PT Health Life – Many people who are underweight often have difficulty gaining weight. To gain weight in a healthy way, you should increase the nutrient-rich foods suggested below…
Being underweight is defined as having a body mass index BMI < 18.5. Not only does it affect your body shape, being underweight also leads to a weak immune system. Especially for women who are underweight, their fertility is also significantly affected. Therefore, if you are underweight, adjusting your diet to gain weight is necessary.
However, this does not mean that you can eat and drink whatever you want, as much as you want. Eating a lot of unhealthy foods such as fried foods and sweets will help you gain weight, but also comes with health risks.
Especially if you gain weight entirely from accumulated fat, you still have the potential risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes like people who are overweight, because the ratio of fat to muscle mass in the body is too high. high, affecting metabolic functions. Even if you have a slim figure, you can still have a high fat percentage and fatty internal organs if you do not pay attention to your diet.
Therefore, to gain weight healthily, you should:
1. Eat more calories than you need to burn
On average, to gain healthy weight, you should eat 300-500 calories more than your average daily calorie consumption. For example, you need 1500 calories/day, you should eat 1800-2000 calories/day to gain weight. Instead of eating 3 main meals, divide it into 5-6 small meals throughout the day to ensure you get enough calories.
2. Eat lots of protein
Protein plays an important role in your daily diet, whether you want to gain or lose weight. If you don’t eat enough protein, the excess calories you eat will turn into fat. Therefore, prioritize eating protein and starch first at each meal – because these are the two most energy-rich nutritional groups, then eat vegetables – because high-fiber vegetables can make you feel full early and not eat enough. protein and starch.
Protein-rich foods include meat, fish, eggs, seafood, beans, tofu, dairy products, cashews, almonds, chia seeds…
3. Eat plenty of starch and healthy fats at every meal
Besides protein, people who need to gain weight should eat plenty of foods rich in starch and healthy fats in every meal, at least 3 meals a day, and in snacks between main meals.
– The types of starch you should eat include rice, bread, cereals, oats, noodles, potatoes, fruits…
– Fats you should eat include salmon, avocado, almonds, nuts, cheese, olive oil…
4. Add some energy-rich foods
– Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, maca nuts, cashews, peanuts… are all ‘super foods’ that provide energy, protein and fat. You can combine these nuts in many dishes to increase your energy intake. At snacks, sipping a mixture of nuts and dried fruits is also an option for healthy weight gain.
– Dried fruits: Raisins, dried dates, prunes, dried apricots… are all rich in nutrients and have a lot of calories. You can add 1 – 2 tablespoons of dried fruit to main meals, eat dessert after main meals, or add to snack snacks (served with yogurt, cereal…).
– Whole milk products: Add milk, cheese, full cream yogurt, and especially whole milk powder to your meals. For example, adding 1 – 2 spoons of milk powder to meat stews, soups, noodle sauces… can increase the quality and energy of the food.
– Peanut butter: Peanut butter or nut butter is often spread on bread or served with rice. They provide lots of calories, protein and healthy fats, which are very helpful for underweight people.
5. Notes for healthy weight gain
To create conditions for your body to store energy into muscle and fat for healthy weight gain, you need to note:
- Do not drink water before eating, to reduce the possibility of feeling full at the beginning of the meal.
- Use a larger bowl/plate to eat more.
- Get enough and deep sleep, stay mentally relaxed, avoid stress – this is very important for the body to synthesize new muscles.
- Stay away from bad habits such as smoking, using alcohol, stimulants…
- Exercising, especially strength training with free weights 2-3 times a week, can stimulate the body to convert more calories into muscle than fat.
