How to Eat More

Many medications, health conditions, or social situations can cause some people to become anorexic or lose weight. You will need to eat more to gain weight or maintain your current weight. Increasing the amount of food you consume is harder than you think. This is especially true when you are struggling with anorexia. However, a few tips and tricks will help you increase your appetite and eat more.

Table of Contents

Increase the amount of food you consume

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If necessary, you should seek inspiration from someone who loves food. They can be relatives or friends who love to cook, a colleague who is famous for their baking skills, a nutritionist, etc.

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Consume more calories. If you want to gain weight, you need to consume more calories per day. Slowly, slowly gaining weight is the safest and healthiest method. ^{[1] X Research Source}

In general, health professionals recommend that you consume 250-500 extra calories per day to be able to gain weight safely. As a result, you will gain between 200 – 450 grams per week. ^{[2] X Research Source}
The exact number of calories you need each day can vary depending on your underweight, age, gender, and overall health. You should consult with your doctor or dietitian to determine the exact number you need to reach.
Look for foods that are high in calories, rather than eating lots of foods that don’t have a lot of calories. For example, about 28 grams of beans will give you 160 – 190 calories ^{[3] X Research Source} , while 28 grams of pretzels (pretzels) have only about 100 calories. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Use healthy calories. Even if you need a lot of calories to gain weight, you should remember to make sure that the foods you consume contain nutrients that help your body function at its best. ^{[5] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

High-calorie foods are good, but empty calories from foods without nutrients are not healthy if you eat them in excess. ^{[6] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source} You should avoid eating large portions or large quantities of foods such as candy or desserts, drinks with added sugar, fried foods, fast foods, or desserts. processed meat.
Occasionally, eating greasy or high-sugar foods will help you gain weight, but you should only use them as a treat for yourself, not rely on them because their nutritional value is very little.

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Increase the use of healthy fats. Fat contains more calories per gram than protein or carbohydrates. Increasing the amount of healthy fats you consume throughout the day will help increase your overall calorie intake and help you gain weight. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Healthy fats are a great option for adding calories to your body. You can use beans, peas, avocados, piu berries, piu oil, and fatty fish.
In addition to helping increase your overall calorie intake, they’ve also been shown to help keep your heart healthy. ^{[8] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

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Use lots of protein. Protein is an essential nutrient in any diet. However, if you need to gain weight or have trouble maintaining it, getting enough protein is important.

Protein helps support your metabolism and muscle mass. When you are underweight or lose weight, your muscle mass decreases. Eating enough protein will help minimize this condition. ^{[9] X Trusted Source USDA Center for Nutrition Ppicy and Promotion Go to Source}
Try to consume at least 85 to 113 grams of lean protein per day. This will help ensure that you’re getting your daily recommended amount of protein. ^{[10] X Trusted Source USDA Center for Nutrition Ppicy and Promotion Go to Source}
Choose both lean protein and protein foods with moderate amounts of fat. For example, you can use foods made with whole milk, eggs, fatty fish, or dark poultry.
Do not use fried, fatty or processed meat. They often carry many health risks and are not worth the extra calories from them.
Protein increases feelings of fullness, or “sickness”. ^{[11] X Research Source} If your goal is to eat more, rather than just increase your calorie intake, keep in mind that consuming more protein will make you less hungry.

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Eat whole grains. Although they do not contain many calories, they are still essential for a healthy diet.

Try to choose whole grains. They contain much of the bran or husk, germ, and endosperm of the seed. ^{[12] X Trusted Source USDA Center for Nutrition Ppicy and Promotion Go to Source}
Whole grains provide extra calories and more fiber and other health benefits.
Try to use whole grains like barley, quinoa, brown rice, oats, bread and pasta made with 100% whole wheat flour.
Add a few more calorie-dense foods to whole grains to increase the calorie count. For example, you can drizzle more piu oil over brown rice or add some dime-sized peanut butter to the oats.

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Eat fruits and vegetables. Neither of these food groups provide you with many calories. However, they contain a lot of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that are essential to your diet.

Ideally, you should consume about 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. You can choose to eat less than this so you can focus on other high-calorie foods. ^{[13] X Trusted Source USDA Center for Nutrition Ppicy and Promotion Go to Source}^{[14] X Trusted Source USDA Center for Nutrition Ppicy and Promotion Go to Source}
A serving of vegetables is about 1-2 cups of greens. ^{[15] X Trusted Source USDA Center for Nutrition Ppicy and Promotion Go to source} You should try to use about ½ cup of chopped fruit or 1 small piece per serving. ^{[16] X Trusted Source USDA Center for Nutrition Ppicy and Promotion Go to Source}
Again, you should try to increase the calories of these foods by adding some more calorie-dense foods to them. For example, drizzle some piu oil over steamed vegetables or add a high-fat dressing to a salad.

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Eat and drink regularly. Another way to eat more and gain weight is to regularly snack as well as eat meals. In fact, this remedy can help you feel more hungry. ^{[17] X Research Source}

This is especially helpful if you don’t feel like eating, as it’s easier to consume your food in small portions than in large portions.
You should set a time to snack about 2-3 times a day, in addition to 3 main meals.
Your three to six meals and snacks should contain protein, carbs, vegetables, and healthy fats to maximize the overall nutrients you need for the day.
Despite the popular belief that eating regularly will help “boost” your metabolism, there hasn’t been any research to support this idea. ^{[18] X Research Sources}^{[19] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

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Drink water when you can’t eat. If you don’t want to eat more, you can give your body extra calories by consuming high-calorie drinks. ^{[20] X Trusted Source University of Rochester Medical Center Go to Source}

Similar to high-calorie foods, drinks that are high in calories and nutrients are better than anything that contains only empty calories (like carbonated water or sugary mixed juices).
Good drinks would be fruit smoothies, yogurt without separation, whole milk and peanut butter.
You can enrich your smoothie by sprinkling some wheat germ, flaxseed, or chia seeds.

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Stay away from foods that make you bloated. Many foods will make you gassy when consumed. This will make it difficult for you to eat more. ^{[21] X Trusted Source University of Rochester Medical Center Go to Source}

Foods that make you gassy include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, prunes, and beans.
When you consume them you will feel full and full. And from there, reduce cravings or make you feel full.

Stimulating appetite

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Take a walk before eating. If you can’t stimulate your appetite or want to eat, it’s a good idea to go for a walk before a meal.

A little physical activity will help you eat more and feel more hungry.
You don’t have to walk too much or at high intensity. A 15-minute walk at a moderate pace will help.

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Do not drink before or while eating. If you are anorexic, it is best not to drink anything about 30 minutes before a meal and not to drink water while eating. ^{[22] X Trusted Source University of Rochester Medical Center Go to Source}

When you drink water before you eat, your stomach fills up with liquid and signals your brain that you’re not hungry, resulting in reduced cravings.
Eating and drinking at the same time will have the same effect. You will feel full quickly when the liquid is filling your stomach.

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Choose foods that help you feel more energized. If you don’t want to eat, you can prepare or buy some of your favorite foods.

Usually, foods that make you feel better are high in fat and calories (though not as often). They will help you increase your calorie intake each day.
You can also try out new recipes. If you don’t like the usual main meals and snacks, you should try out new recipes to whet your appetite.
Search for a recipe you’ve always wanted to make for a while. Even if it’s not the healthiest option, it will help boost your daily calorie intake.

Lifestyle behavior management

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Do less cardio exercise. Cardiovascular exercise will help you burn more calories, and make you lose weight.

You can do gentle exercise to keep your heart healthy. Low-intensity activity will also provide some cardiovascular benefits but won’t burn as many calories.
You can walk, bike, swim or do yoga.
You do not need and should not completely eliminate exercise from your daily routine, because light aerobic exercise is also better than exercise with too much intensity.

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Control stress. Often, stress is linked to unhealthy weight gain. However, many people will experience anorexia if they are stressed. ^{[23] X Research Sources}

If you’re one of those people who tend to not want to eat when stressed, you should try to manage your chronic stress and practice a few techniques to deal with it.
You can relax by: listening to music, going for a walk, chatting with friends or journaling.
If stress is significantly affecting your appetite and weight, you should consider seeking help from a behaviorist or therapist.

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Take mixed vitamins. If you don’t want to eat or eat little, you should consider taking a multivitamin. Starting with basic vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats is essential when trying to achieve body-related goals. ^{[24] X Research Sources}

While you shouldn’t take a multivitamin in place of your regular food, it will help provide you with the bare minimum of a variety of nutrients each day.
You should take a multivitamin that is appropriate for your age. Many are formulated specifically for children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly.

Steps

Increase the amount of food you consume

Stimulating appetite

Lifestyle behavior management

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