In today's world, losing weight in order to flaunt a 'perfect' body has become the mantra for most people. However, there are many who are underweight as well. Though being thin is something that an overweight person may be dreaming about, it is not such a pleasant feeling to be skinny. Moreover, being too thin can also give rise to health issues. Hence, it is important that underweight people put on weight, which can be done by eating well. However, eating here does not mean that underweight people can binge on fast foods, sweets, and other unhealthy foods. Though these foods help you gain weight, they also accumulate fats in the body which are unhealthy. Hence, it is important that people should follow a proper diet plan that is healthy and nutritious. The first and the most important tip for gaining weight is eating more food than a person normally does. The diet meal that you have to follow should be high in calories and at the same time nutritious too. Though high protein intake is said to be most important for increasing muscle weight, in no way you should stop or minimize the intake of carbohydrates and fats. One must remember that these foods, especially carbohydrates, are good sources of energy required for the body to function. To ensure that you eat healthy food, you must chart out a meal plan and follow it carefully. Recommended Meal for Increasing Weight The foremost thing that you have to do to gain weight is to stop eating three meals per day. Instead, you should divide your meals into 5 to 6 sections, for instance, three large meals and 3 to 4 snacks in a day. The intake of carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats should also be spread evenly in all the meals you have in a day. Here is a list of foods that your high caloric diet should have for you to gain weight. Cereals: Beginning your day with cereals for breakfast is a good way of gaining weight. The cereals that you should include in your diet are oat bran, granola, nuts, wheat bran, and muesli. You can add nuts, fruits, and dried fruits in the cereals and eat them by mixing skimmed or low-fat milk. Vegetables: Vegetables which are said to be highly nutritious should be included in your diet plan for almost all the meals. Though all types of vegetables should be consumed, your diet should have high amount of starchy vegetables including carrots, potatoes, winter squash, corn, peas, etc. Fruits: Just like vegetables, even fruits have to be consumed throughout the day. High caloric fruits like apple, banana, pineapple, pear, and dried fruits can be included as snacks that you should have between heavy meals. Beverages: Fruit juices, fruit smoothies, soft drinks (regular), low fat milk, etc. should be part of your daily diet. Also, do not forget to drink adequate amount of water, i.e. at least 8 glasses in a day. Consumption of drinks like tea, coffee, alcohol, etc., should be consumed in minimum. Other Foods: Apart from these foods, one may include foods like different types of soups made with barley, split peas, black beans, etc. Salads made with vegetables, kidney beans, lean meats, fish, cottage cheese, etc, will also help you in gaining weight. Dairy products like cheese, eggs, butter, yogurt, etc. should be part of your diet plan as they contain high amount of proteins. Workouts for Gaining Weight Now, the goal of gaining weight cannot be achieved by eating alone, rather one needs to do regular exercises along with the diet. Usually people who want to gain weight are asked to focus on building muscle mass by doing muscle building exercises. Some of the exercises that you should include in your exercise regime include bench press, deadlift, chin-ups, squats, etc. Cardio exercises are usually not recommended for underweight people, but if you are interested in doing them, you should keep it to the minimum. Apart from the diet and exercises, a complete diet plan for women and men should also include consumption of supplements. However, this is only needed when your dietary consumption does not fulfill the requirement of the essential nutrients. It is said that gaining weight is easier than losing the extra flab. However, the truth is that putting on weight may be easy, but gaining weight in a healthy way takes time as well as hard work. Disclaimer: This Buzzle article is for informative purposes only, and should not be replaced for the advice of a physician/nutritionist.