Are you tired of feeling skinny and planning to gain weight, but don’t know what foods to include in your diet?
Well, gaining weight can be a challenging task, and hitting the gym without having the right understanding of proper diet isn’t a good strategy.
It requires carefully selecting foods that are high in calories and protein. However, figuring out on your own which foods to include in your diet could be quite a tedious task.
But worry not; this article will introduce 7 foods that may contribute to your weight gain.
Challenges in weight gain:
It is a healthy intention to gain weight, but before you start your journey of gaining weight, there are some challenges that you need to be aware of to overcome these obstacles and achieve your intended goal. Just like weight loss, gaining weight comes with its own specific difficulties. Let’s delve into what these challenges are.
Struggle of work balance and improper workout:
It is important to remember that physical activity, such as running or hitting the gym, and gaining weight go hand in hand. But many people, be they students or regular job employees, don’t get sufficient physical activity throughout the day due to their busy schedules.
Even if they do, they often end up doing wrong exercises that aren’t mandatory for weight gain, such as excessive cardio like long-distance running or cycling.
When you’re trying to gain weight, the goal is to eat more calories than your body burns. Therefore, maintaining a routine workout and minimising activities that burn a lot of calories is essential for gaining weight.
Equilibrium of proper workout and proper diet:
So, as we’ve discussed previously, the importance of doing the right workout, we will now explore why just doing the right workout
isn’t enough without incorporating a proper diet into your plan.
While the stereotype of ‘you eat more and you become more’ is true, the question is, what to eat and how does eating work?
Just like excessive workouts without proper food intake can harm your weight gain, focusing more on eating high-caloric foods rich in protein without a proper workout has its own drawbacks too.
You need to understand how protein works and its role in weight gain. Think of protein as building blocks that your body uses to create and rebuild muscles. Once you consume
high-protein foods, the protein will be broken down into smaller particles called amino acids by your body.
Now, when you hit the gym and lift heavy weights, you inflict stress on your muscles. This stress then causes microscopic tears or disruptions in the muscle fibres, which is an essential part of the process to build muscles. Here In this situation, proteins come into play.
The amino acids obtained from the protein you eat act like construction workers; they go to these microscopic tears in the muscle and start repairing them. This repair and rebuilding process is what helps your muscles become stronger and more resistant.
So, if you don’t engage in activities that make your muscles sore, the extra protein that you ate may not be used fully for building muscles, and the amino acids remain idle, having nothing to repair, making the protein intake less efficient.
This is why having a proper balance between protein consumption and physical activity plays a crucial role in gaining weight and building muscle.
7 Foods for Weight Gain
1. Eggs:
Eggs are full of protein and contain all the essential amino acids. They are affordable and easy to make a perfect choice for a morning meal or a full protein snack. (2 large eggs – Calories: 140, Protein: 12 grams, Fibre: 1 gram, carbs: 0.7 grams.)
2. Brown rice:
Being a whole carbohydrate, brown rice provides a consistent release of energy throughout the day. Brown rice helps prevent blood sugar spikes, and the presence of dietary fibre in brown rice helps with digestion too.
(1 Bowl – Calories: 216, Protein: 5 grams, Fibre: 3.5 grams, carbs: 102 grams.)
3. Chicken Thighs:
Chicken thighs are rich in protein and also contain nutrients like iron and zinc, which are also important for overall health.
(3 OZ cooked – Calories: 180, Protein: 19 grams)
4. Red Meat:
Red meat is an excellent source of protein that will help you gain muscle. It is also high in iron, which helps deliver oxygen to your cells, giving you more energy during your workouts, red meat has vitamin B6, iron, vitamin B12 and vitamin D
(3 oz cooked – Calories: 250, Protein: 25 grams)
5. Cheese:
Cheese is a calorie-rich dairy product and contains calcium, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B2, and sodium. It not only helps you gain weight but also contributes to bone and muscle health.
(1 OZ – Protein: 7 grams, Calories: 110, carbs: 1 grams)
6. Pasta:
Pasta is a rich source of carbohydrates and contains nutrients like iron, magnesium, and vitamin B. It is a good food source to have in your diet to increase overall calorie intake.
(1 cup cooked – Protein: 7.5 grams, Calories: 220, Fibre: 6 grams, carbs: 25 grams)
7. Banana:
Bananas are a good source of potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, natural sugars, and fibre. They can also work as a great pre-workout snack for a quick energy boost. Incorporating bananas may be a healthy way of gaining weight.
(One medium-sized – Protein: 1.1 grams, Calories: 105, Fibre: 2.6 grams, carbs: 27 grams)
Conclusion:
In conclusion, gaining weight requires a well-routine workout with proper exercise, and a diet rich in protein and calories. Remember to create a healthy diet plan that includes these 7 foods to achieve your desired weight.
Being high in protein while maintaining the necessary components for weight gain, these foods should be taken in balance on a daily basis.
Create a food intake chart with specifically mentioned intakes and start a weekly measurement strategic approach to see your growth.
Build a stronger you by avoiding the challenges discussed in this article such as maintaining a proper workout routine and avoiding excessive calorie-burning activities.