5 Amazing Drinks You Need To Gain Healthy Weight

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Amazing drinks for healthy weight gain

Hey folks, in this post I thought I’d share 5 amazing drinks you need to gain healthy weight. They are all yogurt based and delicious.

To tell you the truth, I can’t pick a favourite. It just depends on what I feel like having at the time.

Importantly during my weight gain journey, I had struggled with trying to increase my daily calories just by eating solid food.  I relied heavily on drinking my calories and these drinks helped a lot.

 So, have you heard of lassis?

These are traditional blended yogurt drinks originally from India. It is routine there to enjoy this refreshing drink to cool down in the hot seasons, and to help ease the fiery taste of spicy foods.

Perhaps the most recognised flavour is mango lassi and pretty much every Indian restaurant has it.

Please do note the mango lassi in restaurants is generally super sweet and likely full of processed sugar.

You can make your own, healthier version and its super easy.If you need a little more convincing on the benefits of mangos, have a read of this.

But actually, lassis can be sweet or salty.

Sweet lassis are generally blended with fruit, while the latter have salt and even ground spices in them.

Salty drink? Really?

Yes, now just stay with me, before you make a face like this dude here.

Not sure about this

It actually really works well. I know there are similar salty drinks popular in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, like ayran in Turkey.

Try it before you decide it’s not for you, and I’d even say try it more than once as it can be an acquired taste.

                                                        

Benefits of lassis

I love lassis as a weight gain drink option for a number of reasons:

  • Lassis are filling, refreshing and taste amazing.
  • Yogurt is full of probiotics which is great for your gut.
  • Importantly they are rich in protein, calcium, as well as vitamins and minerals.
  • They are easy to prepare with just a handful of ingredients needed.
  • Also the fruit is full of vitamins, minerals and fibre which are needed for immunity and good health.

And, lassis can be enjoyed at any time of the day.

I generally have mine mid-morning, not really in the afternoon as I head to the gym or will do a workout session at home after work several days a week. 

The other time I’ll have a lassi is after dinner which pretty much doubles up as dessert.

Some traditional Indian lassi recipes don’t include milk, however I add it in to make a thinner consistency and also add more calories.

I also quite like the tartness of yogurt so you may find you need to add more sweetener to suit your tastes.

So today I’ve put together 5 amazing drinks you need to gain healthy weight. Take a look.

Lassi Your Way To Healthy Weight Gain

                                      

1. Mango Lassi

Drinks to gain healthy weight

Mango lassi

Of course we are going to start with the most popular one-the mango lassi. 
Mangos are some of my favourite fruits. They are fragrant,sweet and have lots of goodness in them.
During the Australian summer whenever I see that mangos are on special, I always buy several. Then I peel, de-seed them and chop up intobite size pieces. Finally I freeze them to use for when they aren’t in season.
You can also buy frozen mango from the supermarket if you like.
Mangos have an impressive list of nutrients including vitamins A, C and E among others, and minerals like copper and potassium just to name a few. 
Mangos have been found to be good for the digestive system,heart health and general immunity.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Servings 1 large
Calories 390 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ripe mango, peeled, seeded and cut up Or use 1 cup of fresh or frozen mango.
  • 1 cup full cream yogurt
  • 1/2 cup full cream milk
  • 1 tbsp raw honey Substitute with 1 tbsp of maple syrup.
  • 1/4 tspn ground cardamom (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy.

Notes

Mangos are pretty sweet fruits so you may want to blend the ingredients excluding the honey/maple syrup and taste after a minute or so. If you think it needs some more sweetness, add this and blend until well combined.

2.Banana lassi

Healthy weight gain drink

Banana lassi

Bananas are a readily available, well-loved fruit that is so versatile.
Did you know bananas are the most popular fruit in many countries?
They have essential nutrients including potassium, vitaminsB6 and C, antioxidants, minerals and fibre.
Potassium helps with regulating fluid levels and heart function in the body. Studies have found bananas are good for heart anddigestive health.
 A medium sized banana contains about 110 calories.
Print Recipe
Servings 1 large
Calories 462 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 medium banana
  • 1 cup full cream plain yogurt
  • 3/4 cup full cream milk
  • 2 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup

Instructions
 

  • Blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy.

Notes

*Sometimes I like to mix banana and mango in a lassi. This is a delicious combination!
 Simply add half a cup of mango in with the ingredients and reduce honey to 1 tablespoon.
Add more milk to thin if needed.

3. Berry lassi

Drinks for healthy weight gain

Berry lassi

The beauty of this lassi is that you can use whatever berries are in season or that you have to hand.
You can use fresh or frozen berries or a mixture of both. You could mix in different berries together if you like-strawberries and blueberries, raspberries and blackberries- whatever you fancy.
The result is a delicious, creamy drink that is filling, healthy and packed with nutrients.
Berries have phytochemicals that help fight inflammation and may protect against cancer. They also contain antioxidants and have immune boosting properties.
Print Recipe
Servings 1 large
Calories 402 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup plain full fat yogurt
  • 1-1 1/4 cups berries in season or of choice Or use frozen
  • 1/2 cup full cream milk
  • 2 tbsp raw honey Or use maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp ground cardamom or cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Blend ingredients together until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy.

Notes

Berries are generally low in sugar and you may want to add more sweetener.
I sometimes add a banana to this mixture though I have noticed a larger banana can overpower the taste of the berries. 

4. Salty lassi

Drinks for healthy weight gain

Salty lassi

For a change or for those with a savoury tooth, try the salty lassi.
At its simplest, this consists of yogurt,water and salt.
To spice this up some, you can toast some cumin seeds on a pan and then grind them to a powder, (or just use powdered cumin.)
You could also add black pepper to this lassi.
I'm a huge fan of this yogurt drink and will always order this in a Middle Eastern or Turkish restaurant.
Print Recipe
Servings 1 large
Calories 175 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 cups full fat plain yogurt
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2-1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cumin. (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Blend ingredients on a low speed until smooth. Pour and enjoy.

Notes

I use this ratio of yogurt to water but you can adjust this depending on whether you like a thicker or thinner consistency

5. Papaya lassi

Amazing drink

Papaya lassi

Papaya or pawpaw is a sweet tropical orangeish-reddish fruit that is packed with nutrients.
It has powerful anti-inflammatory properties and full of antioxidants. You can find some more benefits of papaya here.
Print Recipe
Servings 1 large
Calories 369 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup fresh papaya
  • 3/4 cup full fat yogurt
  • 1/2 cup full cream milk
  • 1-2 tbsp raw honey Or maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp ground cardamom powder (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Blend ingredients until smooth. Pour and enjoy.
    A heads up is to drink this straight away. While it is a refreshingly tasty lassi,papaya will start to react with milk and turn sour if left for a while.

Notes

How much sweeter you add depends on the papaya. Sometimes they are very sweet and other times less so. Start with a tablespoon and add more if needed.

And that’s it folks. It’s as simple as that.

I have said before that calorific drinks should be an addition to your 3 daily regular meals and not a substitute for them.

Try these 5 amazing drinks you need to gain healthy weight and a bonus is they won’t break the bank. For more budget tips on gaining healthy weight, check out this and that.