5 Ways To Increase Intake When You Aren't Hungry
Most of the time, you are flooded with messages trying to encourage people to lose weight. While there is a good amount of people who need to lose weight for health conditions, people who are underweight are usually not given as much attention. Being under your bodies natural “set point” can be just as unhealthy as being morbidly obese. There are long term health complications that can arise when your body is lacking proper nutrition.
Whether you are underweight from dieting, have an eating disorder, recovering from an illness/surgery, or have GI disorders, regaining weight can be super beneficial for your body.
A mistake I see a lot when people are trying to gain weight is eating too many “volume foods”, making it impossible to get adequate calories. I am going to share some helpful tips to restore weight in a healthy and fulfilling way.
Eat More Quality Fats!
The most beneficial thing you can do for your body is load up on healthy fats! I truly believe most Americans are not eating enough of the RIGHT kinds of fats to maintain optimal health. Media throws out messages that demonizes dietary fats as being the cause of so many health problems- which is false. A lot of the fats commonly used in restaurants and packaged foods at the grocery store are oxidized unsaturated fatty acids such as canola, safflower and corn oil. However, choosing the right types of fats (even some saturated fats) can be beneficial and nourishing for the body. We need fats in order to absorb the vitamins and minerals in our food, they provide satiety and prevent blood sugar crashes.
Some of my favorites are:
Avocados
Nuts and nut butters
Ghee/grass-fed butter
Avocado oil/olive oil
Seeds: pumpkin, sunflower, ground flaxseed
Egg yolks
Coconut
Coconut milk
Grass-fed beef or ground bison
Salmon
Don’t Forget Carbs
Carbs are probably the most feared of all the macronutrients these days. They themselves do NOT cause weight gain. Eating in a caloric surplus for a period of time is what makes people gain weight. Carbohydrates are important to include in your diet because they promote healthy hormone function (especially in females), increase thyroid function, are the body's primary source of energy, enhance exercise performance, and aids in restful sleep! Making sure you are eating enough carbs in your diet is crucial and may help with digestion.
Some good choices are:
Sweet potatoes/yams
White rice (easier to digest than brown)
Brown rice cakes
Whole wheat/sourdough bread
Toaster waffles
Fresh and dried fruit
Butternut squash/winter squash/kabocha squash
Oatmeal
Tortillas
Read this post: The Importance of Carbohydrates
Ditch The Diet Foods
Arctic Zero, PB2, Bagel thins, Walden Farms syrups, you get the idea. While you can gain weight eating a lot of low calorie foods, it’s going to be much harder to increase your intake due to the volume you would need to eat. It also can be helpful to overcome food fears when choosing the real deal foods instead of their low calorie alternatives. There is nothing wrong with treating yourself to some full fat ice cream or fresh homemade cookies from time to time. Ditching the diet foods will help increase you intake.
Drink Up!
Liquid calories can be a life saver trying to eat more without feeling hungry. Smoothies, coconut water, milk, juice, etc. Drinking calories can be so much gentler on your digestion and be an easy way to sneak in something extra. A lot of people don't have the time to sit down to 5-6 meals, so making a nutritious shake is going to be your best friend. Adding cream to your coffee, making hot cocoa and smoothies are some great choices.
Creamy Banana Smoothie Recipe:
1-2 frozen bananas
1/2 cup frozen berries
1 scoop protein powder of choice
Handful of spinach
1-2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1-2 Tbsp nut butter
6-7 oz milk of choice (the less liquid, the thicker it will be!)
3-4 ice cubes
Increase Portion Sizes
It doesn't get more simpler than that! Instead of a skimpy serving of rice, double up! I would be cautious on eating too many high fiber veggies or fruits because too much fiber can be just as harsh on digestion than not getting enough! 25-40g/day fiber is ideal.
Great Snack Ideas:
Rice cakes with nut butter and banana slices
Greek yogurt, granola, fruit and nuts
Trail mixes with mixed nuts, chocolate, and dried fruit! You can really get creative with it
G2G Bars (code YUMMY for 20% off)
Smoothie bowls with granola
Cereal with protein shake as the milk
Banana Wrap: 1 large tortilla, 2 tbsp nut butter, 1 slices banana
Bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon
Homemade muffins or energy balls
Dark Chocolate
Ice cream!
Banana pancakes
Dried figs or dates dipped in almond butter topped with sea salt
Avocado toast with fried eggs on top, sprinkled with feta
Collagen hot chocolate (2 scoops collagen, 1 tbsp raw cacao powder, 1 tbsp coconut butter or cocoa butter, 1-2 tbsp honey, warm water+ almond milk)
Remember that gaining weight is not always going to be easy. Seeing your body change over time can be mentally challenging for some people, but DON'T GIVE UP! Remind yourself that you are doing the best thing for your body and overall health is so much more important than the number on the scale.
Remind yourself that not everything you eat needs to be 100% "healthy". Its good to have a balance and that those treats are what will make you enjoy this process so much more. The whole point is to redevelop a health relationship with food and your body. And that the two have nothing to do with each other. You are not defined by the type of diet you adhere to. .
Your body will thank you for the nourishment.
