5 tips to gradually increase weight including meal ideas

If you are an adult in your “golden years” or if you have a parent experiencing unintentional weight loss and need to gain weight, then this article is for you! Keep reading to learn how to gain weight for seniors and older adults by making small changes to your eating habits. 

Common Causes For Unintended Weight Loss

After assessing their medical history, diets, eating habits, and lifestyle, my discovery for the unintended weight loss is summarized as follows:

• Eating inadequate food for their caloric and nutrient needs. 
• Small appetite.
• Taking many medications that affect appetite.
• Cooking too “healthy” – steaming or boiling most of their foods without adding any fat or oil.
• Swallowing problems or digestive issues (such as bloating, indigestion, constipation).
• Living and eating alone.
• Having a chronic disease or a medical condition that limit their food preferences or choices.
• Having little energy to grocery shop and cook.

5 Tips For Older Adults To Gain Weight In a Healthy Way

Many of my clients found the following practical tips for weight gain very helpful and easy to follow: 

1. Eat smaller meals more often throughout the day. Choose high-calorie and nutrient-dense foods at every meal.  
2. Snack on high-calorie and high protein foods (cheese, avocado, eggs, or nut butter) between meals.  
3. Add healthy fats or oils such as drizzling olive oil or sesame oil to steamed or boiled vegetables.
4. Eat soft and easier-to-digest foods such as tofu, ground meat that has been cooked to a softer state, as well as snacking on nut butter. 
5. Get or stay active! Being physically active will increase appetite and improve your mood!

Breakfast & Lunch Ideas For Gaining Weight

Healthy breakfast ideas for weight gain 

• One half or one whole avocado 
• 1 cup of hot old-fashioned oatmeal with ground walnuts or almonds and goji berries, with 2% or homogenized milk  
• 1 cup creamy black sesame drink* 

Healthy lunch ideas for weight gain

• Buckwheat noodles or Rice vermicelli drizzled with 1-2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil  
• Pan-seared salmon with teriyaki sauce 
• Stir fry vegetables with a liberal amount of vegetable oil

It is important that older adults and seniors are eating adequate amounts of nutrient-dense foods to avoid unintentional weight loss. Following the tips above will ensure that seniors are eating enough to fulfill their body’s daily nutrient needs. To learn more, please visit Health Canada’s Food Guide for Seniors.

Want to learn more about nutrition for seniors? Check out these articles: