Although most people focus on how to lose excess pounds, there are some who are slender and find it difficult to gain weight. Their struggles are real and they prefer not to look as if they are starving and gaunt.
Even our own Reverend Malkmus struggled at times to maintain a healthy weight. He tried many things, and through trial and error found ways in which he succeeded, which inspired us to create this article. Regardless of your age, here are 7 healthy ways you can gain weight:
1. Consume More Healthy Fats
If you are trying to gain weight, you can consume an entire avocado in one day and not feel a bit of guilt. For those of us who must lose a few pounds, we only get to eat a half an avocado a day. To gain weight you can also eat more nuts and seeds on your salads and put almonds or almond butter into your smoothies. Other healthy fats include coconut oil. Strive to get up to 3 tablespoons of coconut oil in your diet daily. You can add it to your soups, as a salad dressing, as a spread for your bread, in your hot beverage, your smoothies…there are so many ways to add coconut oil into your diet. Flax oil is another healthy oil (unless you have prostate cancer) to add to your salads, smoothies, soups, and so on. However, anyone who has cancer should not be consuming the large amount of oils that we are discussing here.
2. Eat Your Cooked Foods Throughout the Day
We generally suggest eating 75 to 80 percent of your daily diet uncooked, but for those who are healthy and merely want to add some weight, then, consider consuming an additional amount of cooked food. Whether it's a large baked potato or baked sweet potato, or some wonderful stir fry, or even a healthy pizza, feel free to add a little more to your plate.
3. Add a Smoothie to Your Mid-morning Or Mid-afternoon Snack
While it will still be high in nutrition, you can create a smoothie that adds more healthy calories too. Just add a tablespoon of almond butter and a tablespoon of coconut butter to your smoothies and you will soon find that you not only increased the flavor, but your weight will increase as well.
4. Prioritize That Mid-morning and Mid-afternoon Snack
We mentioned earlier to have a smoothie during these snack times and how to enrich them with quality ingredients. Other snack items may include an avocado sandwich on healthy bread, celery with cashew nut butter, and pitted Medjool dates with coconut butter and one almond inside of each date - this is Paul's favorite snack. Nuts and seeds will also add great nutrients and much needed calories. If you feel full quickly, then you may need to eat as often as five or six times a day, since your food intake will be less.
5. Never Drink with a Meal
If you want to get the most from your meals, you cannot fill your stomach with fluids just before eating. Spread your beverages out so they're not too close to your meals, and remember to never drink anything with a meal. This will fill you up and amount to water weight.
6. Add Higher Caloric Fruit to Your Morning
Variety is always best, but instead of sticking to the lowest calorie fruits, feel free to enjoy the high-calorie cantaloupe, banana and even papaya and pineapple in the morning. They are rich in living enzymes and vitamins, and these in particular will have the awesome ability to "stick to your ribs!"
7. Lift Weight or Use a Fit 10
If you don't have weights or the Fit 10 exercise program, grab a 2-pound water bottle and start lifting it. You might find a can of vegetables can work as well. By raising and lowering it 15 times twice a day, you will soon find that those muscles that likely haven't been used in a while will begin to develop and although you will never look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, the muscles that you develop will be solid and add weight to you.
Gaining and maintaining a healthy weight is critical to overall wellness. Let us help you get there with our Hallelujah Diet Essential Protein Powder. Made from a blend of organic protein concentrates from dried peas, rice and organic raw seeds, this formula is high in protein and beneficial minerals to maintain a lean body, build strong healthy bones and strengthen your immune system.
