Choosing the most calorie-dense foods can help you gain weight. You need to consume at least 500 calories more than you burn daily to gain 1 pound per week. Healthy foods are preferable for weight gain as they offer nutrition and will help encourage the addition of muscle mass, which helps improve your energy, function and appearance.
Trail Mix
Trail mix is a blend of dried fruits, nuts and seeds. All of these ingredients are high in calories and concentrated sources of nutrition. Trail mix contains about 346 calories per ½-cup serving. The snack is portable and easy to stash in a backpack or purse for between meal calorie-loading. The nuts and seeds in trail mix offer heart-healthy fats, vitamin E and magnesium, while the dried fruits provide iron, fiber and potassium.
Dips
Use high-calorie ingredients to create dips to add on sandwiches or to eat alongside your meals. Guacamole, avocado mashed with lime juice and garlic, contains about 185 calories per ½ cup serving. Add guacamole to salads, tacos, burgers and sandwiches. Hummus, chickpeas blended with sesame paste, olive oil and lemon juice, tastes good on pita bread sandwiches with turkey and cucumbers. Spread hummus on flatbread and top with feta cheese for a twist on pizza. Top salads with hummus, or have a generous serving with baked chips as a high-calorie snack. A 1/2-cup serving of the dip provides 200 calories.
Smoothies
Blend together fresh fruits, nut butter, flaxseed oil and yogurt to create high-calorie smoothies for snack time. A smoothie composed of a frozen banana, ½ cup chopped mango, 2 tbsp. almond butter, 1 tbsp. flaxseed oil, ½ cup low-fat plain yogurt, ice cubes and a small amount of water contains over 500 calories. Enjoy between meals daily to gain 1 pound per week. Swap in other ingredients, including peanut butter, strawberries, papaya, pitted cherries, soy milk or flaxseed meal for variety.
Pasta
Pasta makes a quick and easy meal that provides about 200 calories per 1-cup serving. Choose whole grain pasta when possible to get extra fiber and B vitamins. Toss your pasta with 1 tbsp. of olive oil before adding sauce to provide an additional 120 calories. Pasta also lends itself to high-calorie toppings. Boost calories by adding shredded cheese, with about 110 calories per ¼ cup. Mix in peas, with 333 calorie per cup. Add broiled, lean ground beef for another 184 calories.
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