To get lean body,weight foods must be judged against a five point criteria
- High Calorie
- Moderate fats
- High Protein
- High Fiber
- High nutrition
Dal (Dried Beans)
- Dal is a major source for protein in Vegetarian diet.
- It is also high in fiber and nutrition.
- Highest calories are found in Soybeans, followed by Chickpeas (Cholay).
Soybeans Cooked in plain water: 298 Calories/cup
Chickpeas Cooked in plain water: 268 Calories/Cup
Other common legumes vary 203 to 215 Calories per cup.
Doodh Dahi (Dairy Products)
- Dairy products provide many nutrients that are available only in meats.
- For weight gain, eat one cup of fresh dahi (yogurt) every day to help with intestines.
- In addition you have one to two more cups of milk or equivalent in the form of fresh paneer.
- To increase calories, add 1 Tablespoon of Dry milk powder to One cup of Milk
- You may also make Nut milk, by cooking Milk and Ground Almonds and Pistachio, sweetened with honey.
- Regular milk products are high in calorie than the low-fat or fat-free products. For weight gain program, you can start out with regular milk products, and switch over to low-fat products after you have met your goals.
Related article: Colostrum helps you achieve your bodybuilding goals
Rice (Chawal)
- Use Brown Basmati Rice. It has high calories, high fiber, and high micronutrients.
- Rice, Rice Zarda, Kheer, Khichri, Idli
- You can add lots of nuts and dried fruits to Rice Zarda, Khichri, and Kheer for increased calories.
Breads (Roti)
- Make Roti with whole-grain wheat or Durum flour. Durum flour has higher calories
- You can increase calories by adding following Atta to make dough:
- Ground soybeans
- Ground Nuts, Flaxseeds
- Mix with Millet (Bajra or Jowar), or Buckwheat (Kuttu)
Related article: Why not to eat white bread
Vegetable Curry (Subzi)
- Starchy vegetables are high in Calories. Colorful and leafy vegetables are high in nutrition. For example in ‘Potato and Spinach’ curry, Potatoes will contribute more towards calories and Spinach will contribute more nutrition. Eat a lot of Sweet Potatoes (Shakarkandi), starchy vegetable high in calories, high in fiber and high in nutrition.
- Starchy vegetables are: Beets, Butternut Squash (Indian Pumpkin Kaddu), Carrots, Corn, Green Peas, Lima Beans, Plantain, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes
- You can increase calories by adding wheat-germ, cream, Khoya, and Paneer.
Fruits
- Eat dense fully ripe fresh fruits. Dense fruits have higher calories than watery fruits. Papaya is a preferred fruit. Other dense fruits are: Avocado, Bananas, Pears, Pineapple.
- Eat dried fruits, example: Raisins, Dates, and Apricots. These are high fiber high calorie
- Avoid canned fruits in heavy syrup including Murabba
Beverages
- Garam Chai (Masala Chai) made with cream and honey
- Nut Milk (Milk and powdered nuts cooked and sweetened)
- Thandai Milk and Nuts cold beverage
Fats/Oils
- Avoid transfats (Vanaspati, Dalda, Hydrogenated Coconut oil)
- Use saturated fats in moderation (Ghee, Butter, Virgin Coconut oil)
- Use Plant oils. Preferred oils are Mustard, Canola
Nuts
- Nuts are high in fats and calories. can play a vital role in gaining weight. Choose Nuts for Nutrition. Cashews are high in fats. Almonds are high in Vitamin E. Walnuts Pistachios and Flaxseeds are high in Omega 3 and fiber.
- Eat Mewa (Indian version of Trail mix) combination of Nuts and dried fruits. Mewa makes excellent High calories High Fiber High Nutrition snack to gain weight.
