12 Best Foods To Gain Weight For Skinny Guys And After Illness

Although almost 30 percent of people all over the world are overweight or obese, which overtakes that of the underweight population, underweight is still a problem. Studies showed that around 8.8 percent of men and 9.7 percent of women worldwide have body mass indexes below 18.5, which is considered a normal threshold. These proportions are decreasing, but not significant. Many countries, especially the ones in Africa, still hold a huge number of underweight people. Underweight puts people in various health risks, such as malnutrition, irregular periods, premature births, infertility, anemia, and osteoporosis. Many factors lead to the underweight condition of a person, for example, imbalance daily nutritional intake, natural disposition of the body, or certain illnesses affecting the function of the digestive organs. In this article, Beauty Talk will solve your difficulties with 12 best foods to gain weight safely and fast for skinny guys and after illness.

• Top 14 effective ways to gain weight quickly (This article was medically reviewed/fact checked by Girlene Coughlin, RD, LD, CPT)
• Top 15 foods that cause weight gain

12 Best Weight Gaining Foods For Skinny Guys And After Illness

I. Foods To Gain Weight

A. For Skinny Guys

1. Rice

Why

Rice is a food that plays a vital role in the process of gaining weight as it is an abundant supply of carbs and calories: 1 cup of cooked white rice provides 43 grams of carbs and 190 calories^[1]. All you need to do is to consume rice every day along with other healthy carbs, protein, and fat sources.

Notes

Anything too much is not good. A reasonable quantity of rice can help you with your underweight problem, but a huge amount is extremely harmful to your health due to high levels of arsenic and phytic acid. Arsenic causes abdominal pain, diarrhea, and numbness, and phytic acid exposure results in the reduction of zinc and iron absorptive capacity.

2. Red Meat

Why

Red meat is a great source of proteins, minerals, and vitamins that help you gain weight and muscle. It possesses an amino acid called leucine, which is essential for muscle protein synthesis and muscle tissue formation^[2]. To gain weight effectively, it is better to choose the fatty parts since they provide more calories than the lean ones.

Notes

As stated by a recent study, eating too much red meat may increase the risk of diabetes and bowel cancer^{[3] [4]}. However, “a healthy diet includes moderate amounts of red meat” – said experts, so just keep your intake under control to gain weight safely.

3. Protein Smoothies

Why

Protein provides a bunch of calories that is conducive to weight gain; it is also the key for building muscle^[5]. Therefore, protein, on the one hand, gives you needed kilos, and on the other hand, prevents extra calories from turning into fat. That means you will end up with a healthy muscular body instead of a fatty one. 1.5 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight a day is enough to reach your goal.

Recipe 1: Chocolate Banana Shake

What you need

• 1 banana
• 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
• 1 scoop of chocolate whey protein powder
• 2 cups of milk

How to do

• Put all the components into a blender and blend thoroughly.
• Pour this mixture into a glass, keep it cool in the fridge for 30 minutes and then enjoy.

Recipe 2: Chocolate Hazelnut Shake

What you need

• 1 tablespoon of hazelnut butter
• 1 avocado
• 1 scoop of chocolate whey protein powder
• 2 cups of chocolate milk

How to do

Perform the same process as in recipe 1.

Recipe 3: Green Shake

What you need

• 1 cup of spinach
• 1 cup of pineapple
• 1 avocado
• 1 banana
• 1 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder
• 2 cups of milk

How to do

• Add the milk and some ice cubes to the blender and blend for 10 seconds.
• Add the powder and blend for 15 seconds. Blending the powder first is to ensure that it does not clot since this is quite a thick smoothie.
• Finally, add all the remaining ingredients and finely blend it.
• Transfer the mixture to a glass and enjoy.

Notes

Protein fills up your stomach very fast, which reduces your hunger, resulting in you will load less food than usual. Thence, it is important to balance the intake amounts of protein and other nutritional factors in each meal.

4. Nuts

Why

Nuts are high in calories and healthy fats, which supplies you the necessary calories and fats just with a handful. For example, 100 grams of almonds possess 575 calories and 43 grams of unsaturated fats; 100 grams of hazelnuts contain 628 calories and 54 grams of unsaturated fats; the same amounts of pistachios include 562 calories and 38 grams of unsaturated fats^[6]. Furthermore, nuts can control blood sugar levels, reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.

Notes

It is dangerous if you consume nuts without knowing you are allergic to them or not. The allergic symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea, skin rashes, breathless, and more. So be careful in the first time trying a certain type of nut.

5. Oily Fish

Why

Oily fish is a great source of high-quality protein, calories, and good fats, all of which contribute to a successful and healthy weight gain journey. To illustrate, in the 100-gram filet of salmon, there are 208 calories, 20 grams of protein, and 7.7 grams of unsaturated fats^[7]. Oily fish also brings numerous nutrients and vitamins that aid in preventing and fighting off diseases.

Notes

Go for fresh fish to get the maximum health benefits.

6. Potatoes And Starches

Why

Eating potatoes and starchy foods is an excellent way to supplement carbs and calories, helping you gain weight^{[8] [9]}. Besides potatoes, try some starches like quinoa, oats, buckwheat, squash, and legumes to add in not only extra calories but also essential fiber and nutrients.

Notes

Having too much starch will lead to a significant fluctuation in your blood sugar level, which is the same side effect as having too much sugar. The ideal carb intake should range between 45 and 65 percent of your daily calories.

7. Whole-Grain Bread

Why

Whole-grain bread is effective to gain weight since it is an abundant source of carbs. This type of bread is healthier than the white one because it still retains the original vitamins, minerals, and fiber content from grains, while white flour used to make white bread has all of these nutrients removed. Combining whole-grain bread with proteins like red meat, eggs, or cheese will both satisfies your empty stomach and help increases your body mass safely.

Notes

When purchasing bread at the grocery store, look at the label and be sure that the first ingredient contains the words “whole grain”, and there is no sugar in the list.

8. Dark Chocolate

Why

Dark chocolate is full of nutrients, fiber, minerals, and antioxidants, which are beneficial for health^[10]. It is also a calorie-dense food that you can easily get lots of calories from it to serve your weight gain purpose. One hundred grams of dark chocolate come up with around 550 calories.

Notes

Dark chocolate with at least 70 percent of the cocoa content will work best.

B. For People After Illness

People after an illness can consume all of the foods mentioned above, because the key to gain weight is to eat more calories than your body needs for daily activities. In addition, there are some more types of food that can help return your original weight after recovering from sickness.

9. Milk

Why

Milk is high in calories, carbs, protein, and fats. It as well holds vital vitamins and minerals that your body needs after a sickness^[11]. For those reasons, milk is said to be an amazing weight gainer^[12]. If you want to gain weight fast, consuming 4 cups of whole milk (around 600 calories) a day will help. You can also opt for formula milk, which consists of a higher protein and vitamin content, to improve the effects.

Notes

Formula milk supplies twice as many calories as whole milk, so 1.5 to 2 cups are fairly enough for a day.

10. Eggs

Why

Eggs are nutritious, especially for people who want to improve their health and gain weight after illness. Eggs can effectively do their jobs thanks to the presence of protein and healthy fats, along with several vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids. Eggs also assist you in building muscle, giving you a fabulous shape after all.

Notes

Unless you are intolerant of eggs, feel free to eat them daily.

11. Peanut Butter

Why

Peanut butter is a common food product that can be used in various delicious dishes, such as spreading on bread slices, adding to shakes, or being an ingredient in salad dressings. Apart from that, peanut butter is a perfect choice if you are longing for weight gain since it is a combination of high-quality protein and fats. One hundred grams of this butter contains nearly 600 calories and 40 grams of mono and polyunsaturated fats.

Notes

Make sure that the peanut butter you pick up at the store does not have extra sugar and oils.

12. Avocados

Why

Avocados are calorie-dense (around 320 calories per unit) and loaded with healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber that make they become a powerful fruit for after-sick people to recuperate and gain weight^[13]. Their composition as well promotes consumers’ overall health, manages some health conditions, and reduces the risk of some diseases, such as cardiovascular disorders, metabolic disorders, even cancer.

Notes

If you eat too many avocados at a time, you will face indigestion and sometimes gastrointestinal irritation.

II. Foods To Avoid

1. Soda

Soda and other soft drinks, carbonated drinks with added sugar can help you gain weight rapidly but unfortunately, in an unhealthy way because they not only bring you no nutritional benefit but also put you in diverse health-risk situations. Some consequences of a long-term-drinking soda include dental problems, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, kidney dysfunction, and heart disease^[14].

2. Sweets

Similar to soda, sweets like candies, doughnuts, cupcakes, cookies, biscuits, and so on are high in sugar levels, which make them calorie-dense but at the same time harmful to your health if you consider them to be your main weight-gain foods.

3. Fast Food

The wealth of calories in fast food, junk food, or deep-fried food comes from its hydrogenated fat content. Hydrogenated fats (trans fatty acids) are products of hydrogenation – the process in which manufacturers convert unsaturated fats into saturated ones to add more taste to the food and prolong their shelf life. Alongside, fast food is a host of sodium. These two components altogether lead to loads of health issues, which we can mention diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and cardiovascular disease^[15].

III. Additional Tips

Some more tips that you should write down in your hand note:

• Have at least 3 meals a day and take in energy-dense snacks whenever possible.
• Do not consume water or any other beverage before meals as it will make your stomach full, and thus, you will not get enough needed calories.
• Change to big plates and bowls because small ones tend to cause you to eat less.
• When having food in front of you, eat protein and carbs first and save vegetables for last. This allows you to earn more calories instead of being too full of fiber.
• Add spices, condiments, and sauces to your dishes. They will elevate food quality, and you will have more motivation to eat.

It is not easy to build a weight-gain plan and pursuing it requires a lot of preservation and patience. We hope this article has given you access to the useful information that will help you conveniently achieve your desired results. If you know other best foods to gain weight, do not hesitate to share with us in the comment box below. And also, do not forget to visit our main Health page for more healthcare knowledge.

All contents provided are for informational & educational purposes. We recommend you consult a healthcare professional to determine which method is appropriate for you.