Buzz
Various medications, health conditions, or social circumstances can cause some individuals to experience a loss of appetite or weight loss. To gain weight or maintain your current weight, you’ll need to increase your food intake. Consuming more food can be more challenging than it seems, especially if you’re struggling with a lack of appetite. However, the following tips and tricks can help boost your desire to eat and enable you to consume more.
Steps
Increase the amount of food you consume
If needed, seek inspiration from food enthusiasts. They could be family members or friends who enjoy cooking, a colleague known for their baking skills, a nutritionist, and more.
Consume more calories. If you aim to gain weight, you need to increase your daily calorie intake. Gradual and steady weight gain is the safest and healthiest approach.
- Health experts generally recommend adding 250–500 calories daily to gain weight safely. This typically results in a weekly weight gain of 200–450 grams.
- The exact number of calories you need may vary based on factors like your current weight, age, gender, and overall health. Consult a doctor or nutritionist to determine the precise amount for your needs.
- Focus on calorie-dense foods rather than low-calorie options. For example, 28 grams of nuts provide 160–190 calories, while 28 grams of pretzels offer only about 100 calories.
Choose healthy calories. Even when aiming to increase calorie intake, ensure the foods you consume are nutrient-rich to support optimal body function.
- While high-calorie foods are beneficial, empty calories from nutrient-poor foods can harm your health if consumed excessively. Avoid large portions of candies, desserts, sugary drinks, fried foods, fast food, or processed meats.
- Occasionally indulging in oily or sugary treats can aid weight gain, but these should be treats rather than staples due to their low nutritional value.
Incorporate healthy fats. Fats contain more calories per gram than proteins or carbohydrates. Increasing your intake of healthy fats can boost your overall calorie consumption and support weight gain.
- Healthy fats like nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, olive oil, and fatty fish are excellent calorie-boosting options.
- Besides increasing calorie intake, these fats are proven to promote heart health.
Increase protein intake. Protein is essential in any diet, especially if you’re aiming to gain weight or struggling to maintain it.
- Protein supports metabolism and muscle mass. When underweight or losing weight, muscle mass decreases. Adequate protein intake helps mitigate this.
- Aim for 85–113 grams of lean protein daily to meet recommended levels.
- Include both lean and moderately fatty protein sources, such as whole dairy, eggs, fatty fish, or dark poultry meat.
- Avoid fried, fatty, or processed meats, as they pose health risks and aren’t worth the extra calories.
- Protein increases satiety, so if your goal is to eat more, be mindful that higher protein intake may reduce hunger.
Eat whole grains. While not calorie-dense, whole grains are vital for a healthy diet.
- Opt for whole grains that include the bran, germ, and endosperm of the grain.
- Whole grains provide additional calories, fiber, and other health benefits.
- Include options like barley, quinoa, brown rice, oats, and 100% whole-grain bread and pasta.
- Enhance whole grains with calorie-dense additions, such as drizzling olive oil on brown rice or adding a small amount of peanut butter to oatmeal.
Eat fruits and vegetables. While these food groups don’t provide many calories, they are rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are crucial for a balanced diet.
- Aim to consume about 5–9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. You can adjust this amount to focus more on higher-calorie foods.
- One serving of vegetables is roughly 1–2 cups of leafy greens. For fruits, aim for ½ cup of chopped fruit or a small piece per serving.
- Enhance the calorie content of these foods by adding calorie-dense toppings. For example, drizzle olive oil over steamed vegetables or add a high-fat dressing to salads.
Eat frequently. Another way to eat more and gain weight is by having regular snacks and meals. This approach can actually help increase your appetite.
- This is especially helpful if you struggle with eating, as smaller portions are easier to consume than larger ones.
- Plan to have 2–3 snacks throughout the day in addition to your three main meals.
- Ensure your meals and snacks include protein, carbohydrates, vegetables, and healthy fats to maximize your overall nutrient intake.
- While it’s commonly believed that frequent eating boosts metabolism, no studies have conclusively supported this idea.
Drink calories when you can’t eat. If you find it difficult to eat more, you can increase your calorie intake by consuming calorie-rich beverages.
- Like calorie-dense foods, opt for drinks that are high in both calories and nutrients, rather than empty-calorie options like soda or sugary fruit juices.
- Great choices include fruit smoothies, full-fat yogurt, whole milk, and peanut butter shakes.
- You can further enrich smoothies by adding wheat germ, flaxseeds, or chia seeds.
Avoid foods that cause bloating. Many foods can lead to bloating, making it harder for you to eat more.
- Foods that commonly cause bloating include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, prunes, and beans.
- Consuming these can make you feel full and uncomfortable, reducing your appetite or making you feel full too quickly.
Stimulate your appetite
Take a walk before eating. If you struggle to stimulate your appetite or feel like eating, try taking a short walk before meals.
- A bit of physical activity can help increase your appetite and make you feel hungrier.
- You don’t need to walk for long or at a high intensity. A 15-minute walk at a moderate pace can be beneficial.
Avoid drinking before or during meals. If you have a poor appetite, it’s best to avoid drinking anything 30 minutes before eating and refrain from drinking water during meals.
- Drinking before meals fills your stomach with liquid, signaling your brain that you’re not hungry, which reduces your appetite.
- Eating and drinking simultaneously has a similar effect, as liquids fill your stomach quickly, making you feel full faster.
Choose foods that excite you. If you’re not motivated to eat, prepare or purchase foods you genuinely enjoy.
- Often, foods that excite you are higher in fat and calories (though not always). These can help increase your daily calorie intake.
- Experiment with new recipes. If you’re bored with your usual meals and snacks, trying new recipes can reignite your appetite.
- Look for recipes you’ve always wanted to try. Even if they’re not the healthiest, they can boost your daily calorie consumption.
Manage lifestyle behaviors
Reduce cardiovascular exercises. Cardio burns a significant number of calories, which can lead to weight loss.
- Opt for light exercises to maintain heart health. Low-intensity activities still offer cardiovascular benefits without burning too many calories.
- Consider walking, cycling, swimming, or yoga.
- You don’t need to eliminate exercise entirely, as light aerobic activity is better than no activity at all.
Manage stress. While stress is often linked to unhealthy weight gain, many people experience a loss of appetite when stressed.
- If you tend to lose your appetite under stress, focus on managing chronic stress and practicing techniques to address it.
- Relaxation methods include listening to music, taking walks, talking to friends, or journaling.
- If stress significantly impacts your appetite and weight, consider seeking help from a behavioral specialist or therapist.
Take a multivitamin. If you struggle to eat enough, consider taking a multivitamin. Essential vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats are crucial when working toward body-related goals.
- While multivitamins shouldn’t replace regular meals, they help ensure you meet the minimum daily requirements for various nutrients.
- Choose a multivitamin tailored to your age group, as formulations vary for children, teens, adults, and seniors.
