You’re underweight if your Body Mass Index is below 18.5. If you fall into this category, you need to eat more calories every day in order to reach a healthier weight. However, that isn’t always as easy as it sounds. You don’t want to just add extra calories by eating junk food that’s high in calories but not nutritious. Choose foods that are nutrient dense and energy dense whenever possible.
Bagels
Steve Woods
Breads in general are a good source of carbohydrates that your body needs for energy. Bagels are extra dense. While one slice of bread has about 70 calories, one small 3-inch bagel has over 150 calories. Top your bagel with cream cheese and some 100% fruit spread for an energy dense and healthy snack.
Pasta
G & A Scholiers
Pasta is another energy dense source of carbohydrates and can serve as the base of a healthy and high calorie meal (one cup of cooked spaghetti noodles has 220 calories). Top your pasta with lycopene-rich marinara sauce and add a quarter cup of shredded cheese for more calories and calcium.
Dried Fruits
Gary Scott
Raisins are the most popular dried fruit, but you can also find dried berries, apricots, cranberries and even tropical fruits. You can give yourself a quick calorie boost by eating dried fruits because they have less volume than their fresh counterparts. For example, one half-cup of raisins has more calories (over 200) than a full cup of fresh grapes (about 60) and still offers good nutrition.
Healthy Oils
Marcello Gambetti
Adding extra oil to your food is an easy way to add calories, but you want to be sure to choose oils that are good for you. Olive oil is rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, while canola oil contains both monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, including omega-3 fatty acids. Extra virgin olive oil can add calories and flavor to pasta, bread or vegetables, while canola oil makes a terrific all-purpose cooking oil.
Avocados
Pat Herman
Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats plus vitamin K, potassium and fiber and one avocado has more than 200 calories. You can add avocado slices to your sandwiches or make guacamole and serve with baked tortilla chips.
Nuts and Seeds
Mike Coombes
Squirrels store nuts for a good reason, they’re rich in calories that keep them fed during winter. Nuts and seeds are rich in polyunsaturated fats that add healthy calories to your diet. Brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pecans, cashews, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and pumpkin seeds are all good for you and offer a variety of flavors. You can eat them by the handful or slather some apple slices with nut butters for a nutrient-dense and energy-dense snack.
Granola
Amanda Rohde
Make your own granola with any combination of dry cereals, nuts, seeds and dried fruits to make your own high-calorie snack foods. Store your granola in airtight container and serve some for breakfast or pack some little plastic zippered bags with granola that you can take with you on a busy day.
Fruit Juice
Steve Woods
Choose 100% fruit juice instead of sugary sodas and energy drinks to get calories and vitamins. Look out for fruit-flavored drinks that are mostly sugar or high-fructose corn syrup –- they just don’t pack the nutritional value of 100% fruit juices.
