Sometimes weight control issues involve a desire to gain weight, not lose it. Athletes, underweight teens and people recovering from an illness all frequently diet with the aim of increasing the number on the scale. Breakfast is an ideal time to front-load your day with some high-calorie foods while also getting the nutrients you need.
Calories
The first step to gaining weight is to increase your caloric intake. A single pound is made up of 3,500 calories, so increasing intake by 500 calories beyond your normal caloric needs every day will cause you to gain one pound by the end of one week. The precise number of calories you need to maintain weight depends on your height, current weight and activity level. Aim for about one pound of weight gain a week, since more rapid weight gain can be dangerous to your health.
Potential
One way to increase the calorie count of breakfast is to increase the portion size of what you eat. Sneak in healthy high-calorie foods by adding nuts to cereal, yogurt or oatmeal or putting some instant breakfast powder into whole milk or a smoothie. For a simple breakfast on-the-go, choose a dense bread such as pumpernickel or rye with 2 or 3 tbsp. of natural peanut butter. In order to prevent your hard-earned weight gain from becoming fat, you also need to include muscle-building exercise in your daily regimen.
Nutrition
It's important to gain muscle, not fat, so choose your calories wisely. Instead of loading up on low-nutrient foods that are high in calories, choose nutrient-dense options instead. A southwestern breakfast burrito made with scrambled egg, avocado, cheese and salsa is a great choice. Avocado contains high levels of monounsaturated fat, vitamin K and folate. Cheese provides calcium. Egg supplies protein and a variety of micronutrients, including selenium, folate, pantothenic acid, choline, iron, zinc and vitamin B12. The tomatoes in salsa have lycopene, an antioxidant phytochemical that may help protect against cancer.
Considerations
Even though you are trying to gain weight, two high-calorie things you should be avoiding are saturated fat and trans fats. Saturated and trans fats contribute to cardiovascular disease. It may seem counterintuitive to choose lean meats and avoid high-calorie breakfast treats like bacon when trying to gain weight, but lean ham cooked in a little bit of canola or olive oil and salmon, which is rich in omega-3 fats, are better options. Also avoid foods high in sugar, since these can lead to fluctuating blood sugar levels. Watch your salt intake as well, since high blood pressure can be a concern when your weight increases.
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