What are the smart ways to gain healthy weight?

In a world filled with those wishing to lose weight, those trying to pile on some pounds are often viewed with a frown. 'Why in the world do you want to gain weight?' is a question that many of them usually confront. However, from improving their confidence to gaining muscle, 'weight hunters,' as they are fondly called, have many thoughts on how to build muscle. That said, blindly piling on calories isn't the healthy way to go about it if gaining weight is your fitness goal. Dr Manju P George, Chief Dietitian at VPS Lakeshore Hospital, Ernakulam, explains how you can do so in a healthy manner. 

What to eat and how?
At the outset, Dr Manju says that those who need to gain weight through a healthy diet would be patients who are underweight and are undernourished, and struggle with fitness issues. "There are many who are fit, despite being lean, owing to their family genes. They might not have any fitness issues, except for wanting to look fitter in others' eyes. Every person's nutritional requirements will be different, depending on their physique and fitness. Therefore, it is essential to take the right kind of diet, if at all it's for weight gain," she explains.

An extra portion of various food items—grains, protein, and fat-rich foods, micronutrients, and more — should be part of a weight-gain diet, says the doctor. Depending on their current height and weight, a weight-gain goal can also be determined, according to her. "Taking a nutritionist's help to understand what your body type is and fashioning a diet thereafter would be helpful, and adding the required supplements to it," she says. 

Weight gain food options
Protein sources - Eggs, egg white, chicken, fish, homemade soups
Dairy products - Ghee, butter, paneer, curd
Pulses - Sprouted or boiled can be used. Eg; Tamil Nadu-style sundal
Nuts - Almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, ghee-roasted makhanas
Drinks - Milkshakes (Use soy or almond milk if allergic to dairy)
Hydration - Essential while on a high-protein diet

What to avoid?
Dr Manju says that just because someone does not gain weight, they should not resort to mindlessly having fried snacks. "Over a period of time, this can lead to unhealthy tummy fat. It will pile up more fat than muscle," she warns.