Question:
At 32, I'm five feet ten inches tall, weigh nine stone seven pounds and look scrawny. I've always been this weight, but now my doctor had told me I must pile on the pounds. I do weight training and would like your advice on what to eat.
Answer:
I receive a substantial number of letters like yours. Obesity now overshadows the problem of being underweight, but only 30 to 40 years ago doctors regularly prescribed tonics to boost appetite and weight. The main causes of failure to gain weight are Poor appetite and malabsorption of nutrients. However, I should say here that some types of people just don't put on weight easily this is explained in Dr Ali's Nutrition Bible. If you are constitutionally designed to be lean, you may always find it hard to pin weight but you can still be healthy.
I'm assuming that since you are in regular contact with your family doctor, you have no underlying disease. However, there are some conditions that other readers may want to consider. Cancer, fever, chronic ailments and psychological problems such as anorexia nervosa may cause weight loss. People with nausea and sickness fear eating because it brings on the symptoms, and this is a common cause of rapid weight loss. I found that most of these patients had whiplash injuries or traumas to the head and neck leading to poor circulation to the brain, with fatigue and dizziness as well as nausea.
Malabsorption of nutrients and difficulty in putting on weight is a problem for people with diarrhoea, excessive mucus discharge, Crohn's disease or other gut or bowel diseases. People with hyperthyroidism have an increased metabolic rate. This group often has diarrhoea or frequent bowel movements and burns fat quickly.
When I was young my mother and grandfather - a doctor and homoeopath -were always concerned about my long thin build, and my mother used to make plum and tamarind chutney for me to take to boarding school. The mixture of plums and tamarind paste, with ginger, black pepper, black cumin seeds, cinnamon plus sugar and water syrup, was thought to benefit the appetite and digestion.
Try the following if you want to boost weight gain:
Diet
Sugar is digested very quickly, and the glucose level in the blood rises and blocks appetite. So don't eat puddings or fruit after meals instead, snack on fruit between meals, and leave at least an hour between your med and dessert.
If your appetite is poor, drink one tablespoonful of brandy in warm water about half an hour before meals for one month. To make this more nutritious, Pour some brandy into a decanter and add grated ginger, shelled fresh pistachio nuts, peeled fresh almonds, saffron stamens, whole black peppercorns and aniseed (as seeds). Drink as above.
Soak one teaspoonful of tamarind paste from Indian food stores with a pinch of salt in a cup of hot water for 15 to20 minutes, and sip before a meal.
Mash a banana with cream (organic, if possible), add a tablespoonful of manuka honey, and eat with breakfast.
Supplements
Take two tablespoonfuls of Drakshasav, an ayurvedic balsam made from grapes and herbs (from Indian food stores), with meals twice daily for two months, to aid digestion and absorption. Also, take two tablets of a good liver tonic called lksir Meda Khas (Dehlvi Remedies) daily, one after lunch and one after dinner for three months.
Exercise and massage
You are doing body-building exercises to help build muscle, and this is very good for your body too. Relaxation is vital, especially for hyperactive people. Teach yourself to do everything at a slower pace.
Follow the breathing and mental exercises on Dr Ali's Relaxation CD (Integrated Health Group). Neck and shoulder massage can help improve the blood flow to the brain. Aim for ten minutes at bedtime on alternate nights. See Dr Ali's Lifestyle Progromme DVD.
