With all the news about more people becoming obese, people who are underweight are often forgotten. For the underweight, gaining weight is as important as losing weight is to the obese. When you are trying to gain weight, you should eat approximately 500 calories per day more than you normally eat, according to the University of California Los Angeles. This can be done by eating larger portions at meals, eating dessert and eating snacks often between meals. In order to gain weight, you have to consider the foods you eat, as well as how often and in what amount, you eat them.
Fats
Fats are more calorie-dense than any other food choice. Good choices for fats include avocados, margarine, natural peanut butter, and canola, vegetable and other plant oils. In order to get the maximum serving from these, use them after cooking, when possible. For example, put the butter on your corn when you put it on your plate instead of adding it to the corn while you are cooking.
Fruits and Vegetables
Keeping your diet balanced is important, even when you are trying to gain weight. As such, adding fruits and vegetables into your diet is important. Bananas, oranges, apples, pineapples and pears are some of the fruits with more calories. Dried fruits, such as dates, apricots and raisins, are another excellent option. Vegetables to consider include winter squash, corn, carrots and beets.
Proteins and Dairy
Nuts are a good protein for snacking. Lean beef, skinless chicken or turkey, fish, egg whites and beans are ideal options for meal proteins. Skim or 1 percent dairy products, low-fat cheese and yogurt are good, healthier choices for your daily dairy servings when trying to gain weight.
Beverages
Drinking high-calorie beverages is one way to increase your calorie count without much effort. Fruit smoothies, fruit juice, regular sodas and shakes are higher in calories than water, diet sodas, tea and coffee.
Foods to Avoid
Even though you are trying to gain weight, you should still avoid unhealthy foods. Foods that contain trans fat should be avoided, as should foods with saturated fats. Foods like sour cream, chicken skin and sausage should be minimized or totally avoided in your weight gain program, the University of Michigan Health System suggests.
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