My preteen son wants to gain weight. What is the best way to do this?

A lot of preteen and early teenage boys want to gain weight and add muscle mass. It is important to remember that as children grow, they may gain weight but actually look thinner because they are getting taller. Boys will not be able to add a lot of muscle mass until they have almost completed their height growth.

The healthiest way to gain weight is to eat three meals a day and two snacks (or more) each day. Your son should be encouraged to eat a little more at meals gradually and then have larger snacks in the afternoon and before bedtime. Eating high-calorie snack foods that do not provide many nutrients should be discouraged. Snacks that provide protein and carbohydrates are ideal. Encouraging calcium sources also is important to promote bone growth. Good choices for snacks could be a sandwich and low-fat milk, low-fat cheese or peanut butter and crackers, milkshakes or smoothies made with low-fat milk or fruit and cheese.