Eat more for weight gain – quality first, quantity second

Eat more for weight gain – quality first, quantity second

Underweight usually occurs when energy (kilojoule) intake is less than the energy used. In other words, you need to eat more in order to gain weight. 

The secret to healthy weight gain is to make all your kilojoules as nutrient-rich as possible. Consuming more empty-calorie foods like soft drinks and chips is not a successful way to build muscle, strengthen bones or repair tissue after surgery. 

Suggestions include:

• Use a kilojoule-counter book to calculate how many kilojoules you eat on an average day. (1 kilojoule = 239.005736 calories)
  

• The amount may be smaller than you think.

• Eat three good meals every day. 

• Give yourself slightly larger serves if you can.

• If you have a small appetite, eat five to six times a day. 
  

• Drink fluids before and after meals, but not with them. This helps leave more room for food.

• Successful weight gain requires that you increase your daily intake of carbohydrates. Avoid low carbohydrate diets.
  

• Eating vast amounts of dietary protein won’t make your muscles grow faster and will put unnecessary pressure on your body, especially your kidneys. 

• Avoid high-protein diets.
  

• A healthy snack may include fruit, yoghurt, muffin, rice pudding, low-fat custard, milkshake or liquid meal supplement.

• Avoid high-fat junk foods. Instead, choose nutritious high-fat foods such as avocado or nuts.

• Top your usual foods with some concentrated calories, like grated cheese. Spread peanut or almond butter on a wholegrain muffin.

• Prepare hot oatmeal or other cereal with milk, not water. Add powdered milk, margarine, honey, dried fruits and/or nuts after cooking.

• Garnish salads with healthy oils such as olive oil, whole olives, avocados, nuts and sunflower seeds.

• Pump up soups, casseroles, mashed potatoes and liquid milk with one to two tablespoons of dry milk powder.

Source 

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/