Gaining weight by consuming carbohydrates is not difficult if you eat complex carbohydrates found in whole grains, nuts, legumes and simple carbohydrates in fruits and vegetables. Avoid empty calories in simple carbs from refined sugar and bleached white flour, as they do not provide nutrition. The Centers for Disease Control recommend healthy adults consume 45 percent to 65 percent of their total daily calories from carbohydrates and 14 grams of dietary fiber for every 1,000 calories consumed.
Step 1
Eat a hearty breakfast that includes complex carbs such as oatmeal, whole grain pancakes, toast, cereal or bran muffin. Add sliced fruits of any kind. For example, a cup of corn flakes has 24 grams of carbs, 100 calories and a medium banana has 26 grams of carbs and about 90 calories.
Step 2
Consume at least two kinds of vegetables at lunch and dinner, with each serving at half a cup. Add a cooked sweet potato for 27 grams of carbs. Other potatoes can be 15 to 25 grams of carbs, depending on their size.
Step 3
Include whole grains at each meal. For example, eat oatmeal or whole grain breads, cereals or muffins for breakfast. At lunch, choose whole grain breads, potatoes or grains: a cup cooked brown rice has 45 grams of carbs and 216 calories, while a cup of cooked instant white rice provides 41 grams of carbs for 161 calories.
Step 4
Make one meal legume-heavy. Make a vegetarian chili with pinto beans or burritos with black beans and brown rice. Eating just half a cup of lima beans gives you 20 grams of carbs for 102 calories, and the same amount of lentils has 19 grams of carbs and 115 calories.
Step 5
Snack on foods that are high in complex carbs and dietary fiber. Eat unsalted, dry roasted nuts of all kinds: a cup of almonds gives you 31 grams of carbs and a whopping 822 calories that are low in saturated fats. Low-sugar granola or a smoothie with wheat germ, almond milk and bananas are high in nutrient-dense carbs.
Tips and Warnings
- To gain weight eating carbs, select whole grains of all kinds: quinoa, millet, triticale, barley, brown rice, basmati and oats. Consuming vegetables, nuts, legumes, potatoes and fruits will all provide fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Things You'll Need
- Whole grains: brown rice, millet, oats, quinoa, triticale, barley, basmati, white rice
- Whole-grain breads, cereals, cookies, muffins, crackers
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Legumes
- Potatoes
- Nuts
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