Gaining weight can be just as difficult as losing weight is for many people. A nutritious diet is important whether you are trying to lose weight or gain weight. Healthy weight gain is achieved by adding energy and nutrient rich foods to your daily menu. Nutrient rich foods provide your body with important nutrients needed for sustained energy and other vital functions in your body. You can increase the calories to your daily menu by increasing the calories you eat at meals, by adding snacks between meals or by increasing the number of meals you eat. Talk with your doctor or dietitian if you are trying to gain weight due to a medical condition.
Step 1
Increase the calorie content of your meals by adding nutrient-rich, high-calorie foods such as avocado, peanut butter, nuts and olive oil. If you choose to add fats to your meals choose unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, canola oil, avocados and nuts; limit butter and lard and avoid hydrogenated fats. Add avocados to eggs, sandwiches, soups, burritos, tacos, pasta dishes and salads; spread mashed avocado on toast, sandwiches and wraps; make guacamole and add it to your meals. Stir peanut butter into cold cereals, hot cereals, yogurt, cottage cheese and applesauce; blend peanut butter into shakes or smoothies. Add olive oil to salads, soups, pasta dishes, cooked vegetables; make pancakes, waffles and muffins with canola oil and peanut butter. Mix nuts into cereals, yogurt, cottage cheese and salads.
Step 2
Add high-calorie, nutrient-rich snacks between meals. For example, prepare energy and nutrient-rich whole-grain hot cereals such as oatmeal with milk or almond milk; add dried fruits and nuts, such as raisins and toasted almonds. Prepare a large batch of oatmeal so that it is ready-to-eat for snacks. Other healthy snacks include a peanut butter and honey sandwich, yogurt mixed with nuts and dried fruit, banana slices dipped into peanut or almond butter, trail mixes made with nuts and dried fruits, a hard boiled egg on toast and shredded cheese melted on a tortilla or pita bread.
Step 3
Increase the number of meals and snacks you eat each day and try to eat every 2 to 3 hours. If you are having a difficult time eating every 2 to 3 hours you can try supplementing your diet with a protein bar or a protein shake that provides a quick and convenient source of energy.
Step 4
Avoid highly processed and empty-calorie foods such as cookies, cake, doughnuts and candy. These foods provide your body with calories but contain little nutrition compared to the calories.
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