The media always features weight-loss programs prominently. Did you know that approximately 1.5 per cent of U.S. adults aged 20 and older are suffering from a different problem, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention? They are underweight and must gain weight.
Safe Weight Gain Strategies
For evaluations to determine why you are underweight, consult a doctor. We warn that being underweight is a sign of poor nutrition, pregnancy, or other medical conditions.
You must increase your calorie intake to exceed the number of calories you consume each day if you can lose weight by diet alone. It would be best not to forget to include nutrient-rich foods, such as fruits, in your meal planning.
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics provide a wealth of tips and tricks to help you get more high-quality nutrition in your diet. These include:
- Take small bites of food throughout the day.
- Drink fluids immediately after meals to ensure you have more room for food.
- You can add calorie-rich toppings such as nuts, seeds, nut butter, and grated cheese to foods like soups, salads, and oatmeal.
- You can use milk to make cereals and sneak dry milk powder into soups and mashed potatoes.
Tip
Exercise may be an option depending on the reason you are underweight. Strength training can help you gain muscle mass.
Fruits for weight gain
How can fruits help you lose weight? You might find that the variety of flavours and attractive appearances of fruits can be appealing to you if you have medical conditions or medication that suppress your appetite. Any fruit can be added to cereals, oatmeal, salads and weight-gain or protein shake.
When it comes to fruits for weight loss, there are many options. However, fruits and vegetables are generally not very calorie-dense. Instead of focusing your entire diet on fruit, you can add fruits to other meals or make fruit snacks.
The USDA has provided the following information about the calories of common fruits: All values are for 1 cup of sliced fruit unless otherwise noted.
- Avocados (234 calories)
- Green olives (193 Calories)
- Black olives (142 calories)
- Bananas (134 calories)
- Grapes (104 Calories, 1 Cup Whole)
- Mangoes (100 calories)
- Oranges (85 Calories, 1 Cup in Sections)
- Blueberries (84 Calories, 1 Cup Whole)
- Pineapples (83 calories)
- Peaches (60 calories)
- Apples (57 calories)
- Cantaloupe (53 calories)
- Strawberries (53 calories)
- Watermelon (46 calories)
Calorie-dense fruits such as avocados, grapes, tomatoes, and olives are more likely to help you lose weight than fibrous, watery fruits such as watermelon, cantaloupe, and apples. These fruits are generally lower in calories. You don’t have to wait! Some watery fruits like apples can be used as a vehicle for eating calorie-rich dips such as nut butter.
Another trick is dried fruit. It’s a great way to snack at the office or adds flavour to your favourite dishes. Dried fruit is more calorie-dense than fresh. A cup of raisins has 429 calories, while a cup full of grapes has 104 calories.
You should be aware of one thing when using fruits to aid weight loss: avoid or limit the consumption of prepared fruit, such as juices and fruit cups that have added sugar. Technically, sugar can increase the calorie count. Remember, quality is more important than quantity.
