Vegetarian diet to gain 18kilograms:

Hi, I am 27 years old 5feet 8inches and weigh 50kilograms, I am too skinny and underweight what should be my diet to increase my weight; I am software professional and vegetarian, please advice and help me as I am too concerned now.

At 5 feet, eight inches, your weight of 50 kg.



is way below the desired  weight. It should ideally be around 68 kg. So you really need to gain weight.

Coming to diet, the kind of food that you should eat will have to be one that gives you more fat and builds muscle.



Being a vegetarian, you cannot resort to meats and animal fat to build up your body. Your diet needs to consist of food that gives you nutrition, makes you feel fit and helps you to gain weight. While you may think it is alright for you to really slather on the butter on the bread, add extra cream to your milk, eat deep- fried food and thus increase the fat content in your diet, do understand that it is not a healthy way to gain weight. You need to aim for a balanced diet which you consume at increased intervals.



The ratio of carbohydrates: proteins: fat usually should be of 40:40:20. Carbohydrates give you energy and the proteins help you build the muscle.

Consume a variety of foods to get your nutrients. Good sources of vegetarian protein are sprouts, soy, milk and milk products like cottage cheese, cheese, yogurt and ice-creams. All beans and pulses are good sources of protein - kidney beans, green gram beans, black gram, horse gram and chickpeas are some of these. Complex carbohydrates are found in beans, whole wheat grains, cornmeal, brown rice, potatoes and pasta and in fruits with fiber such as apples, oranges and pears. For the fats in your diet, cook your food in olive oil. Avoid unhealthy food like doughnuts and French fries. Have dry fruits like almonds, cashews, and walnuts. You can sprinkle sunflower seeds over your food, and also eat food cooked with sesame seeds, as these have high nutritive value.

The weight gain will depend a great deal on the total calories you take in. However, eating habits are important.



You need to make yourself eat more. Eat small amounts over a period of time on a regular basis. Small meals help to absorb nutrients. So you can substitute the traditional three meals with six meals a day at regular intervals. This way you will not feel too full or bloated at any given time. At the same time, you will increase your intake of food.

Keep a track of your food intake. If you find that you are still not gaining weight, you may resort to supplement shakes.