In today’s world, a slim person is praised more while being chubby is looked upon as a taboo. But in reality, being slim is not always good because when your weight is lower than normal weight for your height it can be a sign of a health issue. We should always aim for a healthy weight for healthy living.
We always think that losing weight is the hardest thing to do but for a few people gaining weight is no less than a challenge. For losing weight people know a lot of fancy diets and restrictions but, when it comes to weight gain people don’t know what to do.
Most people keep on eating anything to gain weight. But the very fact is even if you want to gain weight you need a healthy food diet for safe weight gain. Overconsumption of fatty and sugary food can cause harm to your body.
Which Food Is Best For Weight Gain?
If you are looking for weight gain, choose your food items wisely. Consuming an excessive amount of fried food and sugar-rich food items (like donuts, sweets, soda, Mithai, etc) may facilitate you initially in weight gain but it can surround you with many other health problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and blood pressure.
It is essential to opt healthier approach for weight gain rather than just gaining unhealthy belly fat. Healthy weight gain involves a balanced amount of muscle mass and subcutaneous fat. So it’s important to eat healthy food even if you want to gain weight.
Why Do We Need To Gain Weight?
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World reports that just about 690 million people globally were undernourished (or hungry) in 2019, up by 10 million from 2018. In percentage terms, the prevalence of undernourishment within the total population in India declined from 21.7 % in 2004-06 to 14 % in 2017-19.
Weight loss is a serious issue all over the world and it can cause health problems. Being underweight is not good for your health it can lead to weak immunity, fragile bone, or feeling weak and tired. There may be many reasons for being underweight.
Some individuals are genetically underweight or have a fast metabolism. Underweight also indicates poor nutrition and other underlying health conditions. Whether you‘re clinically underweight or simply want to gain some weight the main principle is the same.
The body mass index (BMI) calculator is used to find out your healthy weight range by using your height and weight. The normal range of BMI is between 18.5 to 24.5.
- If you are below 18.5 = you are in the underweight range
- If you are in between 18.5-24.9 = You are in the healthy weight range
- If you are between 25-29.9 = You are in the overweight range
- If you are between 30-39.9 = You are in the obese range
These calculations may vary for a person who is an Athlete or has a significant amount of fat. A person should always aim to maintain a healthy BMI. Working with professionals will make you’re your weight gain journey much easier and in a healthy way.
Can You Exercise While Trying To Gain Weight?
Since we are talking about weight gain people usually avoid doing any form of exercise. People think that while doing exercise they will reduce further so they avoid it.
But the fact is walking, Asanas and yoga will help you to maintain optimal weight and also build up muscles. Avoid exercise if your doctor asked you to do so.
Tips To Boost Your Calorie Intake:
If you want some weight gain for any reason, then there are many healthy ways that you can try. Healthy and high-energy-rich food are good for weight gain. Incorporating nutritious dense calorie food into your diet routine can help in gaining weight.
Some key components include:
1. Adding snacks: High protein and whole grain carbohydrate or complex carbohydrate snacks are a good choice for weight gain. Peanut butter crackers, nuts, and seeds, trail mix, and hummus with pita chips or salad are a few examples.
2. Small and frequent meals: Few people can’t tolerate large meals. So instead of having three major meals, it’s good to have small and frequent meals throughout the day.
3. Avoid empty caloric food or drinks: Avoid drinking or eating empty good calorie food that is high in salt and sugar.
4. Incorporating additional food: Including a calorie-dense but healthy option as an additional food to your existing diet is beneficial for weight gain. Like putting Nuts and seeds on the top of cereal or yogurt, peanut butter on whole wheat toast, and chia seeds on the top of milkshakes or soups.
Being Underweight or Low Body Weight Can Cause Health Problem:
Being underweight can cause many health issues even being overweight. Underweight or low body weight is linked to nutritional deficiencies(malnourished) especially iron-deficiency anemia, and other problems such as osteoporosis, weak immune system, feeling tired, delayed wound healing, more susceptibility to infection, and fragile bones and teeth.
1. Nutritional deficiencies: If you have low body weight it’s more likely your body is lacking nutrients that are required by your body to function properly. It means that you are not eating a healthy balanced diet.
Nutritional deficiency like calcium is required to maintain strong bones and teeth if calcium intake is low then the probability of osteoporosis or fragile bone disease increase. A Deficiency of iron can cause anemia that may make you feel tired all the time.
2. Weak immunity: Your body doesn’t work properly if you are underweight. You are more susceptible to infections because your body is weak and unable to fight bacteria and viruses.
3. Skin hair problem: Whatever we eat reflects on our skin and if a person is not taking enough nutrients they may show some physical symptoms like dry and damaged hair, hair fall, and dry skin.
4. Irregular periods and premature birth: It is very common for women who are underweight to have irregular periods or sometimes they find menstruation stops and absent periods can cause infertility. A woman who is pregnant and underweight is at higher risk of premature delivery.
Best Food to Gain Weight Faster:
Milk: Milk is a great source of calories, protein, and beneficial nutrients that may help you safely gain weight and build muscle. To extend your intake, try to include it with meals or add it to smoothies, soups, eggs, or hot cereals. For those trying to feature more muscle, milk is a superb protein source that has both casein and whey proteins. Research has even shown it can facilitate our muscle when combined with weightlifting
1. Homemade protein shake:
Protein forms the building blocks of your muscles. Eating sufficient protein is required to gain weight in addition to other nutrients. These drinks provide dense caloric nutrients like protein carbs, fats, and other vitamins and minerals.
When selecting ingredients for protein weight gain smoothies try to opt for nutrient-dense whole foods that also pack calories. Few examples: chocolate banana nut shake, chocolate avocado with flax seeds, Green smoothie with yogurt, oats banana smoothie with chia seeds, berry smoothie with egg whites.
2. Dry fruits:
Dried fruits, such as dates, prunes, apricots, figs, sultanas, currants, and raisins, contain more calories than their fresh counterparts, making them great options for healthy weight gain. Additionally, they have a tendency to pack 3–5 times more micronutrients.
3. Rice:
Rice is a convenient, low-cost carb source to help you gain weight. Just 1 cup which is around 158 grams of cooked white rice gives you 204 calories, 44 grams of carbs, and extremely little fat . Rice is also adequately calorie-dense, which means you can easily acquire a high amount of carbs and calories from a single serving.
4. Nuts and nuts butter:
Nuts and nut butter are perfect choices if you’re looking to gain weight. Just a handful of raw almonds (1/4 cup) contains 170 calories, 6 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and 15 grams of healthy fats.
And for nut butter or spread at 90 calories per tbsp, peanut butter for weight gain wins the race. As it is rich in proteins, it keeps you satiated for a long time and you can easily avoid unnecessary bingeing on junk food.
5. Red meat:
Consuming red meat has been shown to assist with building muscle and gaining weight. Red meat is a superb source of protein that will facilitate muscle gain.
It also contains leucine and an amino acid (organic compound) that helps stimulate muscle protein synthesis. The fattier the red meat, the more calories you’ll soak up.
6. Starch:
Starches help some of the foods already listed to boost muscle growth and weight gain. They add bulk to meals and boost the number of calories consumed. Other foods rich in starches include potatoes.
7. Salmon and Oily Fish:
170 grams of salmon contains about 240 calories, and salmon is additionally rich in healthy fats, making it an honest choice for those looking for weight gain. It also contains many nutrients and omega 3 fatty acids and protein.
8. Whole eggs:
Eggs are very versatile and can be cooked in a number of ways, including boiling, poaching, frying, baking, and scrambling. It provides you with high-quality protein and fats. It is important to eat whole eggs. You can eat up to 3 eggs per day if you want.
9. Full-fat yogurt:
Full-fat yogurt is an easy and healthy snack. It is a good combination of carb protein and fats. You can add fresh fruits or dried fruits, seeds, and dark chocolate on top of it. Another way to add yogurt to your diet is to add it to smoothies.
10. Whole grain food:
Whole grain is another good carb source to gain weight. Choose whole grain as your base diet like wheat, barley, oats, whole grain bread, pasta, rice, paratha, and many other starchy food items. You will be able to make some very simple, high-calorie, and well-balanced meals by combining bread with protein sources like eggs, meat, and cheese.
11. Healthy fats and oils:
It is important to add healthy oils and fats into your diet routine especially if you want to gain weight. Stick to Healthy fats like Extra virgin olive oil, Avocado oil, Virgin coconut oil, and desi ghee is a good choice.
7 Day 2000 Calorie Indian Diet Chart For Weight Gain
| Day 1 | Diet Plan |
| Early morning | 1 Glass Milk + 8-9 Overnight Soaked & Peeled Almonds |
| Breakfast | Vegetable Poha+ Chutney + Buttermilk |
| Mid-morning | 2 Boiled Eggs + Any Fruits ( Portion 1) |
| Lunch | 2 Roti + 1 Cup Dal+ Aloo Gobhi Veg + Mix Dal 1 cup +Curd + Salad |
| Evening | Paneer Sandwich of 2 Whole Wheat Bread + Green Tea/ Tea/ Coffee |
| Dinner | 2 Besan Roti + Green Vegetable + Cucumber Raita |
| Bedtime | 1 Glass of Milk With a Pinch of Turmeric |
| Day 2 | Diet Plan |
| Early morning | 1 Glass Milk+ 2-3 Overnight Soaked Figs |
| Breakfast | 3 Egg Omelet +2 Multigrain Vegetables+ Tea/Coffee/Green Tea |
| Mid-morning | Fruit Platter (1 Quarter Plate) |
| Lunch | Salad +2 Roti or 100 gm Cooked Rice +Aloo Gajar Matar Veg+ Dal/Fish or Chicken Curry 1 Cup |
| Evening | A handful of Peanuts + Tea/Coffee/ Green Tea |
| Dinner | Salad + 2 Roti or 1 Cup Rice + Paneer Bhurji + Curd or Raita 1 Cup |
| Bedtime | 1 Glass of Milk With a Pinch of Turmeric |
| Day 3 | Diet Plan |
| Early morning | 1 Glass Milk+ 1 tsp Flax Seeds |
| Breakfast | 2 Roti+ Vegetable (1 bowl)or2 Stuffed Vegetable Roti + Curd ( 1 Bowl) or Raita |
| Mid-morning | Pineapple 1 Cup + Coconut Water |
| Lunch | Salad + 2 Roti or 1 Cup Rice + Soya Matar Vegetable 1 Cup+ 1 Glass Buttermilk |
| Evening | Banana Milkshake(1 Glass) With1 tsp Chia Seeds |
| Dinner | Salad + 2 Roti or 1 Cup Rice + Fish Curry/ Palak Paneer+ Curd or Raita 1 Cup |
| Bedtime | 1 Glass of Milk With a Pinch of Turmeric |
| Day 4 | Diet Plan |
| Early morning | 1 Glass Milk+ 8-9 Soaked and Peeled Almonds |
| Breakfast | 4-5 Idli + Sambhar (1Bowl)+ Chutney |
| Mid-morning | Orange or Mosambi + Sprouts Chaat |
| Lunch | Salad+ 2 Roti or 1 Cup Rice +Mix Veg +Rajma 1 Cup+ Raita or Curd 1 Cup |
| Evening | Sunflower And Pumpkin Seeds (25 Grams)+ Tea/Coffee/ Milk/Green tea |
| Dinner | Salad + 2 Roti or 1 cup Rice +Lauki Channa Dal 1 Cup + Curd 1 Cup |
| Bedtime | 1 Glass of Milk With a Pinch of Turmeric |
| Day 5 | Diet Plan |
| Early morning | 1 Glass Milk+1 Banana |
| Breakfast | Vegetable Upma 1 bowl + Coconut Chutney+ 1 Glass Buttermilk |
| Mid-morning | Apple + 2 Boiled Eggs |
| Lunch | Salad + 2 Roti or 1 Cup Rice + Methi Aloo + Arhar Dal 1 Cup |
| Evening | Mix Fruit platter + Bhuna Channa (30 gram) |
| Dinner | Salad + 2 Roti or 1 Cup Rice + |
| Bedtime | 1 Glass of Milk With a Pinch of Turmeric |
| Day 6 | Diet Plan |
| Early morning | 1 Glass Milk + 1 Tsp Flax Seeds |
| Breakfast | 2-3 Moong Dal Cheela + Chutney+ Buttermilk 1 Glass |
| Mid-morning | Papaya Platter |
| Lunch | Salad + 2 Roti or 1 Cup Rice + Kadhi Pakoda 1 Cup / Fish /Chicken Curry (150 Grams)+ Gobhi Aloo Vegetable 1 Cup |
| Evening | Banana Milkshake + 1 Katori Boiled Chana Chaat |
| Dinner | Salad + 2 Roti or 1 Cup Rice + 1 Cup Paneer Bhurji+ Mix Veg |
| Bedtime | 1 Glass of Milk With a Pinch of Turmeric |
| Day 7 | Diet Plan |
| Early morning | Milk + Soaked and Peeled 8-9 Almonds |
| Breakfast | Vegetable Daliya (1 bowl)+ Buttermilk 1 Glass |
| Mid-morning | Homemade Soup+ Sprouts Chaat |
| Lunch | Salad + 2 Roti or 1 Cup Rice + Chickpea (chole 1 cup)+ Dry Aloo Veg |
| Evening | Sattu Milkshake |
| Dinner | Salad + 2 Roti or 1 Cup Rice + Ghia + Moong Dal 1 Cup |
| Bedtime | 1 Glass of Milk With a Pinch of Turmeric |
You might also like this:
Conclusion:
It is important to eat healthy food even if you are trying to gain weight. For weight gain, you need more calories than you burn. Base your diet on energy-dense food as much as possible, as they contain many calories relative to their weight without processed sugar or unnatural ingredients.
Eating properly and exercising optimally will help you for sure in gaining a healthy weight. It is observed that if you are under stress nothing is going to work so it is important o keep your mind happy, cheerful, and enthusiastic in whatever you do.
Try to do some meditation that will help you to keep your stress level low. Get quality sleep. The amount of time takes to gain weight vary person to person, it can take a long time but try to be consistent if you want to succeed in the long run.
