If your teenager wants to gain weight, take him to a pediatrician to determine if gaining weight is a good idea for his body type and rule out any illnesses that could make him unable to gain weight. With the go-ahead from his doctor, you can help your child stick to a healthy meal plan that will get on him track to gain the weight he needs -- in a beneficial way. Don't let your child add junk food to his diet to pack on the pounds. Help him make healthy, but filling, choices at meal times. According to the DisneyFamily.com website, boys looking to gain weight should consume 3,500 to 3,800 calories per day, while girls should go for 2,500 to 3,000 calories per day. Formulate a meal plan where 40 percent of your child's daily intake of calories comes from protein, with 35 percent from carbohydrates and the remaining 25 percent from fat.
Breakfast
It's easy for busy teens to sleep late and run out the door in the morning without eating breakfast. But skipping breakfast is a bad idea for anyone, especially teenagers who need to gain extra weight. Encourage your child to incorporate full-fat dairy items into his breakfast. If he'll drink a glass of milk, great. You can also offer him whole-milk yogurt or cottage cheese at breakfast. If he prefers a hot breakfast, make a bowl of oatmeal or cream of wheat, using whole milk instead of water.
Lunch
If you pack a lunch for your underweight teen, be sure all of the food you provide for him packs a large amount of nutrients. Choose whole wheat bread for sandwiches, and pile on lean meats, such as roast chicken breast, and low-fat cheese for extra protein and calcium. Make him a hearty pasta salad with whole wheat pasta, low-fat cheese and healthy vegetables for a fortifying lunch side dish.
Dinner
For dinner, continue to focus on a healthy eating plan based on lean proteins and complex carbohydrates, and your whole family will benefit at the dinner table. Switch from white rice to brown rice, and choose lean proteins, such as white meat poultry and fish. Always serve plenty of healthy vegetable-based side dishes for your child to enjoy. You can further increase your underweight teen's intake of healthy fats by cooking meals in heart-healthy oils, such as olive oil or canola oil. Dress salads with avocado oil and sprinkle sunflower seeds or dried fruit on top to add nutrients. Top baked potatoes, pastas or casseroles with plain yogurt or cheese to add extra protein and calcium to your child's meal.
Snacks
Encourage your underweight teen to snack during the day when he gets hungry. Ideally, he should aim for eating two or three healthy snacks per day. Provide him with nuts for snacking, or peanut butter spread on whole wheat crackers or apple slices. Cheese sticks and hard-boiled eggs make for healthy snacks that are easy for your teen to eat when he's on the go. Never say no to a bedtime snack, as long as it's a healthy one. Encourage your teen to stay away from snacks full of empty calories, such as potato chips and cookies.
References
- Kids Health: Should I Gain Weight?
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Healthy Weight Gain
- Parents Connect: My Preteen Son Wants to Gain Weight
- MayoClinic.com: Underweight? See How to Add Pounds Healthfully
- DisneyFamily.com: Healthy Weight Gain for Teens
- Center for Young Women's Health: Healthy Weight Gain for Teens: A Guide for Parents
Member Comments