Healthy Food Choices for Weight Gain

Weight gain can be an important part of recovering from illnesses or training for athletics. Learn some tips for buying foods for weight gain in this healthy shopping video.

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Don't eat unhealthy foods
Choose foods dense in calories
Get fat from lean proteins or nuts
Try healthy calorie supplements

About this Author

Michelle Cooper has been a registered dietician for more than 10 years. She currently works for the state of North Carolina for the New Hanover County School District in the Child Nutrition Department as the supervising registered dietician on staff. She specializes in child nutrition, child fitness and overall child health. She enjoys her job because it allows her to be a pivotal piece of child development.

MICHELLE COOPER: Next, we're going to talk about weight gaining and diets. There may be times when you actually need to or want to gain weight for one reason or the other. This is not a license to eat all you want or anything you want. You simply need to eat the same healthy diet that you've been eating but eat more of it. Well, it sounds easier than it is. Some people start getting tired of cooking and eating and preparing all those meals. So I'll give you some secrets at how you can gain without having to actually prepare and purchase as much food as you would think. Number one, like I said, you want to continue to eat a healthy diet which would be mostly foods from the grains, fruits and vegetable, some protein and lowest in fat. But number two, make sure that the foods that you do choose are calorically dense. By this, I mean, a cup of grapes and a cup of raisins, which both provide with the same nutrients, is going to be very different in calories. Because the raisins are the grapes but dehydrated, without the water, you're going to be able to fit more into that cup. You're going to be able to eat the same amount to get more calories and more of the iron and the other nutrients than you would if you had eaten the grapes. So you want to make sure that the foods that you're eating are calorically dense. Now, also foods in the protein group are also going to usually have some fat in it which also adds calories to your diet. Another good source of protein with high-fat content would be peanut butter. Of course, it has the monounsaturated fat which is healthier than the saturated fat. Lastly, don't be afraid to try to drink some of your calories through supplemental milkshakes such as the ones behind me. This may be an easy alternative than to eating another meal. So number one, when trying to gain weight, it's not a license to eat anything and all you can eat. Try to stick to your healthy diet and just eat more of what you are already eating. Number two, go for calorically dense foods like raisins over the grapes. Number three, don't be afraid to try drinking some of your calories in the form of a supplemental milkshake with added protein such as the ones behind me.

Healthy Food Choices for Weight Gain Video

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