In general we discuss raw and living foods and how it might contribute to weight loss. However, there are some people in the opposite boat. These people want/need to gain weight but they have a desire to eat cleanly and put on healthy pounds. Healthy weight gain is what they are after. My brother... he is a 34 year old, mostly organic, mostly raw food vegan. He primarily consumes green smoothies out of shear convenience, as well as for all the health advantages he read about in Victoria's book.
After on green smoothies for a couple of months he felt energized and inspired to get "back to the gym" in hopes to perhaps gain muscle weight. He dabbled in weight lifting in the past to try and put on muscle and boost his confidence, etc. This time he wanted to take it more seriously, so he paid for a year membership, in hopes to be more committed, and also hired a personal trainer.
After several weeks of his trainer dogging him about his diet and suggesting heavy laden animal foods and sugary foods that take a long time to digest, in order to gain the desired weight, he fired his trainer and continued to workout on his own, and went on a quest looking for a weight gain diet that he was happy with.
He only ever ate when he felt hungry (and didn't force feed as suggested by other body builders), decided against counting calories, and researched ways to add more healthy protein and calorie rich foods to his diet.
He noticed that he had more of an appetite going to the gym and increased his green smoothie intake by an extra litre, (your body will tell you how much it wants) but this really only maintained his existing weight. He was getting stronger but not heavier and no real difference in size.
Then he read about Himalayan figs, a calorie dense fruit that tasted wonderful in green smoothies, and for some raw foodists, considered the healthiest choice of all weight gain foods. He soaked a package of figs in the fridge each night (easier to digest after being soaked) and throughout the day added several to each smoothie, and finally including the soak water in his last smoothie of the day. He kept this up and began to gain some weight!
Realizing there were still other ways to gain weight, he looked into some "healthy" fattier fish (remember, he is not 100% raw vegan, just mostly) and decided a good choice would be anchovies and/or sardines. He happens to like the taste so added a couple cans each week to his diet, just eating them straight from the can. He wasn't (and still isn't) sure if this helped gain more pounds because he made another change at the same time, but I thought it was still worth mentioning and perhaps experimenting with yourself if you are looking to gain weight.
Now.. at the same time he introduced fish, he also started adding raw organic nut butters, like almond butter and cashew butter to his smoothies. It adds to the flavour but is a bit overpowering so he only adds it to maybe half his smoothies throughout the day. He began noticing more weight being put on from this added dose of calories.
Finally, in order to get some more Omega 3's and protein in his diet, he opted for an affordable supplement. The supplement is called Ruth's Hemp Protein Powder with E3 Live and Maca. He says he doesn't like the flavour of the smoothie as much after adding it so he also adds in the nut butter at the same time. He just uses maybe a scoop a day and the container ends up lasting him months and is very cheap. He keeps it in the fridge to keep it fresh.
As an additional boost, not for weight gain but for high quality minerals he occasionally adds a few pieces of fresh dulse to his smoothies. He is one of the healthiest guys I know, can't remember the last time he was sick, manages to gain weight on a clean diet, people are always commenting on his nice skin and bright eyes and he has energy to spare.
Mind you... he'll grab a slice of pizza when out with friends, and even eat a tuna sandwich with whole wheat bread when the choices are slim but I'd say all in all, his diet is 90% clean. He gets colonics every few months as well and this doesn't result in weight loss for him, probably just a lot less toxicity.
You may notice that I deliberately left out amounts, numbers, figures, etc. Everyone is different. Everyone, I feel, should listen to their body. If you feel hungry, eat. That's it. It's hectic and irritating to count calories all the time. My brother doesn't worry about any of that.. he eats when he (well, his body) wants to. He just remains conscious of what he is and isn't eating. Nothing is written down, charted or measured. Really, where would the fun be in that? Keep it simple :)
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