Protein And Starch For Weight Gain

If you burn more calories than you regularly consume, you might be the envy of all your friends, but that's little consolation in bikini season or in a demanding sport. When you're trying to add a few curves or gain some impressive muscle, don't reach automatically for a magic formula. Do it with food. Eating a balance of proteins and starches can help put on a few pounds, and choosing carefully will boost health as well.

Starches and Proteins

Grains, potatoes, corn and beans are starches. They are carbohydrates with low water content and are stored in the body to supply energy. Proteins are found in lean meats, poultry, seafood, eggs and dairy products. Good plant-based protein sources are legumes, nuts and beans. Both protein and starch have a role to play in metabolism -- and weight gain or loss.

Fuel, Fat and Muscle

Starch becomes energy. Protein builds muscles. When starch calories supply the energy, the body has no need to raid muscle fiber for stored protein. According to the McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois, it only takes 250 to 500 extra calories a day to result in half-pound to a pound weight gain each week. But you do need to expend calories in an exercise program so that you develop muscles, not a spare tire. Use carb calories, including starches, to fuel both the work of turning protein into muscle mass and the effort involved to use those muscles.

Whole Grains, Lean Proteins

Larger portions, more calories, extra meals and snacks -- all of these strategies can help you gain weight. Ideal weight gain should be healthy muscle mass, not flabby fat from empty calories. Choose lean proteins and add whole grain starches to your diet to add extra pounds. Combining the two nutrients gives you energy for a strength-building and exercise program that doesn't stop, slow or reverse weight gain.

Smart Choices

Both the McKinley Health Center and the Mayo Clinic recommend ways to increase good starches and proteins in your diet for extra calories and weight gain. Some suggestions include adding powdered skim milk to drinks and soups; eating thick, whole grain breads such as pumpernickel and whole wheat; choosing heavier cereals such as granola; snacking on bran muffins; and getting extra protein from nut butters and hummus. Peanut butter on whole wheat toast is a high-calorie, protein and starch snack. Scheduling five to six smaller meals rather than three big meals a day provides the chance to slip in a few extra calories each time you eat.