The nutritional quality of your food can be a major factor in your health, and setting goals to shed weight isn’t a license to indulge in whatever you like. While eating any extra calories, even those of fast food or ice cream, and the rest of your “junk” — will increase your weight adhering to a healthy and balanced diet is a great way to add pounds to your body while meeting your nutritional requirements. Raisins have a lot of nutrition benefits, and they’re fairly high in calories therefore they’re a good fit for weight loss.

All about Raisins 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 each of them provides the same nutrients, but the raisins’ nutrients are more concentrated. This is an excellent thing when it comes to antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals but not so good in the case of sugar.

Learn more about raisin nutrition information, which includes the calories of raisins, their minerals and vitamins, down below.

Raisins Nutrition Details

A 1/2 cup of raisins can be considered as a single serving. A cup of raisins is comprised of:

• Calories: 217
• Total fat: 0.2 g
  • Saturated fat: 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

Because raisins are high in sugar, though natural, you’ll need to stick to the serving size. Here’s how to take a bite of raisins:

• Use these as a garnish for cereal, yogurt or oatmeal
• Eat them prior to a workout for a increase in energy
• Serve them with salads, such as the recipe below. Lentil Raisin Spinach Salad
• Combine them with peanut butter and celery as in the recipe for this Nut-Butter Boat, for a nutritious snack
• Inject them into popcorn for some sweetness

Weight Gain, Calories and Raisins

In the most fundamental sense, weight gain is about calories in as opposed to. calories out. In particular, you’ll have to consume 250-500 calories in addition to your current intake to keep your weight at a healthy level. This excess in calories is 0.5 one pound weight gain each week.

Raisins are a relatively concentrated source of calories, which means they could help you achieve your goals of calorie-abundance. A half-cup serving of unpacked golden or regular raisins -which is measured without packing- supplies 218 calories. If you’ve had a bowl of raisins on top of your regular meal plan and you’re close to achieving 250 calories of surplus without having to make any other changes to your food habits.

Healthful Benefits of Raisins

The best weight gain diets consist of nutritious food items, ensuring that you’re getting the nutrients you require such as minerals and vitamins — in addition to calories. As a good source of a few essential nutrients, raisins can add nutritional value to any diet program.

A half-cup serving of raisins — regular or golden — supplies 16 percent of your daily potassium requirement. Potassium aids in maintaining the electrolyte balance in your body, which is important for the health of your muscles and nerves. Potassium also supports your cellular metabolism by assisting your cells process carbohydrates.

Raisins also help ensure you are getting enough copper in your weight loss diet. Copper triggers certain proteins called enzymes, that allow cells to function. Certain copper-dependent enzymes play an important role in brain health and functioning of nerves, whereas others promote healthier connective tissue. A cup of regular raisins contains 12 percent of the daily value of copper in a serving, while a comparable portion of golden raisins offers 13 percent.

Although they are a healthy food However, they’re not enough in one important nutrient, protein. A half-cup serving of raisins provides 58 grams of carbohydrates but less than 3g protein. Protein is essential to everyone’s diet. Its amino acid content helps with tissue and cell repair, supports your immunity and keeps your connective tissues and skin strong — but it’s especially important in the case of trying to gain weight in a healthy way. It’s because building muscle requires more protein as you need more amino acids to build your new muscle tissue. As a result, strength trainers need double the protein intake of people who are sedentary — 0.8 grams/pound of bodyweight, compared to 0.4 grams/pound for people who are not athletes -this is according to an article from University of California, Los Angeles. It is important to ensure you’re eating healthful sources of protein — including dairy that isn’t fat-free lean meats, fish and lean meats, beans, eggs and nuts — during other times to ensure that you’re reaching the daily protein requirements.

Use Raisins for Weight Gain

It is possible to increase the potential for weight gain from raisins by serving them alongside sources of protein, meaning that you’ll enjoy the nutritional benefits of the fruit along with the muscle-building benefits of protein in every meal. Add a few raisins into a glass of nonfat Greek dairy products like cottage cheese or yogurt. You can also add the raisins in a couple of spoonfuls to add natural sweetness to the tuna and chicken salad sandwiches or wraps. Use protein powder in place of flour to create Raisin muffins and breads with high protein and pancakes. Or add raisins to morroccan spiced chicken or curries to add nutrients, calories and flavor.All About Nutritional Raisins