Foods for Weight Gain: The Best 5 Foods to Gain Weight Fast

Want to gain weight naturally? If yes, certain high-calorie foods for weight gain may help you increase pounds in a healthy way.

The best foods for weight gain are typically those that contain animal or plant protein, healthy oils and fats, full-fat dairy or starches. However, a safe weight gain process also includes a consistent strength training program alongside the diet to prevent the build-up of fat mass in your body. It is also important to remember that gaining weight can be just as challenging as losing weight, and thus, you have to work patiently to make your weight gain efforts more effective, safe, and healthy.

With that said, here are a few of the best foods that will help gain weight. Including these foods in your diet will not only help you gain weight but also maintain your energy levels and stamina throughout the day.

5 best foods for weight gain

Read on to learn about the foods that make you fat:

1. Bananas

Bananas are one of the best foods for weight gain. They are packed with potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin A, protein, folate, healthy fats, vitamin C and many more essential nutrients. Various studies have shown that eating bananas may boost your energy levels while also helping you gain weight efficiently. You can have a banana with a few nuts or blend them into a nutritious and delicious smoothie for a super-healthy breakfast.

One medium-sized banana (approximately 100-120 grams) has 105 to 110 calories and 27 grams of carbohydrates.

Bananas are one of the best foods for weight gain. (Photo via Unsplash/Gabrielle Henderson)

2. Rice

Another great healthy food high in calories is rice. It's a low-cost and staple carbohydrate source that’s sure to help you gain weight fast. Rice adds more calories and carbs to your diet from a single serving.

For example, you get approximately 76.2 grams of carbohydrates in a 100-gram brown rice serving. 1 cup of cooked white rice provides 44 grams of carbohydrates, 204 calories, and a very small amount of fat.

3. Potatoes and other starchy vegetables

Potatoes are among the best foods for weight gain. They are also quite a cost-effective way to include more calories in your everyday diet. Not just potatoes, but other starchy vegetables such as corn and winter root vegetables are quite popular and delicious options for quick weight gain as they are rich in carbohydrates.

Various studies suggest that the intake of foods loaded with carbohydrates along with an adequate amount of protein potentially helps develop muscle mass. To add potatoes to your diet, you can simply boil, roast, or bake them or cook them with other vegetables as well.

Potatoes and other starchy vegetables are rich in carbohydrates. (Photo via Unsplash/Clark Douglas)

4. Red meat

Red meat is among the healthiest foods for weight gain as it is a rich source of protein that helps increase your overall weight while also developing your muscles. Red meat has creatine and leucine - essential nutrients that are crucial for building healthy muscle mass. Red meat such as steak contains fat and protein that helps promote healthy weight gain.

5. Oily fish

Oily fish such as salmon are also some of the best foods for weight gain. Oily fish contain a good amount of protein, thereby helping you increase muscle mass and promoting weight gain.

A 100 grams of salmon consists of 142 kcal of energy, 6 grams of fat, and 20 grams of protein. If your fitness goal is to increase muscle mass and weight, then you should eat at least 1 to 2 pieces of oily fish per day. You can also add leafy green vegetables to the fish to make the recipe even fuller and healthier.

Oily fish contain a good amount of protein. (Photo via Unsplash/CA Creative)

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If you are eating to gain weight, then incorporating the aforementioned foods into your diet can be the best way to progress in your weight gain journey. Other than these foods, several other foods can make you fat, including cereal bars, whole eggs, whole grain bread, dried fruits, nut butter, and full-fat dairy items such as cheese and yogurt.

Certain weight gain drinks such as protein shakes, vegetable shakes, and high-protein fruit smoothies can also be added to your diet to see a significant increase in your overall weight.