Calories are necessary for human existence because they provide our bodies with the fuel to power vital cognitive functions, physical activity, and metabolic processes.
In order to maintain weight, an adult male needs 2,500 calories per day, but an adult female only needs 2,000.
On the other hand, if someone consumes fewer calories than their body needs, their body will use its fat stores as energy, resulting in weight loss.
Once you learn that not all calories are created equal, knowing which nutritious meals are high in calories may help you in your quest to maintain a healthy weight while consuming a variety of foods.
Realizing that you need to gain or lose weight and that you should reevaluate how many high-calorie, healthy meals you are eating is not a sign of guilt.
To put on weight, you must eat more calories than you burn each day. Generally speaking, increasing your daily maintenance calorie intake by 500 to 1,000 calories will allow you to gain up to 1 kg each week. From breakfast to sleep, these nutrient-dense, high-calorie foods, which range from whole grains to dairy and dried fruit, may help you meet your nutritional needs.
These are healthy foods that are high in calories;
Milk
Milk has traditionally been used by people to increase their weight or build muscle.
It provides a balanced combination of proteins, carbs, and fats in addition to being an excellent source of calcium and other vitamins and minerals. If you want to gain more muscle, milk is a great source of casein and whey proteins.
According to research, it may enhance muscular growth when used with weightlifting.
Additionally, research has shown that casein and whey from milk, as opposed to other protein sources, significantly enhance muscle building. Try drinking one or two cups of whole milk before or after your workout as a snack, meal, or both.
Rice
The ideal carbohydrate for rapid and affordable weight gain is rice. One cup of cooked white rice has just 204 calories, 44 grams of carbohydrates, and a very little amount of fat.
Due to its high-calorie content, one dish of rice may quickly offer a significant amount of calories and carbohydrates. In particular, if you don’t have a great appetite or get full fast, this makes you want to eat more.
When you’re pressed for time, you may quickly and simply add 2-minute sachets of microwaveable rice to other protein sources and prepared meals. Another common technique is to cook a huge quantity of rice, divide it up, and then combine it with various proteins and healthy fats for a variety of meals throughout the week.
Nut
Nuts and nut butter are great options if you want to gain weight. Due to their high-calorie content, just two handfuls of nuts with a meal or as a daily snack may quickly add up to hundreds of calories.
A few examples of items that may be swiftly changed into high-calorie snacks by adding nut butter are smoothies, yogurt, and crackers. Choose nut butter produced completely from nuts and free of added sugar or oils, nevertheless, to avoid any problems.
Red meat
Red meat is unquestionably one of the best foods for building muscle. Red meat is one of the greatest natural sources of dietary creatine, which may be the world’s best supplement for building muscle.
Fattier pieces of meat contain more calories than thinner meats, so if you want to eat more calories and put on weight, select them. Both lean and fatty types of meat are top-notch sources of protein, but fatty meat contains more calories and might cause weight gain. One of the most well-liked dishes for fatty meat is brisket.
Although making brisket is renowned for taking a long time, utilizing a slow cooker may make things much easier.
Fatty fish
Similar to red meat, fatty fish like salmon are excellent sources of protein and necessary healthy fats.
One of the most significant and well-known nutrients present in salmon and other oily fish is an omega-3 fatty acid.
Among other cooking techniques, salmon may be steamed, sautéed, smoked, grilled, baked, or poached. Salmon may also be consumed grilled or raw in sushi and sashimi.
Consider incorporating salmon into your diet using these sensible, healthy methods: Salmon salad may be topped with leafy greens, asparagus, full-fat plain Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, or sour cream.
Fruit in Cans
Dried fruit is a high-calorie snack that contains antioxidants and minerals. There are many different types of dried fruit, and they all have a lot of sugar in them by nature. They are thus fantastic for putting on weight, especially because they taste great and are simple to eat.
Contrary to common opinion, fruits retain most of their nutritional content even after being dried. Dried fruits are rich in fiber and still contain the bulk of their vitamins and minerals.
Think about combining some dried fruit with a protein source, such as cheese, pork, or a whey protein drink. They provide a blend of healthy fats, proteins, and other necessary nutrients and pair well with almonds and full-fat Greek yogurt.
Dates are wholesome foods that are high in fiber and antioxidants. They are flexible and may be quickly made as a high-calorie snack.
Whole grain bread
Whole-grain bread is a fantastic source of carbs that will aid in weight growth. Combining bread with protein sources like eggs, pork, and cheese may result in some straightforward, calorie-dense recipes with good nutrition.
When purchasing bread, choose natural whole grain and seeded bread. The majority of supermarket shops provide better options.
One slice of whole wheat bread provides between 100 and 125 calories, depending on the brand, making sandwiches a great way to ingest plenty of calories. Hummus has all nine essential amino acids that make up a complete protein, making it a high-calorie meal-paring choice when spread over freshly toasted bread.
Avocados
Avocados are loaded with healthy fats. Avocados are a wonderful meal for gaining weight due to their greater calorie content than other entire fruits.
Avocados also contain a significant amount of vitamins, minerals, and other healthy plant elements.
Consider incorporating avocados into your entrées as well as other foods like omelets and sandwiches.
Avocado toast is one of the most common and convenient ways to eat avocado. Just put some avocado on toast after mashing it. It’s that simple! Each avocado has 240 calories and is packed with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats that raise HDL cholesterol levels and lower LDL cholesterol.
Sweet potato
The medium raw sweet potato is a high-calorie meal with around 170 calories per serving. Sweet potatoes contain a lot of vitamin A as well. To add calorie-dense healthy fats to the dish, sprinkle extra virgin olive oil on top. Since the nutrients are preserved in the skins, don’t discard them.
Oats
Do you want to have high-calorie foods during breakfast? The world’s healthiest grains, oats are also quite rich in energy. Each bowl has 152 calories and a good amount of avenanthramides, an antioxidant that is virtually exclusively present in oats and which increases the production of nitric oxide and decreases blood pressure.
Extra virgin olive oil
Although we already mentioned this health-improving oil, extra virgin oil really merits its own section. 112 calories are included in each tablespoon, which is also packed with phenolic antioxidants and good fats. Oleic acid reduces cholesterol and fights inflammation and is the primary monounsaturated fat in olive oil.
Dark chocolate
Premium dark chocolate has several health benefits and is packed with antioxidants. It is said that dark chocolate reduces stress hormones and blood sugar levels.
Additionally, it may lower the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, inflammation, stress, and a number of cancers.
Due to its high-calorie density, dark chocolate may easily be consumed in large quantities, much like other high-fat foods.
It’s no secret that one of the foods high in calories is chocolate, but choosing the right kind is crucial.
A human study found that consuming 239 calories or 40g of dark chocolate every day may enhance athletic performance. The main bioactive ingredient in cocoa, epicatechin, is the polyphenol antioxidant that gives it high concentrations.
Cheese
A traditional meal for generations has been cheese. It has a lot of calories and fat, just like dark chocolate. Since cheese is delectable, you may simply add several hundred additional calories by including it in most foods.
Various types of cheese include creamy, soft, and hard.
Saturated fat and cholesterol levels in cheese are often high. It’s better to eat cheeses of all sorts in moderation, like other high-calorie meals.
Whole eggs
One of the world’s best foods for growing muscle is eggs. They provide a fantastic blend of superior proteins and beneficial fats. A big raw egg weighing 2 ounces (50 grams) and including the shell provides roughly 74 calories.
It’s crucial to consume the whole egg. In actuality, the yolk of an egg contains virtually all of the healthy elements.
You don’t need to restrict your egg intake if you don’t have an egg sensitivity; you can easily consume three eggs per day if you’d like.
In actuality, a lot of sportsmen or bodybuilders consume six meals or more each day. Eggs may be prepared in a variety of ways, such as boiling, poaching, frying, baking, and scrambling.
Any time of the day, omelets are a great dinner. You may include cheese, vegetables, and meats.
Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate has several health benefits and is packed with antioxidants. It is said that dark chocolate reduces stress hormones and blood sugar levels.
Additionally, it may lower the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, inflammation, stress, and a number of cancers.
Due to its high-calorie density, dark chocolate may easily be consumed in large quantities, much like other high-fat foods.
It’s no secret that one of the foods high in calories is chocolate, but choosing the right kind is crucial.
A human study found that consuming 40g of dark chocolate every day may enhance athletic performance. The main bioactive ingredient in cocoa, epicatechin, is the polyphenol antioxidant that gives it high concentrations.
Pumpkin seed
These lovely pumpkin seeds are on our list of high-calorie foods with health advantages.
For small seeds, it is surprisingly amazing. So, keep in mind their high-calorie content if you’re currently eating in a calorie-controlled manner or trying to lose weight.
This item makes our list of high-calorie healthy foods because it also contains unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, which help decrease cholesterol.
In a review of pumpkin seeds from 2020, it was said that they were “densely packed with important nutrients and nutraceuticals such as amino acids, phytosterols, unsaturated fatty acids, phenolic compounds, tocopherols, cucurbitacin, and essential minerals.”
According to the review, these bioactive substances are crucial for a healthy existence and for one’s well-being. Undoubtedly among the most nutritious high-calorie foods.
Whey protein
Although not everyone needs to drink protein shakes, if you’re working out hard and seeking meals with a lot of calories to help you gain weight in a healthy manner, they might be helpful. Why? Because protein is essential for a speedy recovery.
Fish, poultry, eggs, Greek yogurt, and tofu are excellent sources of protein, but protein powder may be used as a supplement to help people get the recommended daily allowance.
It’s a simple method to include calories, protein, and a variety of nutrients provided you make wise food choices. Look for powders that are intended to boost your weight growth.
Whey protein is the most popular choice. To obtain the most calories, combine with milk. Make sure to continue exercising, preferably with weights or resistance machines, to ensure that you grow muscle rather than fat.
Macadamia nuts
Despite the high caloric content of all nuts, macadamia nuts have the greatest energy density, carrying an astounding 400 calories per 55g serving. In the same serving, you’ll get 90% of the daily recommended manganese intake, which aids in the formation of connective tissue, as well as 50% of your daily requirements for thiamin, a B vitamin necessary for turning food into energy.
Macadamia nuts are the most calorie-dense of all nuts, yet other nuts are heavy in calories.