Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

Healthy Foods to Help You Gain Weight


Overweight and obesity problems plague two-thirds of the American population, but there are also people who have exactly the opposite problem – they are much too thin. Some people are underweight due to medical conditions or eating disorders, while others are just naturally thin. If you are someone who needs to put on some extra pounds, your goal would be to increase your calorie intake every day by eating healthy foods to gain weight and build a more muscled physique.

Being underweight can be a problem but it doesn’t mean that you want to become fat and flabby. You need healthy foods and exercise to help you build strong muscles and a bigger body. Avoid foods that are high in saturated fats; they may make you gain weight quickly but are bad for your health. The following foods will help you gain weight and increase muscle mass while providing the calories, vitamins and minerals your body needs.

Healthy Foods to Help You Gain Weight

Healthy Foods to Help You Gain Weight

Healthy Foods to Help You Gain Weight

Pasta and Other Carbohydrate Sources – Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy and should provide up to 65% of your total caloric intake. One cup of cooked pasta contains approximately 200 calories. Pasta topped with marinara sauce and shredded cheese is a great source of carbohydrates, protein, calcium and lycopene.

Other excellent sources of carbohydrates are bagels, potatoes, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes and yams. If you are trying to gain weight, you need plenty of carbohydrate-rich foods to supply your body with energy. Provide your body with enough carbohydrates for energy, otherwise it will break down muscle tissue and use it for energy.

Dried Fruits – Raisins and dried berries, apricots, pineapple, cranberries and mango are packed with calories, vitamins and minerals. Dried fruits, without the water content, are more calorie-dense than fresh fruits. A half-cup of raisins has over 200 calories while a cup of fresh grapes has only about 60 calories. Snack on raisins and other dried fruits to help you gain weight more quickly.

Nuts and Seeds – Nuts and seeds are some of the healthiest foods to gain weight. Polyunsaturated fats in nuts and seeds provide healthy calories. Walnuts, almonds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and pecans offer a variety of flavors for a delicious, nutritious and calorie-dense snack.

Lean Meats and Other Protein Sources – Your body needs quality protein to build muscle mass. If you want to gain weight and maintain or add more muscles, you need high-protein foods such as lean meats, poultry, eggs, salmon, tuna, cottage cheese and tofu.

Avocado – Avocados are nutrient-dense and calorie-dense. A single avocado provides over 200 calories of nutrition. Avocados are rich in healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, potassium, B vitamins, and folic acid. Enjoy this wholesome fruit in sandwiches, salads and guacomole.

Healthy Fats and Oils – One of the quickest ways to boost your calorie intake is by adding extra fat to your food. Choose healthy fats and oils, and stay away from saturated fats. Olive oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil, and grape seed oil are rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on your pasta, salads, vegetables and other foods to gain weight in a healthy and natural way.

Related Blogs

  • Related Blogs on American Population
  • Related Blogs on Caloric Intake
Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

Tips for Healthy Travel





Healthy travel seems like a crazy and oppressive way to not have fun when on the road and that is that last thing I want to tell someone to do. Travel is a time for changing lifestyle and exploring what you haven’t seen. I find myself that the trouble with all of this is at we also have a problem staying in shape and staying healthy.

It all comes with our priorities and how we plan.

When you travel the planning needs to happen before you leave home and will finish when you get home so here are 10 tips to help you stay in shape and arrive home in even better shape then you left

Eating tips for Healthy Travel

1. Pack snacks for the road – whether I am traveling in a car or in a plane I am never sure where my next snack will come from so I always pack my backpack with some fruit. I have always worried about this when going through security at the airport but fact is I have never been stopped so it seems to be ok to bring some fruit.

Healthy Travel Tips

Healthy Travel Tips

2. Water not Soda – It is very easy to drink some soda or juice and I know that this will happen when I travel so I always stop at a grocery store in my destination and buy bottles of water. I don’t tend to pack water before as it is not allowed past airport security but it is always handy to have a bottle or two in the car for healthy travel outside of airports.

3. Eat local food – One of the great things about travel is the fact that you get a chance to eat locally grown produce as well as the local cuisine from an area. The sooner that you can eat fresh fruits and veggies after they are picked the better they are for you, so try to find out what grows locally and eat away!

4. Morning and Night Water – Because schedules are such a mess when traveling it is really hard to keep to a normal plan, and you probably don’t want to anyway. What I do is as soon as I wake up in the morning I drink a big glass or two of water or if in a sketchy area just a big bottle of water and again at night when back to the hotel I do the same.

Elevations, different temperatures and lots of different exercise and eating plans will mess you up so try to have a good hydration plan starting and finishing with water to be sure.

5. Watch the Restaurant Meals – I am a big fan of going out for meals but recognize that what I eat is not always that good for me. When we travel as a family we always get a kitchenette in the hotel room so that we can make the majority of our meals with food we know and then have one meal out a day.

6. Order Responsibly – One of the biggest problems we all run into besides scheduling eating times when we are on the road is the bad ways that we order. Healthy travel in a restaurant starts with ordering with discernment and making sure your choices are good.

When you are ordering at a restaurant watch how they cook your meal. In most places, just like at home the chef will cook for taste not for nutrition. Stay away from sauces and deep fried food and instead get grilled meat and salad or veggies instead of fries

Exercise Tips for Healthy Travel

1. Book Hotels with Amenities – when booking a hotel for your travels make sure there is some kind of gym, google the hotel if need be. the fact is that a little exercise will make your travel more comfortable and give you the energy to make the most of your days and if you don’t set yourself up for success you will fail to exercise.

2. Plan your exercise and activities – even though you probably do not know when you are going where on your travels everyone seems to plan the next day at least. In the evening before decide how much exercise you will be getting, a hike maybe? Surfing all day? Sitting by the pool? And plan your exercise around that. If you will be out sightseeing all day then plan to go to the gym for a weight workout in the morning. If you are just by the pool then start the day with cardio. If you do cardio and then walk around all day you might run out of gas before the day is done so plan ahead!

3. Plan Active Activities – Now when travelling on vacation this is easy enough to do but when you are travelling on business it is a lot more difficult. You can perhaps go out in the evening and walk the town, like many people plan a jog around the new city you are in (be careful of unknown neighbourhoods) or even just rent a bike to travel around instead of always taking a car, this gets you active and you also get to meet more people and see more in your journeys.

So there are nine things you can do. This week in my travels across the west I had some trouble keeping all of these intact and ended up suffering. At home there is a fridge and a schedule but on the road that schedule and access to healthy travel was only as good as the way I made it, and sometimes I did not do so well

Related Blogs

  • Related Blogs on Airport Security
Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

Healthy Food Choices to Lose Weight

Healthy food choices are the critical part to lose weight. Many people think that if you want to lose weight all you have to do is reduce the amount of food you eat. While this may be true to some extent, it’s more important to remember that the types of foods you eat can make a huge difference in your weight loss program. You have to eat healthy to lose weight. In other words, you must learn how to make healthy food choices to get the right nutrition in the right amounts.

The truth about weight loss is this: you can lose weight only if you burn more calories than you consume. You can do this by eating less, exercising more, or doing both. Health experts recommend a combination of a healthy diet and exercise to lose weight. A good weight loss plan allows you to eat healthy to lose weight.

Make a Lifestyle Change

Many people become overweight as a result of making the wrong food choices. Sad to say, this is because our way of life makes it easier to snack on doughnuts and cookies instead of fresh fruits. The refined carbohydrates in cakes, white bread, cookies, candies and biscuits quickly add pounds to the waistline and belly. The taste buds of the typical American are attuned to fried foods, chips, and junk food. Clearly, a conscious effort must be exerted to get people on the right track when it comes to making healthier food choices.

Healthy Food Choices to Lose Weight

Health Food Choices

People who want to lose weight often go on all sorts of diets, hoping that they will eventually find one that will help them shed fat and keep the extra pounds off permanently. It’s time people realize that fad diets do not work for long-term weight loss. You have to make a lifestyle change and learn to eat healthy if you want to lose extra weight and keep it from coming back.

Healthy Food Choices for Weight Loss

People have to eat but making the wrong food choices can lead to obesity or weight problems and illness. If you want to lose weight, eat the following healthy foods:

  • Fruits
  • Vegetables
  • Lean meats
  • Fish
  • Whole grain cereals
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Milk products
  • Eggs

A healthy diet for weight loss should also include plenty of water.

How to Eat Healthy to Lose Weight

The smartest way to lose weight is to choose healthy foods that you already have in your normal daily diet. Make this the starting point for your new and healthy eating habits. Eating familiar foods helps dispel the idea that you are on a diet. This is very important if you are trying to lose weight because being on a diet implies that it will end some day. When you stop your diet, you may gain back the weight you lost.

By changing your eating habits and learning to eat healthy, you’ll be able to lose weight and keep it off for good. Reduce your consumption of refined carbohydrates and watch what you add to your food. Avoid creamy sauces, high-calorie salad dressings, and deep fried foods. Keep in mind that it’s possible to make healthy food choices even at a fast food restaurant.


Healthy Food Choices to Lose Weight

Related Blogs

  • Related Blogs on Biscuits
  • Related Blogs on Candies