High calorie recipes are great for daily weight gain as they provide a higher amount of calories, that are mostly made up of good macronutrients, which will help you to gain weight at a faster pace and in the healthiest way possible. These High-Calorie Fruits for weight gain will do for great snacks that taste amazing and are full of nutrition.
A good high calorie food is important for body, as the body works a lot in gaining energy from meals and many times, we feel hungry between our meals. A good healthy diet is needed as well as having a proper daily exercise routine. Learning about the best high-calorie foods can help you to keep your body operate properly and fit. Below are some of the benefits of gaining weight
High Calorie Recipes For Weight Gain
BREAKFAST CEREALS
If you are on a gain-weight-fast diet program, just eat 10 or 20 grams more than the recommended portion size of your favorite breakfast cereal. A lot of your favorite breakfast cereals are high calorie foods, and they’re a favorite snack for many people — you don’t have to stick to eating them at breakfast. Anyway, if you get carried away and overfill your bowl, you have the rest of the day to burn off those excess calories. 31
PASTA
A 2-ounce serving of cooked pasta contains only 75 calories. It’s the rest of the ingredients, such as the meatballs on the spaghetti, which contribute to this being a high-calorie dish. Of course, pasta does have a lot of carbs, so it’s apt to be more filling. You’ll want to remember the ratio if you’re trying to put on some extra pounds.
It’s such a good dish that I bet you are still drooling puddles after that description. I wish I had a pic but alas the drooling clogged my head and I just stared at it.
PEANUT BUTTER
Spread a couple of tablespoons of smooth, salted peanut butter on bread. It gives you 192 calories! Plus, there are dozens of other ways to eat peanut butter, from making milkshakes and smoothies to having a nice, gooey peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And don’t forget, it’s super high in protein, so it’s not that bad for you, anyway!
CHOCOLATE NUT SPREAD
A 100-gram serving of chocolate nut spread has 541 calories so you’ll really pack on the pounds by munching on these sweets. Nutellla is also increasing in popularity the world over, so it’s easy to find pretty much wherever you live. You can follow the advice on the commercials and spread it on whole wheat toast, or you can just enjoy the delicious, chocolaty goodness of this high calorie food!
CHEESE
One serving of the good old cheddar cheese packs a good 69 calories. However, there are so many other, more decadent options you can choose from! How does a smear (or five) of warm, gooey brie sound right now? Maybe with some apples or pears, or spread on your favorite kind of cracker … yum!
Cheese is basically concentrated milk, so its nutrition value is similar. This means high in protein and calcium but also high in fat, cholesterol and cheese calories.
DRESSINGS
Depending on the type of dressing and the amount that you will pour on to your favorite salad dish, it can pack 50 to as much as 85 calories for each 1-tablespoon serving. If you’re trying to give yourself some curves, quit ordering your salads dry! Choose something delicious and creamy, like a Parmesan/peppercorn dressing.
BUTTER/MARGARINE
Salted butter has 36 calories for each 5-gram serving. The calories should pile up, depending on the thickness of the butter or margarine that you’ll spread on the bread. The great thing is, you don’t have to relegate butter to a spread. Toss out the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter and start using the real thing in your day to day cooking when you don’t want to be as slender as you are. Go all out, even, and try Julia Childs’ roast chicken!
CHOCOLATE
One mini-chocolate or candy bar can contain 37 calories. It tastes a lot more decadent than that, doesn’t it? Different types of chocolate have different ratios, of course, but if you have a sweet tooth and you want to put on some extra weight, why not try them all? Chocolate, too, can be used in myriad ways, and there’s no better time to experiment!
WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
You can eat healthy and pack on pounds at the same time by eating whole wheat bread instead of the overly processed white bread. One slice of the brown variant contains 69 calories. Make no mistake, it is healthier, since it’s more natural than its processed counterpart. Even healthy nutrients can make you bulk up.
GUACAMOLE
Aside from being good for the heart, a creamy batch of guacamole ups the ante in your weight-gain program. A 261-gram serving contains as much as 360 calories. This is slightly off-topic, but eating a lot of guacamole — and avocado, in general — will also make your hair and skin extremely soft.
Avocado is one of the most recommended fruits as well as a food for bodybuilding and medicine for cholesterol-related heart disease.
YOGURT
The fruit-flavored, non-fat yogurt can give you as much as 118 calories for a 125-gram serving. Many people don’t realize it’s a high calorie food, because it is good when you’re on a diet, as well. It’s all about what kind you eat, and how much of it you eat.
High Calorie Fruits for Weight Gain
Are you trying to put on some weight or muscle? Then eating more fruit is probably not on your list.
After all, fruit is supposed to be diet food, right? Not exactly.
There are actually some fruits that are high in calories. And as you know, more calories equals more weight gain.
So today, I’m sharing 10 High-Calorie Fruits That Will Help You Gain Weight. Not only will these fruits help you gain weight, but they are nutritious too.
To keep your fruit fresh longer, you can store your fruit in these reusable green bags. They slow down the ripening process.
So your produces stays fresh up to 10 times longer.
1. Bananas
Bananas make for the perfect snack on the run. Put a banana or two in your bag – and you’re all set.
What’s more, one banana (126 grams) contains 112 calories. It also contains potassium and magnesium.
These are electrolytes that may reduce muscle cramps. So they’re perfect after a tough workout.
Besides eating bananas as a snack, you can freeze them to make sorbet. You can also use them in your baking.
My favorite way to use them is making banana bread. Or you can add your bananas to high-calorie smoothies.
2. Avocados
Yes, I know what you may be wondering – “Isn’t avocado a vegetable?”. No, avocadoes are actually fruits.
And they’re packed with calories. One avocado (201 grams) contains 322 calories.
It also contains a ton of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. It also provides almost 60% of your daily fiber requirements.
And there are several ways to eat avocado. You can just eat it straight with a spoon or use it in smoothies or milkshakes. You can also use it to make avocado toast for breakfast.
Looking for another avocado idea? Give my Avocado Egg Bake a try!
3. Coconut
Coconut is all the rage right now because of its many health benefits. And it doesn’t hurt that coconut tastes so delicious.
What’s more, 1 cup (80 grams) of shredded coconut contains 283 calories. Most of these calories come from MCT fats.
These are health-promoting fats. Coconut also contains manganese and phosphorus, which are good for your bones.
Coconut is quite yummy on its own. You can also add some to your yogurt or cereal.
On top of it, you can add it to smoothies or milkshakes. You can also use coconut to make sweets like my Coconut Protein Balls.
They’re no-bake and pretty easy to make.
All you’ll need to make them are unsweetened shredded coconut, honey, and water.
You’ll also need almond flour and vanilla protein powder which you can get here.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, apart from a bit of the coconut. Using the mixture, form small balls.
Roll them in the rest of the coconut. Place on a parchment-paper-lined plate.
Refrigerate for about two hours.
4. Mango
Feeling the Island vibes? Snack on some mangoes.
One mango (210 grams) contains 126 calories. It is also rich in Vitamin C, which aids your immune system.
It also contains copper, folate, and Vitamin E, which may boost your immune system.
Besides eating mango as a snack, you can also use it to make fruit salad. You can also add it to smoothies or Greek yogurt.
You can also toss it on the grill or a grill pan for a summer barbecue. Or you can use it in my summery Chipotle Chicken Salad.
5. Passion Fruit
Looking for another tropical fruit? Try some Passionfruit
It’s a sweet purple fruit with edible seeds. One cup of Passion Fruit (236 grams) contains 229 calories.
And it provides 100% of your daily fiber needs. It is also rich in magnesium, which may boost mental health.
You can just eat the fruit on its own. Or you can add it to Greek yogurt and salads.
You can also use it in cocktails or to flavor your water.
Best High-Calorie Food
Whole Grain Cereals
The whole grains have a plethora of health benefits due to its low content of trans-fats and saturated fats.
The unsaturated fats provide healthy calories, along with the essential carbohydrates. Wheat, barley, and oats are staples in an everyday diet that can contribute as healthy food to gain weight.
There are many ways to eat cereal. Apart from bread, they can be eaten as porridge, pita or roti as a side dish.
- Place grain, fruit, coconut oil and cinnamon in a pot with boiling water and let it simmer.
- Cooking time will depend on grains. Cook until the grains are tender but there is still water in the pot. Stir in additional water or milk substitute until desired consistency is achieved.
- Transfer to a bowl and stir in ground flax and fresh fruit.
Fish
Fish is an important food item on our list of food to gain weight fast. Seafood, like Salmon, is rich in omega fatty acids that contribute towards brain functioning.
Six ounces of salmon will contain about 240 calories, making it a good choice for those looking to gain weight. It also contains many nutrients, including omega-3 and protein.
A homemade butter garlic salmon is delicious. Make it with the following recipe:
- Arrange salmon fillets and broccoli florets on a lightly greased sheet pan.
- Prepare the butter sauce.
- Rub the minced garlic over the salmon fillets and pour the butter mixture over the salmon and broccoli.
- Squeeze lemon juice over everything and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake salmon in a preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.
Cheese
Cheese is a good source of fat, protein, calcium, and calories. A person should select full-fat cheese since it is a food to increase weight.
Shredding moderate amounts of cheese in sandwiches, curries provides good calories that additionally build up in our body to assist weight gain.
Yogurt
Full-fat yogurt can also provide protein and nutrients.
Avoid flavoured yogurts and those with lower fat contents, as they often contain added sugars. Yogurt is a staple in our weight gain food list and can be eaten as a delicious salad dip:
- Whisk full-fat yogurt until it is creamy.
- Add cucumber, carrots, beetroot and crushed pepper.
- Add ranch dressing to it and serve with sliced carrots and chips.
Whole Grain Pasta
Pasta can provide a calorically dense and carbohydrate-rich path to healthy weight gain.
Avoid bleached pasta, and opt for those made with whole grains. Making a fresh meal with whole-grain pasta recommended as a nutritious meal.
You can find a masala pasta recipe below:
- Sauté garlic, onion, chilli and tomato puree until mixture thickens.
- Add 2 tbsp of turmeric powder and garam masala powder to the mix.
- Add 3 tbsp corn, ½ cup capsicum and ½ cup carrots to the mix.
- Add boiled pasta and mix gently until sauce coats it well.
Red Meat
Eaten historically and universally by muscle-builders, red meat provides both protein and fat, which promote weight gain.
For example: Steak contains both leucine and creatine, nutrients that play a significant role in boosting muscle mass. While a person is advised to limit their intake, leaner cuts of red meat are healthier for the heart than fattier cuts.
You can find a recipe for Indian lamb curry below:
- Heat the cooking oil in a pan over medium heat.
- When hot, sauté the onions and drain on paper towels. Turn off heat.
- In a food processor, pulse the onions tomatoes, garlic, and ginger pastes together into a smooth paste,
- Reheat the oil leftover from frying the onions and add the reserved paste. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, red chili powder, and garam masala, and mix well.
- Add the lamb pieces to the mixture, and stir to fully coat. Sauté until the lamb is browned well.
- Cook until the lamb is tender. Season with salt to taste.
Protein shakes
Protein shakes can help a person to gain weight easily and efficiently. A shake is most effective at helping to build muscle if drunk shortly after a workout. Weight gain is achieved largely in part of the whey protein in shakes.
A chocolate banana peanut butter protein shake can be made by:
- Mix chocolate, peanut butter and banana in a mixer blender.
- Add yogurt to the mixture and make a smooth shake. Dilute with water according to taste.
Milk
It offers a mix of fat, carbohydrates, and proteins. It is also an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, including calcium. The protein content of milk makes it a good choice for people trying to build muscle.
It is recommended to drink 2 glasses of milk per day.
Eggs
Eggs are a good source of protein, healthy fat, and other nutrients. Most nutrients are contained in the yolk. The egg whites are a rich source of protein and help in muscle buildup.
A delicious cheese omelette can be prepared as follows:
- Whisk 2 large eggs in a bowl until it is light and fluffy.
- Add chopped onions, green chilli and coriander to the mix.
- Heat a pan on medium heat and saute butter.
- Add the omelette mixture to the hot pan and let it cook.
- Shred cheese on top of the omelette and serve.
Quinoa
Quinoa is high in fiber and high-quality protein. It contains more protein than any other grain while also packing in iron and potassium. Quinoa has 222 calories per serving, making it a suitable food for weight gain, with 39 grams of carbs and 4 grams of fat too. It also contains a small amount of omega-3 fatty acids.
Quinoa is one of the few plant-based complete proteins, having the 9 essential amino acids. Not only is it non-GMO, gluten-free, but it is also usually grown organically.
There are many tasty ways to eat quinoa like preparing quinoa fried rice with this recipe:
- Heat butter in a large pan. Add an egg and cook until it is scrambled.
- Add carrot, onions, peas and garlic and saute for 5 minutes.
- Add in cooked quinoa, soy sauce and green onions to the mixture.
Benefits of Gaining Weight
1. Better Quality of Life
An underweight status can be a sign that you’re purposefully, or inadvertently, eating a diet that doesn’t contain all the nutrients you need for good health and the calories necessary to maintain a healthy weight . The lack of these nutrients can make you feel weak and tired, and prevent your body from adequately fighting off infection. A meta-analysis published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health in 2014 showed that being severely underweight almost doubles your risk of dying early.
By gaining weight with a balanced diet and a greater quantity of protein, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, dairy and healthy fats, you supply your body with the nutrients it needs. This can help ward off osteoporosis, which often results from deprivation of calcium, and iron-deficient anemia, resulting from too little iron. Pale, dull complexions and thinning hair will likely respond to better nutrition, too. Weight gain can improve your skin tone and give your hair more body, so you look healthier.
- An underweight status can be a sign that you’re purposefully, or inadvertently, eating a diet that doesn’t contain all the nutrients you need for good health and the calories necessary to maintain a healthy weight.
2. More Energy at a Healthy Weight
When you don’t get all the calories you need, your body conserves energy to maintain the operation of essential functions — such as the action of your internal organs and blood flow. This means you may feel more tired and listless when you’re underweight . Gaining weight boosts your energy by giving your body the fuel it needs to operate optimally.
Gaining weight doesn’t just help you gain more physical energy, but mental energy too. When you’re underweight, the lack of nutrients can lead to brain fog, which makes it hard to focus on tasks .
- When you don’t get all the calories you need, your body conserves energy to maintain the operation of essential functions — such as the action of your internal organs and blood flow.
- Gaining weight doesn’t just help you gain more physical energy, but mental energy too.
3. Weight Gain May Improve Body Composition
If you’re purposefully holding back on your calorie intake and exercising more at the gym, you may be missing out on the strong, fit, muscular physique you desire. To put quality effort into a workout, you must have some fuel. If you’re eating too little and hoping to sculpt your physique by putting on lean muscle, your efforts may backfire. When you eat too little, your body actually starts using lean muscle for fuel and increases body fat as it senses starvation and wants to hold onto energy reserves. If you’re too thin, you also can’t develop the muscle you want to look fit and strong; you need excess energy, in the form of calories, to put on muscle, so a very calorie-restricted diet won’t help. Gaining weight in the form of muscle improves your fat to muscle ratio so you look and feel healthier. Muscle is a far healthier, and more aesthetically pleasing tissue as compared to fat.
- If you’re purposefully holding back on your calorie intake and exercising more at the gym, you may be missing out on the strong, fit, muscular physique you desire.
- If you’re too thin, you also can’t develop the muscle you want to look fit and strong; you need excess energy, in the form of calories, to put on muscle, so a very calorie-restricted diet won’t help.
4. Sports Performance and Weight Gain
Being too thin means you don’t have the muscle mass or energy to do your best in sports. Weight gain particularly benefits athletes who need power and strength, such as football or hockey players. Add muscle by slightly increasing your calorie intake by 250 to 500 calories per day, primarily with added protein, and participating in a regular weight-training routine at the gym. Some body types aren’t destined to look like linebackers, but you can still add muscle so you’re the healthiest possible for your shape.
- Being too thin means you don’t have the muscle mass or energy to do your best in sports.
5. Benefits for Fertility
Being underweight signals to a woman’s body that it isn’t a good time to reproduce . Your system senses that you might be experiencing a famine or that your body just isn’t strong enough to support another life. When you have irregular or no menstruation, it’s a sign that your body isn’t producing enough of the female hormone estrogen, which is important to bone and sexual health. By gaining weight, you can restore normal hormonal function, which will help your periods return to normal, so it’s easier to get pregnant.
- Being underweight signals to a woman’s body that it isn’t a good time to reproduce .
- When you have irregular or no menstruation, it’s a sign that your body isn’t producing enough of the female hormone estrogen, which is important to bone and sexual health.