Gain weight the healthy way

In these times of obesity-consciousness, it is hard to imagine someone trying to put on weight. We’ve all seen people who eat a lot but still manage to stay thin as a reed. These people are a source of envy to many others who just cannot keep their weight within normal levels. But this might be a scenario for some people who may have eating disorders or chronic diseases or may just be thin genetically, or their metabolic rate would be so high that they do not put on much weight.

Health risks

It is not that since you are underweight or thin you might not have any chronic disease such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes, since these are mostly associated with obesity. You might still end up with high blood pressure or diabetes if you have other predisposing factors such as family history, lack of exercise and poor eating habits, since obesity is not the only factor leading to these chronic diseases.

People who are too thin are also prone to osteoporosis and hip fractures due to mineral and vitamin deficiencies and less bone mass.

Increasing your intake of fat or other junk food or simply eating anything is not a healthy way to increase your weight since it might lead to other complications such as high cholesterol or blood pressure. Trying to gain weight the healthy way should be the right approach. Healthy ways to gain weight

• It is always healthy to have small and frequent meals, say about 3 main meals and 3 small meals in a day, rather than having large portions at any one meal.

• Start the day with a healthy breakfast. Have an extra slice of whole meal or multigrain bread or add some nuts to your cereal or have extra teaspoon full of some skimmed milk powder to your milk. The skimmed milk powder would add protein and calories to your milk but would not add the saturated fat from dairy foods.

• Eat healthy and energy-dense snacks in between your meals instead of just having snacks full of empty calories. Energydense foods are those foods which even if eaten in little quantity provide you with enough calories. These foods contain more calories per serving. These are especially good for those people who are not able to eat a lot of food in one sitting. Some of the examples of energy dense snacks are nuts, granola bars, dried fruits, fruits, smoothies, sprouted dal, popcorn, corn cobs, apricot cake, banana bread, fruit custard, fruit yoghurt and blueberry muffins.

• Do not add calories to your meals by choosing fried foods such as French fries, samosas, pakoras, chicken nuggets and meat pies. Try to include healthy fats such as those found in tuna, salmon, sardines, nuts and flaxseed. The fried foods might increase your weight but on the other hand might also end up increasing your cholesterol. It has also been seen that fatty foods make you feel full faster so you are not able to eat much.

• Drink healthy beverages such as milk shakes, smoothies, fruit juices instead of sodas, or aerated drinks which just add on to the calories.

• Add cheese or avocado or peanut butter to your sandwiches to make it healthier and to add calories.

• Add a teaspoon of olive oil, some pitted olives and light cream to your salads.

• Have 5 serves of vegetables every day. Vegetables will not help you put on weight but these will help you fight against infection.

• Complex carbohydrates (starches) such as whole grains, pasta, cereals, beans, potatoes and rice also have higher calorie densities than fibrous carbohydrates.

• Proteins are very important for your body. Most of the protein foods are also high in fat. Try to include those protein foods which are low in fat but are high in calories. Soy products such as tofu, soy nuggets, tempeh and soy milk, pulses are excellent protein sources for vegetarian. Lean meat, skinless chicken, fish, low fat dairy and eggs are good additions in your diet to increase weight and protein in your diet.

• Do some resistance training exercises as weight bearing exercises help in building more muscles. Do not consider weight gain opportunities as a chance to stuff yourself with unhealthy choices – you could end up with a problem more serious than being underweight. Try and gain your weight in a healthy and nutritious way.

The pounding of drums, blaring of trumpets and crashing of cymbals echo through the forest. Curious villagers and a sprinkling of visitors descend upon a clearing where eight musicians dressed in white dhotis bordered with bands of orange and grey are performing before a 300-year-old temple.

Master drummers and other musicians train novices here every day of the week, whispered my genial guide, Gopi. “Today we will have a lecture demonstration about the musical culture of the River Nila.”

This is not a sight seen or heard by many tourists unless they want to gain a thorough understanding of the distinct cultural attractions of this little known area along Kerala’s longest river, said the founder of The Blue Yonder, an environmentally conscious tour operator that combines culture with comfort.

Barely a half hour before arriving at this secluded cultural cauldron I was enjoying cosy comforts at the 250-year-old riversited summer residence of the Maharajas of Cochin. Since 2000, however, this luxurious residence has been the River Retreat, a boutique property that lures culturally-minded and ayurvedicallyoriented visitors to Cheruthuruthy, a town about 30 km from Thrissur in northern Kerala, a diverse area known as the Malabar region.

The Malabar Coast is not to be confused with the Malabar region. The former, the narrow coastal strip sandwiched between the Western Ghats to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west, extends the length of the coastline from Goa to Cape Comorin. The latter encompasses the whole of several districts in northern Kerala including Kozhikode and Wayanad.

A number of port towns were established along the Malabar Coast. Kochi – the