Gaining weight healthfully can be tough. For effective results, MayoClinic.com dietitian Katherine Zeratsky recommends setting an appropriate target weight, with your doctor's guidance if necessary, eating nutritious foods more often and trying not to fill up on coffee, tea or diet soda. Strength-training activities, such as weight lifting, yoga and toning aerobic classes, can also help. If an underlying medical condition caused weight loss, follow your doctor's recommended treatment plan.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are essential components of most any healthy diet. The McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois recommends emphasizing higher-calorie varieties, such as dried fruit, bananas, avocados, pineapple, corn, peas, winter squash and potatoes, as a useful step toward gaining weight. If your appetite is reduced or you have difficulty consuming solid foods for other reasons, try sipping fruit juices and fruit-based smoothies.
Nuts and Nut Butters
Nuts and nut butter, such as almond and peanut butter, provide healthy, unsaturated fat and a variety of important nutrients. Zeratsky suggests adding calorie-rich foods, such as nuts and nut butter, to your meals and snacks. Rather than consuming a plain bagel, for example, top both bagel halves with almond butter, and sprinkle chopped walnuts or pecans atop fresh vegetable salads. Nuts also provide a useful portable snack between meals and during times you're forced to eat on the go. Nuts can also add calories, fat and nutrients to smoothies and shakes. Unless the nuts are preground or crushed, use a food processor capable of crushing coarse foods before blending.
Dairy Products
Dairy products provide valuable amounts of protein, calcium and vitamin D. Calcium-rich foods are important if your weight is low, since low body weight increases your risk for weakened bones and osteoporosis, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Protein is important for gaining and maintaining physical strength and muscle tissue. If your doctor has recommended increasing your fat intake, drink or prepare oatmeal with whole milk and top baked potatoes and salads with high-fat cheese. To add bulk to mashed potatoes, casseroles, soups and smoothies, add dry milk powder before serving.
Whole Grains
Whole grains contain more nutrients, fiber and protein than refined grains, such as white flour. Whole grains also supply glucose -- your body's main dietary source of energy. For increased weight, choose dense varieties, such as thick whole wheat or pumpernickel bread, granola and raisin bran cereal, bagels and bran muffins. For added protein, fat and calories, try grilling whole grain bread atop olive oil or butter. Stone-ground and whole-grain flours provide simple, healthy substitutions in calorie-dense recipes for pancakes, waffles, muffins and cakes.
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