what are some healthy foods to gain weight

[MariaBlue]

Recently found out I'm hypoglycemic & slightly underweight, so I'm trying to gain weight. But even at the start I find it very difficult to do, because when I think of foods to gain weight I can only think of sugary foods like pie or greasy like pizza & fries, which both aren't very healthy options. I googled it, and whey proteine often comes up, but is that really healthy? I've got no idea. Fish is also good, but really expensive. The other three usually mentioned are nuts/avocado/milk, but I wonder if anyone else knows any other foods? In particular with unsaturated fats.

Also, often, I'm just not that hungry. So what do I do if I'm not hungry at all? Force myself to eat?

Just thought that maybe, I need to count calories? When people try to lose weight, they count calories, so maybe I should count them as well & then chose the ones that have the most calories to gain weight faster.. or does it not work that way?

Also, anyone knows a good diet for hypoglycemia? I have looked online a little but somehow ended up at a carb-free diet which isn't something I'm looking for.

This turned out to be a lot of questions I hope someone has some tips/advice and I'm just going to keep posting my own research in case someone else has the same problem some time.

All the best, M

[Activity2004 Administrator]

Hi MariaBlue ,

Welcome to the group. Glad that you have joined. We have monthly meetings on a weekend day once a month. Please feel free to join us for our next meeting in August. Also, feel free to continue to post your postings and comments, comment on other member's postings and/or comments, take the polls listed on the Polls section, check out the topics section for certain postings/ideas to help with the healthy eating, ask more questions whenever you want and of course, meet the rest of the group members!

As for your questions dealing with hypoglycimia, you need to eat a few snacks and meals on time throughout your day or you will start to have low blood sugar. Have you been told by your doctor to count your carbs for each meal and/or snack? Counting carbs helps with blood sugar control and weight issues.

[MariaBlue in reply to Activity2004]

Hi,

Thank you for your post No, my dr. didn't tell me to count carbs, but he did indeed tell me it was best to eat more regularly and more often during the day so my blood sugar wouldn't drop too much. Now I just have to follow that as well. Counting carbs is a very good idea, I'm definitely going to try that out. Do you also know what amount of carbs is healthy per meal, or do you do you know any good website that calculates this?

[Activity2004 Administrator in reply to MariaBlue]

You can write down your food for each meal and snack. Put each item's total and then add everything up.

Item:

Meat: 0

Fruit: 15-30( depending on the amount)

Milk: 13

Bread: 15-30 (depends on the amount)

Veggies:. 5-15 (depends on the type and amount)

Total: 88 Carbs. I hope this helps.

[PhilFreeToAsk in reply to MariaBlue]

I have reactive hypoglycaemia (RH). It is now controlled but I am wary of eating refined carbs just in case it returns. So this is my experience.

As RH is controlled by a low GI (Glycaemic Index) diet I find it difficult to put on weight. As RH responds to carbs there should be no need to snack frequently unless it is not under control. I found frequent snacking on the wrong foods to keep blood sugar up just made it worse.

The aim is to have a meal that is low to medium GL (Glycaemic Load). This means that you can mix carbs with good proteins and fats. These will slow down the release of blood sugar so it never gets too high. By not getting too high it stops it dropping too quickly. You need to avoid foods that raise blood sugar quickly.

I found there was no need to count carbs whilst getting it under control. It became obvious the level of carbs that I could eat. Once hypos were under control then carbs can be increased but gradually. You will find a diet by experimenting with your food. When I was first diagnosed I found Patrick Holford's Low GL recipe books a great help.

It is a bit of a cliche but you have to listen to your body and you have to determine what is best for you. If like me the more you get blood sugar under control then the more carbs that you can eat.

Good luck.