Best Foods To Gain Weight. Here, you will read the list of foods for weight gain. To gain weight, you might think that all you have to do is to eat everything that comes your way, But, be careful, this would probably lead you not to achieve your goal and more likely to put your health at risk. Discover the list of the most suitable foods to facilitate weight gain and their recommended portions.
Thin people have the advantage to eat pastries or hamburgers without gaining a gram. In the case of serious thinness, it is not possible to maintain a sufficient weight.
The normal energy intake is 2,000 kcal per day for women or 2,500 kcal for men.
Best Foods To Gain Weight:
However, whatever your concern related to weight is, excess of certain foods or dietary imbalance is detrimental to health. Even when you want to gain weight, it is prudent to have a moderate amount of sweet, fatty foods, and salty foods. Eat by making the right portion size for you. Some portion recommendation is:
-Bread or starches with each meal
-Meat, fish, eggs or legumes 1-2 times a day
-Dairy products 3 times a day
-Fruits or vegetables at least 5 times a day
-Rapeseed or walnut oil every day.
If the key foods for weight gain are sources of protein (facilitating the recovery of muscle mass) and complex carbohydrates (energy suppliers), a good balance remains essential. Discover the list of the most suitable foods to facilitate weight gain.
Eggs:
They contain ideal proteins like amino acids. It corresponds exactly to the needs of the human organism to produce its own proteins, in particular muscle proteins. Eggs can thus help people who are too thin (whose muscle mass is reduced for whatever reason) to regain their strength.
The right dose: Two eggs are equivalent to 100 g of meat or fish. You can eat up to one egg a day, for lunch, dinner, or even breakfast. In the case of hypercholesterolemia, eggs should not be suppressed, but limited to two to three per week. In order to digest them well, cook them in water (shell, soft, hard, poached) or with very little fat.
Meats and poultry:
The proteins in meat and poultry are well balanced. They have amino acids that facilitate I’m gaining muscle mass. Meat and poultry are also among the best sources of vitamins B6, B12, and various micronutrients.
The right dose: 100 to 150 g per serving. Poultry is which is less fatty should be preferred. Do not exceed 500 g per week. Hams provide just as good protein as meats, but as with other deli meats, their consumption should be limited to 25 g per day due to their high salt content.
Fish:
Fishes are rich in good-quality proteins that are useful for the development of muscle mass. Oily fish (herring, mackerel, sardines, salmon) are the best sources of vitamin D. Fish promotes muscle protein synthesis and potentiates the anabolic effect of insulin. Fish also have a good content of vitamin B6.
The right dose: Consume fish 100 to 150 g twice a week, once a fatty fish and once a lean fish (cod, hake, whiting, sole, etc.).
Seafood:
They provide proteins rich in essential amino acids, similar to those of fish. They are among the best sources of vitamin B12 and zinc. Seafood is concentrated in magnesium, which is also involved in the renewal of body proteins.
The right dose: You can provide seafood once a week, possibly replacing a white fish. For a portion, 500 g of shellfish or 200 to 250 g of unshelled crustaceans such as shrimp can be taken. The consumption of raw seafood is not recommended for pregnant women, the elderly or sick people, whose immune defences are weakened.
Milk:
Milk is recommended to take within an hour of physical exercise to optimize muscle mass gain. Its proteins are rich in essential amino acids, especially leucine, which is essential for muscle protein synthesis.
The right dose: 1/2 litre of drinking milk or yoghurt (20 to 25 g) to be consumed sweetened (with 2 tablespoons of chocolate powder or sugar) within an hour of training. Sugar provides the essential energy to produce proteins and helps to replenish the stock of glycogen.
Cheeses:
They provide 20 to 30% protein (largely as much as meat), useful for muscle mass gain. These are “slow” proteins, which can be used by the body within two to five hours of ingestion. They are among the foods richest in calcium, zinc, and vitamin B9
The right dose: One portion of cheese 30 to 50 g per day to be counted among the three recommended daily dairy products.
Dry vegetables:
Lentils, chickpeas, split peas, red or white beans, and broad beans are very good for weight gain. They combine vegetable proteins, whose composition in essential amino acids is almost as interesting as that of meats. They are good sources of magnesium that are useful for muscle synthesis.
The right dose: Consume it several times a week, so you will be able to reduce the meat intake while maintaining a good protein portion. To digest them well, limit their shelf life to one year, let them soak for 12 hours before cooking them (except lentils), cook them long enough (from 20 min to 2 hours depending on the case), and add a pinch of baking soda, savoury or sage in the cooking water.
Soy derivatives:
Juices, desserts, tofu (soybean “cheese”), and tempeh (fermented soybean paste) provide protein. The quality is almost equivalent to that of meat and fish. These foods are among the alternatives to meat in the case of a vegetarian diet. They are also rich in magnesium, which is essential for muscle protein synthesis.
The right dose: It is reasonable to limit yourself to one soy-based food a day. Limit the phytoestrogen intake (plant compounds that have effects similar to female estrogen in the body), especially for women, as they are at risk of breast cancer. These foods are contraindicated in hypothyroidism because phytoestrogens interact with treatment. Opt for calcium-enriched soy juice or desserts (preferably with calcium carbonate or algae called lithothamnium), if you consume them regularly instead of milk or classic yoghurts.
Fruits and vegetables:
These low-energy foods aren’t directly fattening, but they are among the best sources of potassium, a mineral that should be increased if you increase your protein intake. They provide many essential nutrients for health, such as fiber and antioxidant vitamins (C, E, beta-carotene or pro-vitamin A). The latter makes it possible in particular to neutralize the excess of oxidative stress caused by muscular work.
The right dose: Minimum five servings a day, two fruits and three vegetables or vice versa. Vary as much as possible, but favour seasonal products, which are generally richer in micronutrients.
Nuts and seeds:
Almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, etc. contain 20 to 30% protein, a significant contribution for vegetarians, who limit protein sources of animal origin. These oilseeds are rich in unsaturated fats (protective of the cardiovascular system), that provide a lot of energy in a small volume. They are concentrated in potassium, magnesium, and minerals that promote the activity of insulin (anabolic hormone) and the synthesis of muscle proteins.
The right dose: One to two handfuls of nuts or tablespoons of seeds (20 to 40 g) per day, to use as a snack or to add to salads, soups, breakfast cereals, dairy products, etc.
Water:
The need for water is proportional to the energy intake, 1 ml per kcal (2.5 litres for 2,500 kcal). In addition, muscle mass gain, via protein synthesis is conditional on a sufficient water supply.
The right dose: A balanced diet, including fruit and vegetables, dairy products, meat or fish provides about 1 litre of water per day. It remains to drink 1.5 to 2 litres, mainly in the form of water. Do not exceed 3 cups of tea or coffee or even 1 to 2 glasses of wine per day.
featured image source: bbc.co.uk