Pick up any magazine or watch any television show, and you will see features and advertisements to help people lose weight. It is one of the hottest searches on the search engines and the one thing that everyone seems to want to talk about. However, there is a forgotten group of people in the world, especially in this country, whose most basic needs are not being met. These are the people who need to gain weight, including small children who are still in the most important growth and development cycle of their young lives, people who are recovering from serious illness and those who are trying to build additional muscle mass.
It is important for these groups of people to approach their attempt to gain weight in a logical and sensible manner, and it is also important for them to do so with a doctor's advice. Some people think that gaining weight is a simple thing, but while the majority of people are doing it every single day, they are not doing it on purpose or because they need to. It can be just as hard to gain weight when you need to as it to lose weight.
Helping a Toddler or Small Child Gain Weight
The epidemic of childhood obesity continues to grow, however, there are still children who are underweight, too small for their height or perhaps simply too small overall. For these children, it is likely a medical problem called "failure to thrive" that has kept them small and petite, however, it may also be related to other problems. A child who is not growing as expected will need to be evaluated for a number of conditions including endocrine and metabolic disorders that can affect the way that they burn or store food energy.
Another common problem is the sheer pickiness of a toddler. Some days they will only eat foods that are yellow, the next day they won't touch yellow at all. They may not like vegetables or will only eat small quantities of them. Unfortunately, most toddlers are not big fans of meats at all; they simply do not like the texture or the taste.
A doctor may suggest ways for a toddler or small child to get additional nutrition and calories into their diet including the use of nutritional supplements and meal replacement drinks that can give the child all the vitamins and nutrients he needs without having to fight him for hours to drink it.
Stealth for Health Tricks for Toddlers
Puree vegetables or meats into foods that they will eat. For instance, most children like spaghetti with marinara sauce, so toss in some cooked carrots, diced potatoes or some finely cut ground beef and then puree the sauce before serving. It will be a little thicker but should still get past the kid's radar. Sneak in extra protein by adding a scoop of protein powder or non-fat dry milk powder into a glass of regular milk, in their cereal or oatmeal and into their mashed potatoes. Use whole milk for all toddlers up to age two and then for all children who continue to need to gain weight.
Meal Replacement Drinks for Toddlers
Another option is to use a meal replacement drink for toddlers and small children called Pediagro from Protica. This is ready to drink and might be a fun choice for toddlers because it is packaged in a three ounce vial. Each 80 calorie serving of Pediagro has ten grams of protein and ten grams of low glycemic carbohydrates with 27 vitamins and minerals and no fat at all. Flavors include grape, fruit punch, blue raspberry, orange and apple.
Recovering From Illness and Trying to Gain Weight
Those who have had chronic illnesses such as cancer or others that involve treatment with chemotherapy that may cause constant vomiting or other treatments that might lead to a complete loss of appetite. It is important to keep your strength up while you are dealing with the illness itself, but it is equally important to work on rebuilding your body once the illness and its treatment are over. After chemo, many people will have found that they lost as much as 50 pounds, and much of that will have been lean muscle mass. If that is the case, the body may be at bigger risk for infection and additional problems.
Trying to gain weight when you are not well or have no appetite can be very difficult, so most people turn to such things as meal replacement drinks and small, protein-rich snacks that can provide the nutrition and calories that are needed in a much smaller size. Fruitasia, a meal replacement drink from Protica, is 100% fruits and vegetables, made from concentrates and all natural liquids. Each serving, which is less than three ounces in size and can be consumed in mere seconds, provides three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruits as well as five grams of dietary fiber. It is available in four flavors and is perfect for those who have food allergies or intolerances as well.
Trying to Gain Weight for Sports
Boxers try to gain weight to get to a new weight class, especially when they are not getting the right kind of competition in the lower weight class. Those boxers who are sitting just under the heavy weight class may try to gain weight so that they can finally make it to that bigger and inevitably better weight class. Certainly an athlete is not going to sit in front of the television stuffing himself with ice cream and marshmallows trying to get his weight up before a big bout. Why would an athlete waste his time trying to perfect his body only to pig out on all the wrong foods?
An athlete chooses foods that are going to be part of a healthy diet and will help him accomplish his goals. Protein is one of the most important nutrients in the diet for these athletes. Isometric, the world's smallest and most balanced ready to drink meal replacement drink, has two servings of fruits and vegetables and 6 grams of fiber. In addition, it has 6 grams of fatty acids and provides 27 vitamins and minerals in just over three ounces overall. Like the other supplements, Isometric is available from Protica and comes in a number of flavors.
More Information:
Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures
Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey liquid protein for immunodeficiency patients. You can learn more at
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