16 Healthy Bulking Foods For Hard Gainers (With Meal Plan)

As a nutrition professional who has experienced clients’ cholesterol levels increasing due to the unhealthy fat and sugar dumped into the most common calorically dense food, I had to discover the healthiest bulking foods for hardgainers.

Here’s is the top 16 healthy bulking foods for hardgainers:

• Eggs

• Nuts and seeds

• Beef

• Beans

• Yogurt

• Milk

• Cheese

• Oil

• Avocado

• Olives

• Dried Fruit

• Whole Grain Bread and Crackers

• Pasta

• Potatoes

• Oats

• Granola

Whether you want to focus on gaining weight for personal or competition reasons, your fitness goal can be achieved by regularly adding these healthy natural bulking foods to your routine.

Personalizing Your Bulking Nutrition: Everybody is Different

Before we dive into nutrient recommendations and the top healthy bulking foods, it’s important to consider that your body, metabolism, and genetic make-up is unique. So there’s no diet nor meal plan that works for everybody.

Be realistic about what a reasonable weight gain goal would be for you and your body. Consider where your weight has been as an adult. What do your parents’ body types look like? And at what weight do you feel your personal best?

As James Clear explains in his book, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, true change happens when you commit to the process. That will determine your progress.

When you take drastic measures to shift your weight too quickly, it can result in unhealthy side effects and damage your metabolism, especially if you’ve struggled with disordered eating in the past, are taking certain medications, or have a medical condition. Make sure to check in with your doctor before making any changes to your diet or fitness plan.

Related Article: What Cardio Should You Do When Bulking? (3 Options)

Metabolism 101

Your metabolism converts the calories (energy) you get from food, into fuel.

Calories support everything you do, from breathing to exercise.

At this very moment, there are thousands of reactions happening in your body to keep your cells healthy and processes functioning optimally.

To gain weight, it’s important to first understand a bit about your metabolism and how to estimate your daily calorie burn.

Related Article: Bulking After A Long Cut: 8 Tips For A Successful Bulk

RESTING METABOLIC RATE (RMR)

Your resting metabolic rate is the amount of energy required when your body is at rest. This is the number of calories needed to perform essential life functions such as breathing, circulation, and cell function.

If you’re a hardgainer, you’ll want to check out my other article on Bulking With A Low Appetite. I give you 13 tips to help you eat more.

THERMIC EFFECT OF FOOD

This is the energy needed to break down the food you eat. Yes it takes energy to eat food! This includes swallowing, digesting, absorbing, and storing food.

THERMIC EFFECT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

This is how much energy you use while performing daily life activities and exercise. This includes energy used to do something as simple as standing all the way to high intensity exercise training (HIIT).

This is important to consider when building a meal plan for gaining weight. If you’re moving or training more often, you’ll require more high calorie bulking foods.

Related Article: Should Strength Athletes Use The Keto Diet?

NON-EXERCISE ACTIVITY THERMOGENESIS

This is an interesting phenomenon. Think about that person in your life (or maybe it’s you) who just can’t sit still. They will have a higher non-exercise activity calorie burn. This includes everything from moving around to fidgeting.

Calories for Bulking

There are various equations and formulas for determining your metabolic rate. If you’re a hardgainer, the key is to eat above and beyond your standard metabolic rate.

Sports Dietitians Michelle Rockwell, MS, RD, CSSD, and Susan Kundrat, MS, RD, CSSD, created a helpful general guideline with the number of calories athletes should aim for:

Now, if you’re looking to gain weight, you want to add an extra 500-1,000 calories per day.

Here’s an example:

A 160 pound athlete training moderately = 3,040-3,360 calories per day.

Plus 500 calories per day for weight gain = 3,540 – 3,860 calories per day.  

Another way to determine your calorie needs while bulking is having a surplus of 10% of your standard calorie needs, as recommended by nutritionist, strength training coach and international-level powerlifter, Maggie Morgan.

A realistic rate of weight gain is about 0.5-1 pound (0.25-0.5kg) per week. Keep in mind that any extra will most likely be stored as fat. It’s normal to see fluctuations along the way, but the overall progress is what matters most.

Related Article: Can You Eat Anything While Bulking?

Macronutrients for Bulking

Think of calories as the main base of your weight gain journey. Then, you want to focus on the right balance of macronutrients: protein, fat, carbohydrates.

Macronutrients are the nutrients that your body needs in large amounts. As compared to micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) which are needed in smaller amounts.

Related: Check out our article on the 7 Best Breakfast Ideas (With Calorie Breakdown).

According to Washington State University, each of the macronutrients is responsible for these roles in your body:

• Carbohydrates: fuel during exercise, spares protein, main energy source for your brain

• Protein: tissue and muscle structure, involved in metabolism and hormonal systems, influences acid/base balance.

• Fat: protects vital organs, provides insulation and energy reserve, transports fat soluble vitamins. 

When focusing on weight gain, your energy should come primarily from carbohydrate-rich foods. Lean proteins and high quality fats should make up the other half of your diet.

Related Article: Foods to Avoid When Building Muscle

MACRONUTRIENT RATIOS

The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institutes of Medicine (IOM) created macronutrient recommendations based on active individual needs. They calculated that an acceptable macronutrient range is:

• 45%-65% carbohydrate

• 10%-35% protein

• 20%-35% fat

According to fitness expert, Maggie Morgan, she recommends more specific ranges of macronutrient levels when bulking in her Fitbod article, What Should Your Calories & Macros Be When Bulking?:

• 40% carbohydrates (4-7g/kg* body weight)

• 25% protein (2-2.5g/kg* body weight)

• 35% fat (0.5-2g/kg* body weight)

*To convert your weight from pounds to kilograms, simply divide by 2.2.

For instance, 180 pounds divided by 2.2 equals 81.8 kg.