While most people struggle with being overweight, there hasn’t been much spoken about being underweight. It’s a serious problem when, despite your best efforts, you look like a scarecrow, which isn’t a nice feeling. You are underweight if your actual body weight is lower than 10-20 percent of your ideal body weight. Your ideal body weight is an index, that is calculated using your height and actual body weight.
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Here’s how you can calculate your BMI:
BMI = [weight in pounds / (height in inches x height in inches)] x 703
or,
BMI = [weight in kilograms / (height in meters x height in meters)]
To consider yourself healthy, you need to have the body weight that is proportional to your height. Also, your ideal body weight depends upon your age, gender, and height. Whether you’re overweight or underweight, it’s true that both can have a negative impact on your health. So you need to address your less than ideal weight so that you don’t suffer from any long term consequences.
Suggested read: Top 15 reasons you’re NOT losing weight
Causes of being underweight
But why don’t you put on weight at all, despite having a burning desire to be your ideal weight? Let’s take a look at some of the common causes for you being underweight:
- Skipping meals
- Excessive physical activity
- Weak digestive system
- Going for long periods without proper food
- Lack of sleep
- Genetics
- Hormonal fluctuations
- Certain diseases like cancer, anorexia nervosa, hyperthyroidism, tuberculosis, diabetes
If you’re underweight, it’s really important for you to put on some much-needed weight, because it can lead to severe health conditions like heart problems, infertility, anemia, bone loss, a weak immune system, thereby causing frequent illness.
Home remedies for weight gain
Poor appetite, general weakness, and fatigue are some of the most common symptoms of being underweight. And adding on the pounds isn’t really that difficult. With some dietary changes, a proper exercise regimen, and a will to stick to them both, will see you gain weight as you’ve always wanted to. While there are many medicinal supplements that you can take to gain weight, going natural is always better because they come with absolutely NO side effects, unlike the synthetic medications. Let’s take a look some of the most common and effective home remedies for weight gain:
1. Almonds
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Almonds are rich in polyunsaturated fats, that are, in essence, healthy calories. So they are ideal if you want to put on weight.
Remedies
- To a glass of milk, add 3 almonds, 2 dates, and 1 dried fig and boil it. Let it cool and strain the milk. Drink this warm milk, followed by eating the boiled dry fruits. Repeat this remedy every day for at least one or two months to notice visible results.
- In a saucepan, add 1 glass of milk, a handful of crushed almonds, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Heat this and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Allow it to cool on its own and then sip it slowly. Drink this twice every day for a couple of months.
2. Asparagus
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Asparagus is a rich source of vitamins and essential minerals, that are perfect in helping you put on weight.
Remedy
- Add 2-5g of powdered asparagus to a glass of boiling milk. To this, add 1 teaspoon of clarified butter. Once it’s relatively cool, drink this twice every day for a couple of months to see visible results.
3. Avocados
Avocados are rich in vital nutrients that give you healthy calories. They also contain fats that are beneficial for heart health, along with the goodness of vitamin E, potassium, and folic acid.
Remedy
- Use a ripe avocado in salads or mash it up and top it on toast – whichever tasty way you want to go, as long as you consume it.
4. Bananas
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Bananas are one of the best foods that gives you a good amount of healthy calories. They give you an immediate energy boost and help you gain weight.
Remedy
- Consume one or two ripe bananas for breakfast, followed by a glass of milk mixed in with a bit of sugar and 1 teaspoon of clarified butter. Follow this breakfast routine for a month for visible results.
5. Beans
Beans are an excellent source of proteins, fiber, and carbohydrates, all of which aid in putting on weight. They are one of the best calorie-dense foods that help you put on weight. Not only can beans be eaten with breakfast, they can also be included for lunch, dinner, and as snacks too. And there are several types of beans to include in your meals too – lima beans, soy beans, black beans, red beans, kidney beans, and lentils.
Remedy
- Prepare salads or soups using any of the beans you can get your hands on. Follow this remedy every day for a couple of months to see visible results.
6. Clarified butter (ghee)
Clarified butter is a rich source of saturated fat and calories, which aid in increasing your body weight. Also, clarified butter is known to help the body absorb more vitamins and minerals, which help lubricate stiff joints. It also helps give your skin a healthy, shiny glow.
Remedy
- Take 1 tablespoon each of clarified butter and sugar and mix well. Eat this mixture twice every day, at least half an hour before lunch and dinner. Follow this remedy for at least a month.
7. Eggs
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Eggs are rich in proteins, fat, and calories, making them one of the most popular foods for putting on weight healthily. While the proteins are important for muscle building, fats provide energy. Also, take care to eat more of egg whites rather than the yolks.
Remedy
- Make scrambled eggs or omelets using the white portion of the eggs, and eat it every day for breakfast. You need to follow this for at least a month to see any results.
Suggested read: 8 compelling reasons why you just can’t seem to lose weight
8. Figs
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Figs are a rich source of polyunsaturated fats that add healthy calories to your dietary intake. They also contain carbohydrates, which help you put on weight.
Remedies
- Soak 5-6 dried figs in water overnight. The following day, eat them twice – once in the morning and once in the late afternoon. Repeat this remedy every day for a month to notice visible results.
- Another thing you can do is to soak 2 dried figs in milk and let it stay overnight. Then, the next day, eat them before breakfast. Do this routine for a couple of months.
9. Fruit juices/smoothies
Fruit juices and smoothies with high-calorie fruits are sure to give you positive results. Include these in your daily diet to put on a few pounds easily.
Remedy
- Prepare juices and smoothies from fruits like bananas, grapes, avocados, papaya, pears, grapefruit, plums, oranges, blueberries, raspberries, and watermelon.
10. Mangoes
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Mango is called the king of fruits for a reason – its delicious taste and juicy, rich goodness full of vitamins and minerals. It doesn’t have any sodium, fat, or cholesterol, but the naturally occurring fructose in it is stored as energy and fat, thereby helping you put on weight naturally. However, eating mangoes as is won’t help you cause; you need to incorporate them with milk and then consume them.
Remedies
- Make a mango milkshake adding a bit of sugar to sweeten it and drink it twice a day for a month to see visible results.
- You can also eat a ripe mango, but be sure to follow it up with a glass of milk. Repeat this remedy twice or thrice a day for a month.
11. Peanut butter
Peanut butter is high in calories and carbohydrates, making it one of the best home remedies for weight gain.
Remedies
- Spread a spoonful of peanut butter on fruits and veggies and eat them.
- Add 1 teaspoon of creamy peanut butter to your smoothie or milkshake.
- Spread peanut butter on your toast.
12. Potatoes
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Everybody knows that potatoes are pure starch, i.e., carbohydrates, along with complex sugars. They are ideal for putting on weight.
Remedies
- Grill or bake a potato and include it in your meal every day. Follow this for a couple of months to see any visible results.
- Make potato chips at home using a healthy oil like extra virgin olive oil, and have them twice a week for a couple of months.
13. Raisins
Raisins are nothing but dried grapes that are rich in essential fatty acids, helping in weight gain. Other than fatty acids, they are also rich in important nutrients that are vital for the body.
Remedies
- Pour one-fifth of a cup of raisins into a bowl and munch on them through the day for about a month to see visible results.
- Another way to consume the goodness of this dried fruits is to soak one-fifth of a cup of raisins along with 5-6 dried figs in half a cup of water overnight. The next day, eat them in two parts – once in the morning and once before going to bed. Do this routine every day for about a month.
14. Yogurt
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Yogurt is a rich source of proteins and probiotics, that help in increasing your weight.
Remedy
- Eat a bowl of plain yogurt with some added sugar to pack on the pounds.
- Another option is to add all the high-calorie fruits like blueberries, raspberries, and plums into your plain yogurt and eat it.
Suggested read: Top 10 WORST foods that hinder weight loss
In addition to these above mentioned home remedies for weight gain, follow these tips that will help you put on weight naturally, more quickly:
- Keep yourself hydrated at all times. In fact, you should drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day.
- Up the number of meals you consume every day, with foods that are high in calories and high in fiber.
- Quit smoking.
- Avoid drinking any fluids prior to a meal as these will suppress your appetite.
- Never skip a meal.
- Say no to processed foods.
Featured image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License
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