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Losing weight is a tough challenge, but on the other hand, gaining it is equally difficult. There can be many reasons for being underweight, such as recovering from an illness or losing weight as you age. Gaining weight is also important if you are looking to build muscle, and the best way to achieve your desired weight is through the right diet. This includes eating smaller meals more often instead of big ones and adding extra calories to your plate.
In simple words, calories are the amount of energy a food or drink contains. According to the National Health Service of the United Kingdom, there must be a balance between the number of calories consumed and burned every day, as the unused calories are stored in our body as fat. Therefore, to gain weight, it is important to add high-calorie foods to our daily diet. However, increasing calorie count doesn’t mean gobbling up fast foods; a proper selection of foods with the right balance of nutrients must be done.
So, here are five high-calorie foods that can help you gain a healthy weight:
Rice
Rice is a good source of calories that can help you gain weight. According to Healthline, just one bowl of cooked white rice can give you 204 g calories and 44 g of carbs. This versatile food can be easily added to the diet and can be eaten with dal or any of your favourite curries. Being a convenient option, it can be included in both lunch and dinner. The best side dishes with rice are chole, sambhar, rajma and more. Some of the flavoured rice dishes are lemon rice, coconut rice, biryani, pulav, khichdi, chicken rice and more.
Potatoes
Eating potatoes is another convenient way to add calories and carbs to the diet. According to Healthifyme, 100 g of potatoes contain 97 kcal and 1.6 g of protein. This starchy vegetable is also rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, and fibre, which are good for digestive health. Consuming potatoes with healthy fats like olive oil, cheese, or sour cream can give you better results. Potatoes can be included in every meal, from potato sandwiches for breakfast to aloo dum for dinner. You can also cook it along with other vegetables like aloo bhindi and aloo gobi.
Milk
Milk and other full-fat dairy products are known to be ideal sources for gaining weight. Packed with protein, carbs, calcium, calories, fats, and minerals, it is also good for building muscle. Drinking one or two glasses of milk with breakfast or post-workout gives you the best results. If you are bored of drinking milk directly, you can also transform it into smoothies and desserts like kheer. Drinking milk at night also helps add extra kilos to the body.
Salmon
Salmon and oily fish are excellent sources of protein and important healthy fats. According to Healthline, just a 6-ounce fillet of salmon can provide 250 calories and 12 g of healthy fats. Fish is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce the risk of heart disease. You can enjoy salmon in a variety of ways, including steamed, sauteed, grilled, or baked. You can add salmon to both lunch and dinner. Give your weight gain diet an extra flavour by preparing grilled salmon or spicy fried salmon.
Nuts
Nuts like almonds, cashews, walnuts, and peanuts are also dense in calories and can help you gain weight healthily. Being rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats, a handful of mixed nuts can give you enough calories for the whole day. You can also add them to smoothies or switch to nut butter for a better taste. You can enjoy nuts either with your breakfast or as an evening snack.
