Your diet can be a major factor in your health and wellbeing, so setting the goal of gaining weight isn’t a license to consume anything you want. Even if you consume any additional calories — including those from fast food, ice cream, and the rest of your “junk” — will result in weight gain adhering to a healthy and balanced diet can be a safe method to add weight to your body, while also satisfying your nutritional needs. Raisins have a lot of nutritional benefits, and they’re very calorific, therefore they’re a good fit as part of a weight-loss diet.

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 grapes that have been dried and they both supply the same nutrients, however the vitamins in raisins are more concentrated. This is a good thing for antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals but not so good when it comes to sugar.

Find out all the details about raisin nutritional information, including the calories of raisins, their minerals and vitamins.

Raisins Nutrition Details

A half cup of raisins can be considered a single serving. A half 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
  • The total sugar content is 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

Since raisins are rich in sugar, though natural, you’ll want to limit yourself to the portion size. Here’s how to have a taste of raisins:

• Serve them as a topping on cereal, yogurt, or oatmeal.
• Eat them prior to exercising for an extra an energy boost
• Toss them over salads, as in this Lentil Raisin Spinach Salad
• Combine them with peanut butter and celery as in the recipe for this Nut-Butter Boat, for a nutritious snack
• Sprinkle them on popcorn for some flavor

Weight Gain, Calories and Raisins

At the simplest level it’s about calories in and calories out. energy expenditure. Specifically, you’ll need to eat 250 to 500 calories on top of what you already need to keep your weight at a healthy level. This extra calorie intake is equivalent to 0.5 or 1 lb in weight gain every week.

Raisins can be a very concentrated food source, and they can help you reach your goals for calorie surplus. A half-cup portion of seedless golden or regular raisins -that is not packed -provides 218 calories. If you’ve had a bowl of raisins on top of your normal meal plan, you’ll almost hit 250 calories of surplus even without making any other changes to your food habits.

Healthful Benefits of Raisins

The best weight gain diets are comprised of healthy foods that guarantee you’re getting the nutrients that you require such as minerals and vitamins — as well as calories. A good source of several essential nutrients raisins add nutritional value to the diet you follow.

Half-cup of raisins — regular or golden will provide you with 16 percent of the daily value for potassium. Potassium contributes to the electrolyte balance in your body, which is crucial for the health of your muscles as well as nerves. Potassium is also a key ingredient in your cell metabolism by helping your cells process carbohydrates.

Raisins can also help you have enough copper in your weight loss diet. Copper stimulates certain proteins, called enzymes, that permit your cells to function. Certain copper-dependent enzymes play their role in brain health as well as functioning of nerves, whereas other promote healthier connective tissue. A cup of regular raisins offers 12 percent of copper’s daily value in a serving, while a comparable portion of golden raisins provides 13 percent.

While raisins are healthy however, they lack one essential nutrient- protein. A half-cup serving of raisins contains 58 grams of carbohydrates, but less than three grams of protein. Everybody needs protein in their diet — its amino acid content is beneficial for tissue and cell repair, supports your immunity and keeps your skin and connective tissues solid. But it’s especially important when you’re trying to gain weight safely. That’s because building muscle requires more protein since you need more amino acids to construct the new muscle tissue. Therefore, those who train to build strength need twice the amount of protein as sedentary individuals — 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram body weight as opposed to 0.4 grams per pound of body weight for non-athletes- explains the University of California, Los Angeles. Make sure you’re eating healthy sources of protein — such as dairy products that are low in fat, lean meats and fish, beans, eggs and nuts at other meals to ensure you’re meeting your daily protein goals.

Use Raisins for Weight Gain

You can increase the weight-loss potential of raisins by serving them alongside protein sources, so you’ll enjoy the nutritional benefits of raisins along with the muscle-building properties of protein in every meal. Combine a handful of raisins into a container that is nonfat Greek milk or cottage cheese, or add some spoonfuls of raisins to enhance the natural sweetness of the tuna and chicken salad sandwiches or wraps. Protein powder can be used in place of flour in order to make Raisin muffins and breads with high protein and pancakes. You can also add raisins to a morroccan-flavored chicken dish or curries for added calories, nutrition and flavor.All about the Nutrition of Raisins