Diets for Weight Gain

Underweight is defined as a body weight that is below the normal recommended weight for the person’s height, build and sex. The body mass index is often used as the criteria to determine if a person is within the normal weight range. BMI<18.5 is generally considered underweight although people outside this range may still be perfectly healthy. People who are underweight may have an increased risk of anemia, heart irregularities and osteoporosis. One of the better known conditions associated with low body weight is anorexia. People who are underweight can find it extremely difficult to put on weight.

Being thin may simply be within the normal ranges for your genetic makeup. According to Ayurveda, people with predominance of vata in their body constitution are generally thin and do not easily put on weight. However, thinness can also indicate a variety of medical conditions, especially if it arises via weight loss. Any growth abnormality or unexplained weight loss needs careful professional medical investigation (in fact, there could be well over a hundred medical conditions which could be associated with being underweight or may have caused a weight loss)

After having established that there is no underlying illness, which might be the cause for thinness, it simply means that you are not consuming enough calories through food as you are spending.  This may results from lack of appetite, poor eating habits, anorexia nervosa, and inability to procure food or cook the same. As mentioned earlier, vata predominant personalities are more prone to being underweight. They are generally small and frequent eaters by nature. So if they do not get right type of nutritious food at frequent intervals, they end up consuming inadequate calories in a day overall.

The other point of consideration is that if the food that is being consumed is getting properly digested and assimilated or not. So a careful consideration of the health of the digestive tract and investigation of symptoms like too many bowel evacuations in a day, flatulence, acidity etc have to be considered and dealt with promptly.

The only way to gain weight whether it is  fat or muscle is to consume more energy than you expend. There is no escaping this basic law of human physiology regardless of how many explanations you hear to the contrary. Admittedly some of us have faster metabolisms than others but that simply means that those who do need to eat even more again and again.

The basis of any weight gain diet should contain nutritious, high calorie foods. If you find to hard to put on weight then the greatest challenge you face is to consume enough energy without feeling full all the time. A diet that is nutritious and easy to digest and is a balanced mix of carbohydrates, proteins and fats is effective. Common herbs to promote appetite and increase digestive capacity are particularly helpful.

Certain life style changes like early to bed and early to rise, moderate exercise including weight training, daily oil massage before a bath, avoiding late nights and avoiding use of intoxicants like tea, coffee, alcohol, tobacco is highly recommended.

Yoga and pranayam to improve the overall functioning of body and to de - stress are very important and effective tools.

Herbs like ashwagandha and shatavri and amla are known to promote weight gain and can be consumed under medical supervision.

Few tips to remember:

• Eat small and frequent meals.
• A balanced diet is most effective.
• Avoid junk food as it may though cause weight gain (read mostly fat) but will ultimately lead to ill health.
• Avoid vata  aggravating foods.
• Exercise in moderation is a must for a healthy weight gain.
• Adopt a healthy lifestyle (see above).
• No tonics can help you. You need good food to make you gain weight. If need be you may be required to take some vitamin and /or mineral supplements if recommended by your doctor.
• If you have any problem with normal functioning of your body bring  it to the  notice of  your doctor  as it  may  be  a manifestation  of  some underlying  disorder which  is not allowing  you  to gain weight.