Google the word "diet," and you'll find yourself awash in eating plans, strategies and advice on how to lose weight. Though it gets less attention, being underweight can bring just as serious health problems as being overweight, such as bone loss, heart irregularities and increased vulnerability to disease. How you should diet when you are underweight depends on your goals and dietary preferences, but regardless, you should always check with your doctor before beginning any diet regimen.
Six-Meal-A-Day Plan
MayoClinic.com recommends that to gain weight you expand your daily meals to six small meals a day rather than two or three large meals. Eat protein at every meal, be it meat, cheese or eggs. Eat dense cereals such as Grape Nuts or shredded wheat in the morning rather than flakes or puffed rice. Add plenty of breads to your diet, but stick to whole wheat breads instead of white breads. Snack with calorie-dense foods such as peanut butter or avocado sandwiches. Drink fruit smoothies or milkshakes, and drink only before or after meals to avoid becoming full while you eat.
Enhance Your Current Diet
You might be able to gain sufficient weight by adding calories to your current diet rather than overhauling to a new diet. Keep your eating patterns consistent, but look for ways to add a few extra calories to each meal. Sprinkle shredded cheese onto your dinner casseroles or soups. Add grilled chicken or chopped boiled eggs to your lunch salads. Put Ovaltine or other powdered mixes in your milk, or switch to meal-replacement drinks such as Ensure. Add dried fruit on top of your breakfast cereal in the morning, and spread honey or peanut butter on your toast.
Muscle Mass Diet
If your weight gain goals include strength training to increase muscle mass, Anthony Ellis of Iron Magazine recommends you stick to a fat- and protein-heavy diet. Ideally, you should aim for about a gram of protein in your diet per pound of body mass, according to the Australian Institute of Sport. You still want to avoid saturated fats to stay healthy overall, however. Fatty fish and lean poultry are your best sources of protein. Powdered protein substances mixed with milk can help you toward that goal. Throw in a piece of fruit or peanut butter when you blend them. Ellis also recommends adding a multivitamin and drinking plenty of water while avoiding nutrition-free snacks such as potato chips or cookies.
Vegetarian Diet
If you prefer not to eat meat, you can still incorporate plenty of protein into your diet to foster weight gain. Soy products such as tofu and tempeh or the gluten product seitan are excellent sources of protein, as are milk, eggs and yogurt if you are not a vegan, according to the Vegetarian Society. Alternative nut butters such as cashew butter and hazelnut butter can add protein-rich variety to your bread. Also eat plenty of pulses, such as chickpeas, black-eyed peas or lentils. Cook them thoroughly and mash them to aid with digestion.
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