Gaining weight can be accomplished by making food choices that will be helpful, instead of detrimental, to your overall health. Sugary foods and foods laden with trans fats will surely help you gain weight but not in a healthy manner. It is important to know which nutrient-rich foods to consume to improve your body shape and gain muscle instead of fat. About a pound a week is the ideal rate for weight gain. To ensure that your weight gain is not just fat, stay active by exercising and lifting weights.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are your body's most easily-accessed source of energy and can help you to gain weight. However, there are different kinds of carbohydrates, and while you need some of them to gain healthy weight, others should be avoided. Sugar and refined carbohydrates, like bleached flour and polished rice, that contain empty calories are usually stored as fat if you do not exercise after consuming them. If you want the weight that you gain to be healthy, these kinds of carbohydrates should be avoided. Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, are the kind you should consume for gaining weight and staying healthy. Foods that fall into this category include whole grain bread, granola, pasta, oatmeal, bagels, whole grain cereal, brown rice and potatoes.
Fats
Fats can either be good or bad for you and can either provide healthy or empty calories. Trans fats, and to a lesser extent, saturated fats are the fats to be cautious of and are found in processed, fried and snack foods. The two kinds of unsaturated fats, or good fats, are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Olive, canola, flaxseed and peanut oil contain the good fats, along with high-calorie foods like nuts, seeds, avocados and fish. Trying to consume more than 2,000 calories a day is easy to do with these types of foods, but you can feel good knowing that they are healthy choices. Fats are the most efficient way to gain weight as they contain the most calories, gram for gram. Each gram of fat contains nine calories and each gram of carbohydrates and protein contains four calories.
Vegetables, Fruits and Fiber
Vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber are important elements in any healthy diet. Beans, chick peas lentils and sweet potatoes are among of the richest sources of fiber, and are also high in micro-nutrients and calories, so eat plenty of them. Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables contain the vitamins and minerals that will help you make the best use of fats and protein. Good choices include apples, blackberries, raspberries, corn, broccoli, peas, artichokes and spinach.
Protein
Eating enough protein is another important part of gaining weight the healthy way. You should try to eat one gram of protein for each pound of body weight. So if you weigh 180 pounds, you should try to consume at least 180 grams of protein. Foods that are high in protein are fish, chicken, turkey, pork, beef, eggs and protein supplements.
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