Typically, 1,200 calories is the minimum number a healthy adult female should eat in a day. Men should get at least 300 more. A small daily increase to 1,400 calories is a safe way to gain weight or add nutrients. Because it's a relatively low number, it's easy to add 200 calories to your daily diet; one or two servings of many foods provide this many calories. There are also small, practically unnoticeable additions you can make to your diet to boost your caloric intake from 1,200 to 1,400 fairly effortlessly. Add calories from nutritious foods rather than junk food.
Step 1
Slice up a banana and add it to your breakfast cereal or other breakfast foods for about an extra 100 calories with fiber and other nutrients. Sprinkle a handful of dried fruit on these and other foods for easy extra calories.
Step 2
Add half an avocado to your salad or sandwich at lunch. This provides about 140 calories, plus fiber, unsaturated fat, vitamins and minerals.
Step 3
Toast a piece of whole-grain bread with breakfast. Spread 1 tbsp of peanut butter on it, and you've eaten about 200 calories with fiber, protein, unsaturated fat, vitamins and minerals.
Step 4
Eat a small serving of low-fat yogurt for a healthy 150 or so calories. Add some fresh fruit, and you've almost reached your goal of an extra 200 calories.
Step 5
Snack on a few slices of reduced-fat cheese for calcium, protein and some extra calories. Bring your daily intake up from 1,200 to 1,400 in one sitting by putting the cheese on a few whole-grain crackers. Alternatively, add cheese to eggs, sandwiches, pasta or other dishes for easy extra calories. One serving of most cheddar cheese comes in at around 70 calories.
Step 6
Replace mustard, which has almost no calories, with mayonnaise. Spread 1 tbsp. on a sandwich, and you've added a little under 100 calories without really adding extra food.
Step 7
Have a handful or two of nuts or seeds to add around 200 calories to your diet along with fiber, protein, unsaturated fat and a variety of vitamins and minerals. Add them to other dishes, too, such as pancakes, salads, seafood or poultry, or yogurt.
Step 8
Switch from skim milk to whole milk, for about another 50 calories per serving. Limit it to a serving per day, though, because whole milk is high in saturated fat.
Step 9
Drink a glass of 100-percent fruit juice. If necessary, replace a glass of water, tea, coffee, diet soda or other calorie-free beverage. You get more than 100 new calories, plus considerable nutritional value.
Step 10
Pour 1 tbsp. of a heart-healthy cooking oil over food for another 120 calories in most instances. For a particularly flavorful option, use extra-virgin olive oil. Dunk bread in it or pour it over salads, pasta, fish, poultry or other foods.
Step 11
Dunk raw vegetable slices into a creamy salad dressing or other dip as an appetizer or snack. Refer to the nutrition label of the product you choose to see serving sizes and calorie information.
References
- American Dietetic Association: Healthy Weight Gain
- MayoClinic.com; What's a Good Way to Gain Weight if You're Underweight?; August 2009
- Pediatric Crohn's and Colitis Association; Making Every Bite Count: Increasing Caloric Intake; Nixie Raymond
- National Cancer Institute: Ways to Add Calories
- All Women's Talk; 20 High Calorie Foods -- Get Fat Fast; Mabelle Sese
Member Comments