If some want to gain weight, they have to plan accordingly. They have to be smart about choosing what type of foods they should consume that would be beneficial for their health.
Even though they want to gain a few pounds, it is never a good idea to consume fatty or sugary foods.
Make sure to always pay attention to how much nutrients one meal contains so people can balance their weight gain. Here is what people should focus on if they want to gain weight.
Count the Calories
It is important to distinguish between how many calories we need and how many calories a meal contains. Even though we can’t always get the exact measurements, it is important to know them approximately.
Therefore, if we want to gain one pound, we will need around 3500 calories. So, we will need to consume 500 calories per day.
But, if it is time-consuming for us to count the calories; we can always use an online calorie calculator. However, we should always consider important factors like gender, age, weight, height, and how much we exercise every day.
According to the Institute of Medicine, women at the age of 50 should consume 1,800 calories, and men need around 2,200 to 2,400 calories per day. Once we understand this step, we can pick the right nutrition our body needs.
Be Careful with Carbs
Foods that are rich in carbohydrates are pasta, bread, milk, sweets, and fruits and they can increase blood glucose. Besides, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t eat them. On the contrary, we should.
But, be careful not to eat too much, because it can affect our blood glucose.
Moreover, we should ensure to choose whole grains, various fruits, yogurts, milk, and beans. However, if there is a dairy product that affects our cholesterol or our health, we should avoid them, or drink only 2% of them.
Lastly, it is important to consume carbohydrate foods if we want to gain weight, but we should be very careful. They can increase blood glucose and may affect our medicine. Consult with our doctor if they have negative effects on our health.
Eat Often
It may be hard for us to eat when we aren’t hungry. Therefore, we should try to eat more meals but in smaller portions. So, instead of eating three times a day, try eating six times a day but in small amounts. Of course, always check your blood glucose.
Eat More Fat
Fat has 9 calories, and protein has 4. However, make sure to pick the right fats. This means that we should avoid butter or steak, and focus on meals that we can cook with canola or olive oil. Moreover, add avocados, seeds, and nuts if we need a snack.
If we want to slather something on our bread, go for almond or nut butter. But stay careful and always watch our blood glucose, because too much fat can cause insulin resistance.
More Protein
If our kidneys are healthy, we can consume more protein. We can eat 6-8 ounces of chicken meat with some low-fat cheese or boiled eggs. Plus, we can add some protein powder like yogurt, pudding, milk, oatmeal, pancake, or muffin batter.
But make sure to read the label first.
Avoid Low-Calorie Foods
We don’t have to stop eating these kinds of foods completely, but it is good to not drink too many diet drinks, black tea, and coffee or broth soups. Besides, if we want to gain weight, we will need to focus on foods that contain calories.
We can eat veggies as an appetizer with something else that contains calories.
Lift Weights
It is important not to gain weight too fast. Therefore, we need to exercise regularly and build some muscles. But, make sure not to overdo it because we will want to keep the weight we have already gained.
Consult With a Dietitian
If none of these tips helped or some think they need more guidance, it is always a great idea to consult with a dietitian. Plus, if we don’t know what kind of food to choose, our dietitian can always give a valid recommendation.
Source: Muscle and Fitness | Diabetes UK | Muscle and Fitness
