Your diet plays a key role in your health, and setting the goal of gaining weight doesn’t mean you can indulge in whatever you like. Although eating extra calories, including those of fast food or ice cream or the rest of your “junk” — will result in weight gain, following a nutritious diet can be a safe way to add more pounds to your body while meeting your nutritional requirements. Raisins have a lot of nutrition benefits, and they’re relatively high in calories, so they can work well for weight loss.
The Raisins and All About It Nutrition
wellhealthorganic.com:easy-way-to-gain-weight-know-how-raisins-can-help-in-weight-gain: The USDA recommends adults get 1 to 2 cups of fruit per day and raisins are an inexpensive, easy and portable food that can help you meet that requirement.
Raisins are a dried form of grapes. They both provide you with similar nutrients, however the nutrients found in raisins are more concentrated. This is a good thing in terms of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and vitamins but not so good in the case of sugar.
Find out more about the raisin’s nutritional facts, such as the calories of raisins, their vitamins and minerals, below.
Raisins Nutrition Details
A cup of raisins can be considered a single serving. A 1/2 cup of raisins includes:
- Calories: 217
- Total fat: 0.2 g
- Satinated fats: 0.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 18.8 mg
- Total carbs: 57.5 g
- Fiber: 3.3 g
- Total sugars: 47.3 g
- Protein: 2.4 g
Vitamins, Minerals and Other Micronutrients
- Copper: 22% Daily Value (DV)
- Potassium: 11% DV
- Manganese: 9% DV
- Iron: 7% DV
- Vitamin B2: 7% DV
- Vitamin B6: 7% DV
- Vitamin B1: 6% DV
- Magnesium: 6% DV
- Phosphorous: 6% DV
Tips How to Eat Raisins
Because raisins are high in sugar, even though they’re natural, it is best to be mindful of the amount you consume. Here’s how you can enjoy a small portion of raisins:
- Serve them as a topping for cereal, yogurt, or oatmeal.
- Eat them prior to a workout for a boost of energy
- Toss them over salads, like in this Lentil Raisin Spinach Salad
- Combine them with peanut butter and celery such as in this Nut-Butter Boat, for a healthy snack
- Pop them in popcorn to give some flavor
Weight Gain, Calories and Raisins
At its most fundamental level it’s about calories in as opposed to. energy expenditure. You’ll need to consume 250-500 calories over what you already need to keep your weight in check. This extra calorie intake is equivalent to 0.5 or 1 lb gain in weight every week.
Raisins are a relatively concentrated source of calories, which means they can help you reach your calorie goals. A half-cup portion of seedless golden or regular raisins -which is measured without packing- supplies 218 calories. If you’ve enjoyed a cup of raisins in addition to your regular meals it’s likely that you’ll reach an extra 250 calories, without having to make any other modifications to your diet.
Healthful Benefits of Raisins
The best weight-loss diets comprise healthy food items, ensuring that you’re getting the nutrients that you require such as minerals and vitamins — as well as calories. They are a good source for some essential nutrients, raisins can add nutritional value to any diet program.
Half-cup of raisins, regular or golden — will provide you with 16 percent of the daily potassium requirement. Potassium contributes to the balance of electrolytes in your body, vital for the well-being of your muscles and nerves. Potassium also supports your cellular metabolism by helping cells process carbohydrates.
Raisins can also help you are getting enough copper in your weight gain diet. Copper can activate specific proteins called enzymes, that allow cells to function. Certain copper-dependent enzymes play an important part in the health of your brain and nerve function, while other support good connective tissue health. A half cup of regular raisins provides 12 percent of the daily value for copper, while an equal serving of golden raisins offers 13 percent.
Although they are a healthy food, they fall short in one essential nutrient- protein. A half-cup of raisins contains 58 grams of carbohydrates but just 3 grams of protein. Everyone needs protein in their diet — its amino acid content assists with tissue and cell repair improves your immune system and keeps the connective tissues of your skin strong — but it’s especially important when you’re trying gain weight in a healthy way. This is because muscle building requires more protein since you need more amino acids to construct your muscle tissue. As a result, those who train to build strength need twice the amount of protein as sedentary individuals — 0.8 grams/pound body weight in comparison to 0.4 grams per pound for people who are not athletes -as per researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles. It is important to ensure you’re eating healthful sources of protein — such as dairy products that are low in fat seafood, lean cuts of meat and fish eggs, beans, eggs, and nuts at other times to ensure that you’re achieving your daily protein requirements.
Use Raisins for Weight Gain
It is possible to increase the weight-loss potential of raisins by serving them with sources of protein, meaning that you’ll enjoy the nutritional benefits of the raisins, as well as the muscle-building properties of protein throughout the day. Add a few raisins into a bowl of nonfat Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, or add a few spoonfuls of raisins to add natural sweetness to sandwich sandwiches of tuna and chicken or wraps. Utilize protein powder instead of flour in order to make the raisin muffins that are high in protein, breads and pancakes. Add raisins to morroccan spiced chicken or curries for extra energy, nutrition and flavor.All about the Nutrition of Raisins
