Fat is a rich source of energy; 1 gram provides 37 kJ (9 kcal). Fat is made up of building blocks called fatty acids and these are classified as saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated depending on their chemical structure. Some of these are essential components of the diet but others can be detrimental to our health if too much is consumed. All types of fat provide the same number of calories (9kcal/g) regardless of where they come from. This means that too much of any type of fat can encourage weight gain. Foods that contain a lot of fat provide a lot of energy and are called energy-dense foods. Consuming too many energy-dense foods can lead to excess energy intake. This energy will be stored as body fat and, over time, promote the development of obesity, which increases the risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
Heart-healthy olive oils, canola oils or a medium-chain triglyceride oil, like coconut oil, are your new best friends when trying to gain weight. Why? Adding them to a salad, smoothie or serving of grains can up the calories in your dish without making you feel more full.
“If you’re making rice, grains, couscous, or anything that will absorb liquid, add a generous amount of healthy fat to it, such as olive oil or canola oil, because the starch is going to absorb it,” Additionally, you should stock up on a variety of nuts to snack on throughout the day. Just a handful of walnuts can pack more than 200 calories. “Nuts are great because nuts are very high-calorie, but they have a heart-healthy kind of fat.
Simply adding an extra serving of protein, whole grains or unsaturated fat at meal time ups your calorie intake. A 100-calorie addition at each meal — approximately the amount in one banana, an ounce of cheese, 1/2 cup of brown rice or quinoa or 1/2 of an avocado — totals a 300-calorie increase per day, yielding a little more than 1/2 pound gain per week. A weak appetite can making eating more at meals challenging. Add calories to the food you do eat as an alternative way to boost calories. Spread peanut butter on toast for an extra 190 calories per 2 tablespoons, cook oatmeal in a cup of milk for another 149 calories or add 2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds to your salad for 170 calories. Other ways to boost calories without increasing the volume of what you eat is adding cheese to casseroles, stirring dry milk into liquid milk or tossing pasta in olive oil before adding other toppings.
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I thought cheese is of bad cholesterol and so is peanut butter? I am happy to know now that they are not.
Exercising at least 30 minutes a day can boost our good cholesterol too.
Fruits and vegetables actually can sweep off the bad effects of bad cholesterol, them being fibrous and considered the sweeper of our bodies.