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How to Gain Weight Healthy for Seniors & Older Adults
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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 an unintentional weight loss and needs to gain weight, then this article is for you!

As a registered dietitian, one of my areas of practice is senior health and Asian diets. I have successfully helped older clients and patients who enjoy their Asian cuisine, gain weight gradually by making small changes to their eating habits.

Keep reading to learn how to gain weight for seniors and older adults!

gain weight for seniors

Common causes for unintended weight loss

After assessing their medical history, dietseating 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! 
weight gain for older adults

Breakfast & lunch ideas for gaining weight

My clients enjoyed the following breakfast and lunch ideas that I suggested. I have included the easy and simple nutritional high-calorie drink recipe at the end of the article! 

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

Creamy black sesame drink* 

 

Ingredients: 

  • 1 cup of soy milk or milk 
  • 1 tbsp of black sesame powder 
  • ½ tsp of honey or maple syrup (optional)

Directions: 

In a blender, combine all the ingredients. Blend till smooth.  Serve hot or cold. 

black sesame drink

Looking for more ideas on how to gain weight for seniors in a healthy way?

Contact us for additional private one-on-one Online Nutritionist support for healthy weight gain.  Our Dietitian team can help you with personalized strategies about how to gain healthy weight for a range of reasons related to meal planning challenges, eating disorders, mental health concerns, ADHD, digestive health issues, sports/training demands and more:

Healthy weight gain tips

You might also want to check out some of these previous blog posts below.

To learn more, please visit Health Canada’s Food Guide for Seniors.

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Success stories

"I am a psychologist in private practice and it is very important to me that my clients have the best care with other health care professionals. For that reason Health Stand Nutrition is my only source for exceptional Dietitians. Andrea and her team provide highly knowledgeable, compassionate, and real world support to my clients who require assistance with food lifestyle. I trust my clients to them and you would be in excellent hands making them part of your health care team."
Adele Fox, Psychologist
“This is the first time I feel satisfied; my cravings have diminished dramatically and I have a whole new relationship with food. I am eating guilt-free for the first time in my life. My energy has also dramatically increased and I feel great!
Rhonda Jenkins, Nutrition Counseling Client
“The Dieticians at Health Stand Nutrition help you to take action on the science behind eating well by making it practical, understandable, and fun. Their office is cozy and not at all clinical or intimidating. I felt like I was sitting down with a really smart, caring friend who wanted to help me make the best choices for my lifestyle and food preferences. They really are the best in the business.”
Marty Avery, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I have come to think of the program as a one stop shopping excursion for everything one needs to know about creating a joyous relationship with food and our bodies. In a single word, the course has gifted me with freedom from the punishing rigidity of disordered eating, old stories that never were true, and body dysmorphia that did nothing but make me lose sight of a body that has done everything I've asked, despite my careless dismissal of her needs. Now when I look in the mirror I find myself shifting from harsh criticism to gentle gratitude.”
Lynn Haley, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
“I spent 3 hours when first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I learned more from my Dietitian about food in those 3 hours than I had learned in all the years of my life. I also love the newsletter, there is always something to learn.”
Peter Whitehead, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I didn’t realize how strong my “diet mentality” was, and all the rules I had in my head about food. I was in a cycle of reward/punish/binge/cringe. I booked with your business very reluctantly, on the repeated advice of my doctor, to get my slowly rising cholesterol levels in check. I thought I knew everything about food, and my behaviour with food, but I was definitely re-schooled. My weight is creeping down, I feel good about my diet, exercise, body image, and lifestyle.”
Amy Floyd, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Thanks Andrea for an amazing presentation, I have heard all positive remarks from attendees and the evaluations show the same sentiment. It is really gratifying when a speaker does their “homework” and weaves in our profession’s day to day challenges within their content, you did an awesome job of this! You truly took the “die” out of Dietician! Your information on healthy eating and simplifying how we can work towards this as we are all so busy really hit the mark. Andrea connects very well with her audience; she is energetic, funny, and very approachable.”
Carole Ann LaGrange, Transfusion Medicine Safety Officer

Event Planner for Laboratory Diagnostic Imaging Annual Event

I am a family physician who sees patients with a myriad of eating concerns – from wanting to know how to plan healthy meals for active families, to weight loss, to eating disorders, and so on. I cannot recommend the Health Stand team highly enough. I have worked with (and been to!) other Dieticians in the past and too often find that they just ask for food logs and make suggestions that are easily obtained online or in books. The Dieticians at Health Stand offer much more than just telling clients what they “should be eating.” In contrast, the team really does more of a counselling practice, and they work hard to help their clients learn more about why their eating habits may be off track and not optimal for them, as well as helping people to effect change at a deep level that, most importantly, is sustainable for lifetime health.”
Dr. Deb Putnam, Family Physician

Nutrition Counseling Client & Referring Physician

“I am a busy mom, with kids in high level sports, working full-time downtown, and running our home acreage outside the City. I now have the knowledge and tools I need to plan for and manage the chaos of meal planning.”
Gillian Gray, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
“As a construction company, we select speakers who can relate to our industry and its employees. Andrea’s message was delivered with humor and empathy. She makes people feel as though they can make changes without leaving behind every favorite food. Andrea focused her presentation on healthy eating as a way to keep energy high throughout the day. This message and the way it was delivered resonated with our predominantly male, blue collar culture. I would highly recommend Andrea as a speaker for groups such as ours. She will get your message across without alienating anyone in your audience – which is a huge hurdle when trying to introduce a wellness program in the workplace!”
Stephanie Wood, HR and Safety Manager

Fisher Construction Group, Burlington, WA

I found my Dietitian warm, funny, and skilled at teaching nutrition concepts without the overwhelm. The general approach of each session was to mix science with emotion, which was exceedingly effective in helping me shift my perspective on food from one of anxiety to one of joy and curiosity.”
Erin Kronstedt, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Excellent presentation! What a refreshing change to have a speaker inspire rather than “lecture” about nutrition. Your captivating stories, tips and overall approach to healthy eating uplifts and puts people at ease. It was great to hear we don’t need to strive to be perfect eaters, and that small changes really can make a difference in how we feel and in our health. Thanks to Andrea, we have solutions to our everyday nutrition challenges that can actually work in real life!”
Tina Tamagi, Human Resources

ARC Resources Ltd.

“Had I not joined this course I would have struggled with no focus, low energy, and mindless eating. Excellent teaching and motivation. This is not just a course, it is a nutrition club with mentorship, support, and connections with other people with similar situations.”
Lorri Lawrence, Pursuit of Healthiness online course participant

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