The short, easy answer is all of them! Your body wants to be treated with everything it needs to grow to its maximum potential. This means covering all your bases from even things like Vitamin C to Omega-3/Fish oils. There are a couple of specific vitamins that help most in gaining weight though – we’ll cover those.
Vitamins To Gain Weight:
- Zinc Oxide
Perhaps one of the most important one for gaining weight with, zinc oxide is responsible for one important thing: stimulating your appetite.
A common problem that many people run into when trying to gain weight is that they have troubles eating so much food. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, it seems impossible to scarf down the second half of your meal. Especially if you’re eating something rather bulky and tedious like brown rice, an appetite stimulant may be exactly what you need.
In this study, zinc oxide is suggested to stimulate a specific compound called Ghrelin. Ghrelin is responsible for making you feel hungry – the hunger hormone! Simply put – the hungrier you are, the more compelled you are to eat, helping you reach those difficult 3000+ calorie goals.
- Vitamin D
Vitamin D is responsible for helping synthesize testosterone among many other things. Testosterone as we all know is a major proponent to growing muscle, helping you gain mass in the places where it matters. To add to that, a Vitamin D deficient diet can lead to many complications, and is hugely responsible for seasonal depression in places with low amounts of sunlight.
Your skin in fact absorbs UV-B radiation from sunlight, starting a complex chemical reaction which converts sunlight into Vitamin D! Like photosynthesis, but for vitamins! In this study, it’s suggested that 50% of people in the world are suggested to have a Vitamin D deficiency. With that in mind, there’s a big chance you may be deficient in Vitamin D, which leads to many problems on its own. Don’t miss out on your vitamins, especially this one!
- Omega-3
In this study done by Karolinska University of Sweden, Omega-3 has been shown to aide in maintaining a healthy appetite, which of course may help you in gaining mass. Amongst other things, Omega-3 also is a huge proponent to healthy brain functions, helping with memory, alertness, and more. If it’s not possible to get your Omega-3 through eating fish, definitely invest in a large bottle of Omega-3, it’s well worth it!
Getting Vitamins From The Right Sources
It’s no secret that vitamins in pill form aren’t quite as effective as when they’re found naturally in food! Choosing the right source is an important factor as well. Some key foods that will help you gain plenty of mass while supplementing you with all the vitamins include: broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, avocados, mangos, and fish. Each of these is loaded with good things and help drastically with gaining weight, as well as providing a sizeable amount of calories.
A nice trick to increase absorption in pill form is by eating it alongside another meal – preferably dinner. While your stomach is full, your body is more effective at metabolizing that what you’ve put into it. Having your vitamins later in the day also allows your body to absorb it better while you sleep. Dietary fats help carry vitamins through the GI tract better, increasing absorption as well!
For me personally, I take a Vitamin D and Omega-3 supplement every day. I don’t use zinc oxide as I don’t have many problems with having a strong appetite however. A boatload of useful and essential vitamins can be found at practically every pharmacy and health food store at a very reasonable price, and can have positive affects when it comes to gaining weight!