Rice
Rice is a very calorie-rich food, and a single serving can give you a high dose of carbs and calories. Just one cup of white rice provides approximately 204 calories and 45 grams of carbs.
If you don’t eat too much or have a small appetite, rice is a great way for you to gain weight. One serving will fill you up and give you lots of calories and carbs.
There are so many ways in which you can serve and eat rice. You can have it as a meal multiple times a week without ever getting bored. A quick stir fry can include cheese, veggies, scrambled eggs, and different kinds of nuts. You could also add curry or a sauce to your rice and some side of meat if you want to make the meal heartier. Here are some great rice recipes you can try out.
3. Nuts and nut butters
Nuts are one of the best superfoods for weight gain! Just a small handful a day can give you hundreds of calories.
About a quarter cup of almonds contains 160 calories, 4 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein, and 15 grams of healthy fats. Nuts are extremely calorie-rich and a great healthy way to gain weight.
It is super easy to add nuts to your diet, and you can have some every day. You could keep a mix of nuts to snack on or add them to your salads. You could even try out some delicious nut butters to have with bread or crackers. Here are some homemade nut butter recipes that you should try and make. Nut butter is quick and easy to make and only takes one or two ingredients.
4. Dried fruits
Like nuts, dried fruits are extremely calorie-rich and a great healthy way to gain weight. Dried fruits are full of antioxidants, vitamins, nutrients, and fiber. They also have a high sugar content which makes them great for weight gain.
A common misconception is that fruits lose their nutrients and other health benefits when they are dried. This is not true. Dried fruits retain all of their nutrients, as well as fiber. They last much longer when dried and can be stored for a longer period of time as well.
Dried fruits can be had as snacks or added to your breakfast oatmeal. They’re also an excellent addition to milkshakes, protein shakes, or just plain yogurt.
If you have a workout routine and want to gain muscle weight, dates can be an excellent option. Having one or two dates after a weight lifting session will help you gain muscle mass quicker.
5. Protein shakes
Protein shakes are an excellent way to gain weight quickly. You can purchase some protein powder and add it to milk, nuts, dried fruits, and whatever else you enjoy. Shakes are quick and easy to make and can be a great snack to have on the go. Protein shakes are most effective when you have a workout routine as well. Having the shake after a training session is the best way to gain weight and muscle.
Our favorite protein powder is the Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder in the flavor French Vanilla Crème (ASIN B000QSO3FO). This product doesn’t have any extra sugar or other additives that we want to avoid.
Some people think whey protein is unhealthy or unnatural, but that is not the case. Whey protein is made from dairy and has been shown to help improve health markers and reduce the risk of disease. Like meats and other animal products, whey protein contains all the essential amino acids required to stimulate muscle growth.
6. Red meats
Red meats are one of the best superfoods for weight gain and muscle-building. Steak contains leucine and creatine, nutrients that boost muscle growth. Leucine is an amino acid that helps the body stimulate muscle protein synthesis and add new muscle tissue, and creatine is the best natural muscle-building supplement.
Steak and other red meats contain both proteins as well as fats. When choosing a cut of meat, maybe try a fattier cut as that will add more calories to your diet and help you gain weight. Both lean and fatty meats are a great source of protein, though fatty meat provides more calories, which can help you gain weight.
7. Potatoes and starch
Potatoes are really good high-calorie foods for weight gain. Potatoes and other starchy foods can help you add calories to your diet easily and cost-effectively.
More than just carbs and calories, potatoes also increase the glycogen stores in your muscles. Glycogen is a fuel source your body needs for sports, and other strenuous activates. An added source of glycogen would help you in gaining weight and muscle mass.
Other than potatoes, there are many healthy sources of starchy carbs, such as quinoa, oats, corn buckwheat, squash, winter root vegetables, and beans and legumes. Quinoa is a starch that you really should be having more of. It is a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine amino acids that our bodies cannot make on their own. It is also high in protein, minerals, and B vitamins. Try buying the Better Body Foods Organic Quinoa (ASIN B07WDJHTZK), which is a completely plant-based protein that can be added to any meal in place of rice.
8. Whole grain bread
Whole grain bread is a great source of healthy carbs to help you gain weight. When buying bread, ditch the plain white and go for a whole grain option with seeds.
Bread is super easy to eat, and almost everybody keeps some in their fridge. You can make so many different kinds of sandwiches with whole-grain bread, adding in proteins like meat, eggs, cheese, and lots of delicious sauces. Sandwiches can be very easily incorporated into your daily diet.
If you like baking, maybe try making some sourdough bread at home. Sourdough is incredibly tasty and very nutritious as well. It is super easy to make, with just three ingredients: flour, salt, and water! The bacteria in sourdough is good for your gut and strengthens your immune system.
9. Pasta
Like bread, pasta is a great source of carbs and starch. Pasta is a high-calorie, carbohydrate-rich food that will help you gain weight. You should look for pasta made of whole wheat flour and switch put your usual white flour pasta.
We’re sure you already have some of your favorite pasta recipes that you enjoy making. Whether it’s simple garlic and olive oil pasta, or a rich, creamy tomato sauce pasta, we love to have it for any meal of the day. Simply switch out your regular pasta and use whole wheat flour pasta in the recipe.
10. Eggs
Eggs are one of the best muscle-building foods that we can have! Eggs have a great combination of healthy fats and protein. Just one egg with a shell has about 75 to 80 calories.
When it comes to eggs, it is important to eat the whole egg. An egg-white omelet isn’t going to help you gain weight. You need to have the yolk as well. The yolk is where most of the nutrients are stored. If you like eggs, you can easily eat up to three eggs in a day. For bodybuilders or people who are looking to gain muscle weight, you can have six eggs a day!
Eggs are such a versatile food and can be eaten in so many ways. Breakfast is a popular option, whether it’s an omelet with cheese or veggies, buttery scrambled eggs, or egg in a muffin. Eggs also go great in salads, sandwiches, casseroles, deviled eggs, and fried rice.
11. Yogurt
Full-fat Greek yogurt is the healthiest, yummiest snack you can have for weight gain! It is full of nutrients, proteins, carbs, and fats. A six-ounce serving of yogurt has up to 170 calories and 15 grams of proteins.
When picking which yogurt to buy, look at the labels and avoid any yogurt with additives like sugar, artificial flavors, dyes, or preservatives.
There are so many ways to eat yogurt that are quick, easy, and delicious. You can cut up some fruits, mix in nuts and make a yogurt dessert bowl. A yogurt parfait can have some yummy healthy granola added to it. Greek yogurt also makes excellent smoothies.
Our Final Thoughts
What you’re eating throughout the day has a huge impact on your health and your body weight. If you adjust your diet to include more of the superfoods for weight gain that we have listed and cut out unhealthy fats, sugar, and carbohydrates, you’re likely to live a healthier life and achieve your weight goal as well.
We hope you found at least a few foods in our list that you think you will like, and give them a try.
