Whatever the reason, gaining extra pounds is not as easy as it may seem. On the contrary, gaining weight in a healthy way can be challenging. Experts suggest that the main goal of gaining weight in a healthy way is to provide your body with enough calories to add pounds without packing up on unhealthy fats and preservatives.
If you are on a mission to gain pounds in a healthy way, you need to maintain a strict diet and fitness regime to get the desired result. The secret is to consume more calories than you are burning. Check out the following guidelines to gain weight in a healthy way.
Calorie Count -
According to experts, the recommended calorie intake for men is around 2,500 and 2,000 for women per day. You need to consume an extra 500 calories daily in order to gain pounds. Your calorie consumption needs to increase by 500 in two weeks, but never be higher than 3,500 calories per day. You need to eat six meals around the same time daily, and your calorie intake should spread evenly with your meals. For instance, if your breakfast consists of 500 calories, then your last meal should have 300 calories.
Complex Carbohydrates -
Carbohydrates give energy to your body, and if consumed in huge amounts can cause extra pounds. Simple carbohydrates like sugar quickly provide energy without offering any nutritional value. You need to have complex carbohydrates in order to gain weight. Complex carbohydrates have high nutritional value and are found mainly in multi-grain bread, pasta, yoghurt, oatmeal, milk fruits and vegetables.
Saturated Fat -
Even though saturated fats help you to gain weight, they are not healthy as they can cause obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart problems. Saturated fat can be found in foods like red meat, poultry, and dairy products. Moderate your intake of fatty foods with healthy alternatives. If you are willing to have protein without meat, fish can be used as a healthy replacement since it provides additional nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids as well as protein. Omega-3 fatty acids help in controlling your cholesterol and blood pressure level.
Healthy Diet -
You need to stick to a healthy diet to gain weight. According to Alice Bender, nutrition expert from American Institute for Cancer Research, "Weight gain requires not only eating calorie-rich, but also nutrient-rich foods - not just high-calorie foods with lots of fat, sugar, or empty calories." The focus is to eat foods that are packed with minerals, nutrients, vitamins, and calories so that your diet is packed with good nutrition.
Muscle Mass -
Professor of Georgia State University Christine Rosenbloom says, "Athletes who want to gain muscle need to add enough calories and protein along with adequate weight training to make sure they gain weight in the right places". A sample of a healthy meal must include vegetable salads, turkey sandwich with mayonnaise as well as fruits. So eat wisely to gain an average of half pound to 1 pound every week.
Each of these strategies will help you gain weight in a healthy way. Try balancing your diet with proteins, carbohydrates and essential nutrients.
