millenium girl
05-05-2009, 05:46 PM
Eating Vegetables to Gain Weight
by John Sweeney
Okay, so you want to gain weight. You've probably been consuming chicken, tuna and red meat like you've never done before, lifting heavier weights than you've ever lifted before and supplementing like you've never supplemented before, but…… are you eating your fruits and veggies? I didn't think so. Many people trying to gain weight overlook the smaller details, and it doing so stunt their muscle building objectives. I used to be guilty of this as well. I would cook up a large meal and throw some greens on the plate somewhere, just to make myself feel better about eating vegetables.
For example, at dinner time, I would throw a few pieces of lettuce and a couple slices of cucumber on my steak and potato dinner. Besides making it look pretty, it did very little. The nutritional value of vegetables cannot be debated, however, if you are trying to gain weight there are certain veggies that will not only make you feel good about eating veggies but will also help increase your daily caloric intake. Watery veggies, such as lettuce, cucumbers, bock choi, broccoli, and zucchini are great tasting and have valuable nutritional attributes to them. However, other veggies which are as good for you are more calorie dense. Below is a list of some great veggies to include in your meals that will add some additional calories to your daily requirements.
Potatoes (1 baked with skin 220 calories)
Peas (1 cup 115 calories)
Corn (1 cup 185 calories)
Carrots (1 cup raw 70 calories)
Winter Squash (1 cup baked 80 calories)
Beets (1 cup 55 calories)
What about high calorie fruits?
Bananas (105 calories each)
Pears (100 calories each)
Apples (80 calories each)
Pineapple (1 cup 75 calories)
Dried fruit (raisins, dates, apricots etc) (1 cup raisins 435 calories)
When trying to gain weight it's easy to overlook the smaller things, but if eating the "right" vegetables helps add a couple hundred calories to your diet everyday it's probably a good idea to introduce them to your lunch box.
Good luck!
Article by: John Sweeney
by John Sweeney
Okay, so you want to gain weight. You've probably been consuming chicken, tuna and red meat like you've never done before, lifting heavier weights than you've ever lifted before and supplementing like you've never supplemented before, but…… are you eating your fruits and veggies? I didn't think so. Many people trying to gain weight overlook the smaller details, and it doing so stunt their muscle building objectives. I used to be guilty of this as well. I would cook up a large meal and throw some greens on the plate somewhere, just to make myself feel better about eating vegetables.
For example, at dinner time, I would throw a few pieces of lettuce and a couple slices of cucumber on my steak and potato dinner. Besides making it look pretty, it did very little. The nutritional value of vegetables cannot be debated, however, if you are trying to gain weight there are certain veggies that will not only make you feel good about eating veggies but will also help increase your daily caloric intake. Watery veggies, such as lettuce, cucumbers, bock choi, broccoli, and zucchini are great tasting and have valuable nutritional attributes to them. However, other veggies which are as good for you are more calorie dense. Below is a list of some great veggies to include in your meals that will add some additional calories to your daily requirements.
Potatoes (1 baked with skin 220 calories)
Peas (1 cup 115 calories)
Corn (1 cup 185 calories)
Carrots (1 cup raw 70 calories)
Winter Squash (1 cup baked 80 calories)
Beets (1 cup 55 calories)
What about high calorie fruits?
Bananas (105 calories each)
Pears (100 calories each)
Apples (80 calories each)
Pineapple (1 cup 75 calories)
Dried fruit (raisins, dates, apricots etc) (1 cup raisins 435 calories)
When trying to gain weight it's easy to overlook the smaller things, but if eating the "right" vegetables helps add a couple hundred calories to your diet everyday it's probably a good idea to introduce them to your lunch box.
Good luck!
Article by: John Sweeney