The best high-calorie drinks for weight gain are milk drinks you blend at home. One cup of whole milk blended with a medium banana, 30 g of roasted groundnuts and 30 g of oats comes to about 544 calories and 20 g of protein.
That one glass goes a little past the top of the 300 to 500 extra calories a day the NHS suggests for gaining weight gradually.
Maybe you have heard “you need to chop more” for most of your life. You try, but you are full before you finish half the plate.
I’m Odunayo, a pharmacist and nutrition coach, and when a client tells me they cannot eat any more food, I start with what goes in their cup.
For the food side of gaining, read my tips to gain weight the healthy way.
When to see a doctor about low weight
Before you add anything, find out why your weight is low. The NHS advises seeing a doctor if you have lost weight suddenly, or lost weight without changing your diet or exercise, because it can be a sign of an underlying health condition.
The same goes if you find yourself using food, or skipping it, to cope with your feelings.
If you have diabetes, kidney disease or any condition where your doctor has told you to watch sugar, milk or protein, ask them before you add these drinks.
Why drinks help when you struggle to eat
Calories you drink are often easier to add than calories you chew, because you tend not to eat less food to make up for them.
In a small four-week study by DiMeglio and Mattes (International Journal of Obesity, 2000), 15 adults took about 450 extra calories a day, once as jelly beans and once as soda. With the jelly beans they ate less of their other food and made up for it. With the soda they ate just as much as before, and their weight went up.
That study used soda, which is the wrong drink for you. I use the same idea with milk drinks, which also give you protein, and I time them between meals so they leave room for your lunch and dinner.
The 544-calorie smoothie above has about the same calories as 418 g of cooked white rice.
How many extra calories to gain weight
Aim for that 300 to 500 extra calories a day and let the weight come on gradually. A cup of Milo made with whole milk, at about 232 calories, gives you a smaller step.
Start with one glass a day on top of what you already eat. Weigh yourself once a week, at the same time of day, and if nothing has moved after two or three weeks, add a second, smaller drink.
If you would like the calories and portions worked out for your body, our customised meal plan does that for gaining too.
Protein drinks for weight gain
Calories decide whether you gain weight. Protein and strength training shape how much of that weight is muscle.
A review of 49 trials with 1,863 adults who did resistance training found that extra protein added about 0.3 kg more lean mass. The benefit levelled off at around 1.6 g of protein per kilogram of body weight a day.
For someone who weighs 55 kg, that is about 88 g of protein a day across meals and drinks. The banana and groundnut smoothie gives about 20 g, and Milo with whole milk about 9.5 g.
The trials in that review all paired protein with resistance training, so pair your drinks with strength work a few times a week, such as squats, push-ups or lifting at the gym.
You will see protein powders and mass gainers in pharmacies and online. Protein powders are mostly protein from milk (whey) or from plants, and mass gainers mix protein with a lot of carbohydrate to raise the calories per scoop.
If you buy one, read the calories, protein and sugar per scoop, and look for the NAFDAC number on the tub.
Homemade high-calorie drinks
I built the smoothie figures from USDA FoodData Central records for each ingredient, and the Milo figures use the label from Nestlé Nigeria for a 20 g portion.
| Drink, one glass | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Banana, groundnut and oat smoothie: 1 cup whole milk, 1 medium banana, 30 g roasted groundnuts, 30 g oats | about 544 | 20.2 g |
| The same smoothie made with 28 g full cream milk powder and water | about 534 | 19.9 g |
| Yoghurt, banana and date smoothie: 200 g plain whole-milk yoghurt, 1 medium banana, 2 dates | about 360 | 9.1 g |
| Milo, 20 g (4 teaspoons), made with 1 cup whole milk | about 232 | 9.5 g |
| Milo, 20 g, made with water | 83 | 1.8 g |
If Bournvita is your drink, read the tin and make it with milk the same way.
No fridge for fresh milk? Use 28 g of full cream powder like Peak, adding up the weight printed on your sachets. The figure in the table is for whole milk powder in general, so check your sachet’s label.
To make the smoothie, blend everything with a little water or ice until smooth. Add a tablespoon of honey if you want it sweeter, which adds about 64 calories. A tablespoon of sugar adds about 48.
Kunu and tigernut drink for weight gain
Kunun zaki samples tested in Nigeria (Terna, Jideani and Nkama, International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 2002) were 87 to 91% water and under 1% fat. Most of the grain is sieved out before the drink reaches your cup.
That sieving is also why I won’t give you one calorie figure for a glass of kunu. How much grain stays in the cup changes from one seller to the next, and so does the sugar.
Blend 28 g of full cream milk powder and 30 g of roasted groundnuts into your glass, and you add about 315 calories and 15 g of protein. Having your kunu with akara, moi moi or masa, as many people do, adds calories from the plate.
You can build up tigernut drink (kunun aya) the same way. Blend in the milk powder and groundnuts, or two dates, which add about 133 calories.
Zobo and sugary drinks
USDA FoodData Central lists brewed hibiscus at 0 calories, so the calories in a glass of zobo come from the sugar (about 48 for each tablespoon) and any fruit juice added, with no protein at all.
Juice and soft drinks are a similar story: sugar without the protein your muscles need. Enjoy zobo for the taste, and let the milk drinks do the gaining.
When to drink high-calorie drinks
Good times are mid-morning, mid-afternoon and after a workout, when the drink fills a gap between meals. Avoid a big drink just before breakfast, lunch or dinner, so it adds to your meal instead of taking its space.
If a full glass feels heavy or leaves you bloated, drink half now and the rest an hour or two later, and sip slowly. If fresh milk does not agree with you, try the yoghurt smoothie instead.
A customised Nigerian meal plan
Our customised meal plan for everyone works out how much you should eat and builds your meals around the Nigerian food you already buy and cook, and around your schedule.
