10 Healthy Foods to Gain Weight For Skinny Girls

According to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2015–2016), only 1.5% of U.S. adults aged 20+ are underweight. In India, however, this percentage jumps up to a solid 25%.

So, If you are reading this article, there is a high probability you are from India. I am also from India. So, Namaste 🙏. Just like you, I was also quite skinny during my high school days.

I managed to gain weight and even muscles just by making small changes in my diet. Now I am at a point in my life where I need to train consistently to keep myself from gaining excess weight.

If you are skinny, here are a few things you need to understand to gain weight properly:

1. Just like weight loss, gaining weight requires effort.
2. Weight Gain = 80% Diet + 20% Exercise.
3. Increasing your calorie intake once in a while is not going to help you in gaining weight. You need to change your diet so that it’s healthy and calorie-rich, and you need to follow it for more than a few months to see results.
4. There can be several reasons why you are skinny; Maybe you have a physical illness or disease, high metabolism or you eat too little to gain weight. So, I would recommend you to consult a doctor to know exactly why you are skinny.
5. You need to consume five-six meals/day to gain weight. Assuming you consume three meals already every day, you can increase this number to five or even six by adding the foods mentioned below to your current diet routine.
6. Just because you are trying to increase your calorie intake doesn’t mean that you can consume anything. For instance, By consuming Junk food, you can easily increase your calorie intake but it will most likely result in the accumulation of fat in your abdominal reason, which will increase the risk of various diseases. So, avoid consuming junk food or empty calories.

In brief, all you need to do is pick two or three items from the list every day and prepare 2-3 calorie-rich meals and add them to your current diet routine.

Here are 10 healthy foods you can add to your diet right away to gain weight:

1. Potatoes

If you are looking for a cost-efficient option to gain weight, Potatoes are what you need. Not only potatoes are gluten-free, they are also rich in vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, folate, magnesium.

Potatoes contain compounds like flavonoids, phenolic acids, which can help in neutralizing free radicals. Moreover, Potatoes can also improve digestive health and blood sugar control.

Nutritional facts: 77 calories, 17 gm carbs, 0.1 gm fat, 2 gm protein per 100 gm

Meal Idea

2. Rice

Rice, a seed of cereal grass, is a staple food of Asia and is consumed by over 3.5 billion people, making it one of the most important dietary carbohydrates in the world.

There are also many types of rice. However, It can be broadly categorized into White and Brown rice. Brown rice is higher in calories, nutrient-rich, and also has a nutty flavor whereas White rice has a neutral flavor and has a longer shelf life.

If you are from India, China, or anywhere in Asia, Then chances are you have been consuming and enjoying various rice recipes for years. All you need to do now is consume a little bit more than you normally consume.

Nutritional facts: 130 calories, 28 gm carbs, 0.3 gm fat, 2.7 gm protein per 100 gm

Meal Idea

3. Whole Eggs

Eggs are the most affordable superfood you can consume every day to gain weight. Not only eggs are loaded with 13 essential vitamins and minerals, but they can also provide the highest quality protein since eggs contain all nine essential amino acids.

Just two eggs contain 50% of your daily folate, 25% of your daily riboflavin, and 82% of your daily vitamin D requirements.

Even if you weren’t trying to gain weight, consuming two eggs every day would still make sense since eggs are loaded with nutrients, some of which are insufficient in the modern diet.

Nutritional facts: 78 calories, 5 g fat, 0.6 gm carbs, 6 gm protein per 50 gm

Meal Idea

4. Cheese

There are many types of cheese. However, if you are trying to gain weight, cheddar cheese is what you should consume. Since out of all the types of cheese, cheddar has the highest fat content.

Cheddar is also a good source of calcium, protein, and vitamin K. Since cheese is a fermented food, it can also help you in maintaining a healthy gut unless you are sensitive to lactose or dairy.

Nutritional facts: 402 calories, 33 g fat, 1.3 gm carbs, 25 gm protein per 100 gm (Full-Fat Cheese, Cheddar)

Meal Idea

5. Nuts and Seeds

A nut is a dry fruit consisting of edible kernels, whereas seeds are the propagative part of the plant. However, both nuts and seeds are high in calories and are excellent sources of protein, fibres, healthy fats, and vitamins.

If you are looking for an effortless way to add calories to your current diet, consuming one or two handfuls of nuts and seeds every day is a great way to add extra calories.

Nuts: Almonds, cashew nuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, walnuts, etc.

Seeds: Chia seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, poppy seeds, psyllium seeds, etc.

6. Milk

Milk is a good source of fats, carbs, protein, vitamins, and minerals. As a result, it can be utilized for weight gain. To add milk to your current routine, all you need to do is drink one or two glasses of milk with or before a meal or as an evening snack.

Nutritional facts: 42 calories, 1 gm fat, 5 gm carbs, 3.4 gm protein per 100 gm

7. Full Fat Yogurt

Yogurt is made from the bacterial fermentation of milk. As a result, depending upon the type of milk, several varieties of yogurt can be created. For instance, yogurt made from skim milk is fat-free, yogurt created from whole milk is full-fat.

Due to the fermentation process, yogurt is also more nutritious than milk.

To gain weight, you need to consume Full-fat yogurt. Moreover, Full-fat yogurt contains nearly all the nutrients your body needs. It contains calcium, vitamin B12, magnesium, potassium, riboflavin, phosphorous, etc.

Nutritional facts: 61 calories, 3.3 gm fat, 4.7 gm carbs, 3.5 gm protein per 100 gm

Meal Idea

8. Meat

Compared to plant food, meat contains a higher level of protein and fat, which means if you eat lots of meat, you will gain weight quickly. Meat also contains other nutrients such as zinc, iodine, vitamins, iron, necessary for muscle growth.

Nutritional facts: 143 calories, 3.5 gm fat, 0 gm carbs, 26 gm protein per 100 gm

Meal Idea

9. Salmon

Just 4 ounces of salmon contains more than 200 calories, healthy fats, protein, making salmon one of the best food for weight gain and muscle building.

Salmon is also rich in nutrients like vitamin B3, B5, B7, B6, B9, B12, vitamin A, iron, potassium, omega-3s, etc.  Moreover, omega-3, omega-6 fatty acids, and potassium present in salmon also contribute to a healthy heart.

Nutritional facts: 208 calories, 13 gm fat, 0 gm carbs, 20 gm protein per 100 gm

Meal Idea

10. Dark Chocolate

This is the only item on the list I think you won’t mind eating.

Dark chocolate is a form of chocolate with cocoa solids and cocoa butter in it. Even though dark chocolate has been around for 3000 years, not much high-quality evidence is present on its health effects.

However, Dark chocolate is a rich source of carbs, fat, protein, and nutrients like copper, magnesium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, making it one of the best foods for weight gain.

Nutritional facts: 546 calories, 61 gm carbs, 4.9 gm protein, 31 gm fat per 100 gm with 70–85 percent cocoa solids

Meal Idea

Conculusion

Just like weight loss, weight gain requires effort. You have to eat healthily and train properly to gain weight.

However, It can also be the start of something new. You can adopt an outdoor sport as a way to train your body and start trying various dishes from different cultures to meet your daily calorie requirement.

This way, not only you will gain weight, but this change will also help you in accumulating new life experiences, which were until now out of your grasp.

P.S Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this article on Foods to Gain Weight, feel free to share it. Moreover, leave a question down below in the comment section if you have any

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