How To Gain Weight On A Plant-Based Diet?

While consuming specific food products might help you lose weight in a short period, what if you want to gain weight while following specific food practices? People who eat animal-based foods can easily gain weight due to their high nutritional value. But vegans usually find it hard to put some weight on while following only plant-based diets. But there is always a way. Let’s find out how you can gain weight on a plant-based diet.

What is a plant-based diet?

The diet on which a person consumes food that is either plant itself or plant-based products is known as a plant-based diet. In other words, it is also known as Veganism. People might or might not prefer to consume a modest amount of animal-based foods while being on a plant-based diet,  based on their personal or health preferences. People turn to plant-based diets due to several reasons including a healthy lifestyle, an ethical approach towards animals, losing weight, and many more.

As you know, plant-based diets are not precisely diet plans but a lifestyle that people choose consciously. That’s another thing that such a diet helps them stay fit and slim. But there could be many reasons that might compel them to gain weight including pregnancy, athletic competitions, and health conditions.

How to gain weight on a plant-based diet?

So, you need to gain weight while being vegan, what would be your first thought on how to do it? Eat more? Yes, that’s precisely what everyone thinks. But gaining weight is not as simple as increasing your food intake. Several factors play a role in shaping your body. To gain weight in a healthy manner, follow these simple steps:

• First of all, learn about your body, your metabolism, your calorie intake, and your body type. It will help you design your next steps carefully.
• Consume more calories to fulfill the nutritional value along with increasing muscle mass.
• Increase the amount of your food intake gradually.
• Eating on a bigger plate can motivate you to eat a large portion of meals.
• Prefer energy-dense foods over other plant-based foods.
• Do a little physical activity but skip cardio workouts.

What to Eat to Gain Weight on a Plant-Based Diet?

Though that’s for sure that you can only consume plant-based foods, increasing their quantity and adding more dense plant-based foods to your diet can really help you gain weight. Eating food rich in calories and healthy fats can make you bulky while maintaining your health. Experts believe that adding 300 to 500 extra calories a day can let you achieve your goal. Here are the foods which you can have to gain weight.

1: Nuts & Seeds

While aiming for weight loss, people usually avoid nuts and seeds due to their high caloric and healthy content. On the other hand, nuts and seeds are the best options for people who want to gain weight as they are rich in both mono and polyunsaturated fats which make up to around 3000 calories per pound. Consuming a handful of nuts and seeds like flax seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, peanuts, and cashews per day can increase your weight gradually.

2: Avocado

What could be better than having food that tastes good and serves your weight purposes as well? Avocado is such food with delicious flavor and high in fiber and healthy fats. It also replenishes our body with micronutrients like potassium and vitamin C. Consuming avocado can help you gain your desired weight while keeping nutritional requirements in check.

3: Olives

Another weight-gain winner is Olives. Not only do they taste great, but they are also rich in healthy fats and are full of nutrients like iron and copper. All these factors make them the best choice to gain weight. They are convenient to consume as they can be added to soups, can be sprinkled over salads, or can be consumed directly.

4: Nut Butter

Nut butter is a good choice to gain weight as it is high in calories and is a convenient option as well. The butter can be added to any snack, or smoothies or can be consumed as a side to boost the protein content. You just have to be careful to opt for the natural variety of nut butter which does not have any processed sugar or oils.

5: Sweet Potatoes

The best part about gaining weight while being on a plant-based diet is that you can have as many potatoes as you want. Potatoes are full of starch, fiber, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and a lot of calories. In short, potatoes are a complete package to make your weight gain journey smoother while keeping you full on nutrition.

6: Rice

Rice can be your choice of food if you want to gain weight. It is considered one of the rich sources of essential fiber, protein, and a number of minerals, and vitamins. You can add rice to your daily meal routine and you’ll surely see the needle of the weight machine going up in a few days.

7: Smoothies

Smoothies are another great way to consume more in a short time. You can make smoothies of your favorite fruits to ensure maximum intake of calories. To enhance the number of calories, these smoothies can be topped with dried nuts and seeds. Another great way is to add plant-based protein powders to your smoothies.

The final word

Planned munching on foods that are high in calories, and rich in healthy fats is the best possible way to gain weight while being on a plant-based diet. The only tip is not to overdo it, but to keep a healthy check and balance on your nutritional intake to avoid any medical condition.