For many people, gaining weight or muscle can as difficult as reducing weight for others. However, adding certain foods to your diet can make your weight gain efforts both healthy and more effective. So, here are top 10 foods that will help you gain weight and add muscle – in a healthy way.
1. Protein Smoothies
Drinking protein smoothies can be a highly nutritious and quick way to gain weight. Making your own smoothies is the best way. It gives you full control over the flavor and nutrient content. Here are just a few variations you can try. You can combine each with 1 glass of milk or an alternative like almond milk.
Chocolate banana nut shake: Take 1 banana, 1 scoop of chocolate whey protein, and 1 spoon of peanut or nut
Vanilla berry shake: Combine 1 cup of fresh mixed berries, ice, 1 cup of high-protein natural yogurt, and 1 scoop of vanilla whey protein.
Chocolate hazelnut shake: Take around 15 ounces (444 ml) of chocolate milk with 1 scoop of chocolate whey protein, 1 spoon (15 ml) of hazelnut butter, and 1 avocado.
Vanilla blueberry shake: Combine 1 cup (237 ml) of fresh blueberries, 1 scoop of vanilla whey protein, 1 cup (237 ml) of vanilla yogurt, and sweetener if needed.
Super green shake: Combine spinach, avocado, banana, cup (237 ml) of pineapple, and scoop of unflavored or vanilla whey protein.
All these smoothies provide 400–600 calories, along with a high amount of protein and other important vitamins and minerals.
2. Rice
Rice is the most appropriate source of low-cost carb that helps in gaining weight. 1 cup of cooked rice provides 190 calories, 43 grams of carbs and very little fat. It is also calorie-dense, meaning you can easily obtain a high amount of carbs and calories. It helps you eat more food, especially if you have a poor appetite or get full quickly.
When you’re in a rush, two-minute packs of microwavable rice can be easily added to other protein and pre-made meals. Another popular method is to prepare a large pot of rice and combine it with some proteins and fats.
However, large amounts may not be good for your health due to their potential arsenic and phytic acid content. Arsenic can cause toxicity and phytic acid reduces the absorption of zinc and iron.
3. Nuts and Nut Butters
Nuts and nut butter are a perfect choice if you're looking to add weight. Just around 10 almonds contain over 7 grams of protein and 18 grams of healthy fats. Since they’re very calorie-dense just two handfuls per day with a snack can quickly add hundreds of calories. Nut butter can also be added to snacks or dishes, like smoothies, yogurts, and much more.
However, make sure you pick 100% nut butters which exclude added sugar or extra oils.
4. Red Meat
Red meat is one of the best muscle-building foods available. For example, steak contains around 3 grams of leucine per 170 grams. Leucine is the amino acid your body needs to stimulate muscle protein synthesis and add new muscle tissue.
In addition to this, red meats are one of the best natural sources of creatine, which is the world's best muscle-building supplement. Choose fattier cuts, which provide more calories than leaner meats, helping you take in more calories and add weight.
Both lean and fatty types of meat are a good source of protein, as fatty meat provides more calories, which can help you gain weight.
5. Potatoes
Potatoes are a cost-effective way to add in extra calories. Try choosing one of these healthy sources of starchy carbs:
-
Quinoa
-
Oats
-
Corn
-
Buckwheat
-
Potatoes and sweet potatoes
-
Squash
-
Winter root vegetables
-
Beans and legumes
Not only potatoes but other starches add carbs and calories to help you gain weight. They also increase muscle glycogen stores.
6. Salmon and Oily Fish
Salmon and oily fish and oily fish are sources of protein and important healthy fats. Out of all the nutrients that salmon and oily fish provide, omega-3 fatty acids are among the best significant and well-known. They have numerous benefits for your health and fight diseases.
Just a 170-gram fillet of salmon provides around 350 calories and 4 grams of omega-3 fats.
7. Dried Fruit
Dried fruit is a high-calorie snack that also provides antioxidants and micronutrients. You can get many different types of dried fruit. They are very high sugar content and are not ideal for weight loss diets. This makes them great for gaining weight, especially since they’re appropriate to eat and taste great.
While some people think fruits lose most of their nutrients when dried. Dried fruits contain lots of fiber and their vitamins and minerals remain intact.
8. Whole-Grain Bread
Whole-grain bread is another great carbs source to help you gain weight. You can make some very simple high-calorie meals by combining bread with protein sources such as eggs, meat, and cheese. When you purchase bread, aim for natural whole-grain and seeded bread.
9. Cheese
Cheese is a staple food for centuries. As dark chocolate is high in calories and fats. If you eat it in larger quantities it will be a very good source of protein.
Since cheese is tasty, you can add it into most of the dishes and easily add several hundred extra calories.
10. Whole Eggs
Eggs are one of the healthiest muscle-building foods. They provide a great source of high-quality proteins and healthy fats. It's also very important to eat the whole egg than to eat only the white part of the egg. In fact, almost all of the nutrients in eggs are found in the yolk.
As long as you don’t have insularity to eggs, there is no need to limit your egg consumption, you can easily eat three eggs per day. The secret behind gaining weight is eating more calories than you need.
