What to Eat to Gain Weight Safely

Gaining weight can be done a number of ways. However, not many of them are good for you. The best way to gain weight in a healthful manner is to eat more foods that provide you with needed nutrition, eat more often and stay away from empty calories such as those found in soft drinks and alcoholic beverages.

Healthful Foods

• Eat foods with high calorie counts but not high fat content. The University of California Los Angeles recommends dried fruit, vegetables with high starch content (potatoes, carrots, eggplant, corn, beets, etc.), whole-grain cereals and breads, beans, nuts and products made with nuts, and proteins such as pasta and eggs.

  Use add-ons such as jam, honey, peanut butter and olive oil. These are what UCLA calls healthy carbohydrates and healthy unsaturated fats.

  The university also recommends vitamin shakes, juice and especially milk, which is healthful and a good source of calcium. Do not overeat. Simply make sure that each serving has a high healthful caloric content.

How You Eat

• How you eat is just as important as what you eat to gain weight. The Mayo Clinic recommends increasing the number of meals you consume to five or six. It also suggests creating meals that allow you to add healthful calories. Add cheese in your casseroles and as a topping. Nuts, dried fruits and seeds are also easy to add to meals, as are boiled eggs. Again, stay away from fatty foods as well as empty calories found in soft drinks, pastries and fried foods.

In Addition to Food

• Both UCLA and the Mayo Clinic recommend exercise as a way to help gain weight in a safe way. Exercise builds muscle, which is a better source of weight than fat. The exercise also helps boost your appetite.