A Diet for Gaining Weight

While most people focus on the challenges of losing weight, for some people, gaining weight can be just as difficult. Being underweight, defined as a body mass index less than 18.5, can be as detrimental to your health as being overweight, increasing your risk of infection and the ability of your organs to function properly. A diet for gaining weight should focus on increasing your overall calorie intake with high-calorie, nutrient-rich foods.

Calories

To gain weight, you need to eat more calories than you burn. The authors of "Krause's Food, Nutrition and Diet Therapy" recommend increasing your daily intake by 500 to 1,000 calories per day. For example, if your currently consume 2,000 calories a day, to gain weight you would need to increase your daily intake to 2,500 to 3,000 calories a day. When increasing your intake, do so gradually to minimize abdominal discomfort.

Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat Needs

While it may be tempting to load up on foods high in fat and sugar when trying to gain weight, this is not the healthiest approach. Your diet for gaining weight should be balanced, providing the right combination of nutrients for good health. A balanced diet for weight gain should get 45 to 65 percent of its calories from carbohydrates, 10 to 35 percent of its calories from protein and 20 to 35 percent of its calories from fat. You may also benefit from a vitamin and mineral supplement, but talk to your doctor about your needs.

Meal Schedule

When following a diet to gain weight, try to get yourself on a regular meal schedule that includes three meals and two to three snacks each day. Having a regular meal schedule will help make sure you eat regularly to meet your increased needs. On this plan you should be eating a meal or snack every three to four hours.

Food Choices

To make sure you meet your nutrient needs, include foods from each food group. Your diet should include two or more servings of fruit, three or more servings of vegetables, at least six servings of grains or starches, 6 oz. or more of meat or meat alternatives and two or more servings of milk each day.

High Calorie Foods

To maximize your calorie intake for weight gain, try and include more calorie-dense foods in your diet. Dried fruit makes a high-calorie food choice with 120 calories in a 1/4 cup serving. Whole milk can also help you meet your additional calorie needs with 160 calories per 1-cup serving. You can also add dried milk powder to your milk, which contains 33 calories in 1 tbsp. Add the dried milk powder to hot cereal, mashed potatoes, yogurt, soup and pudding. Including nuts and nut butters in your diet can also boost calorie intake. For example, 1 tbsp. of peanut butter has 90 calories, and 24 almonds have 180 calories.