hether you’re a dedicated gym-goer looking to gain muscle, need to fuel your body to perform a physically-demanding job, or are classified as underweight according to your body mass index (BMI), adding healthy high calorie foods to your diet will help you tip the scales while nourishing your body at the same time.

To gain weight, you need to eat more calories than you expend each day. As a rough reference, adding between 500 and 1,000 calories to your daily maintenance calories will help you acquire up to 1kg per week. From whole grains to dairy and dried fruit, these healthy high calorie foods can help you satisfy your nutritional needs — from breakfast till bedtime:

1. Avocado

Each avocado has 240 calories, plus a big hit of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, which improve your levels of “good” HDL cholesterol and reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol. This energy-dense high calorie fruit is also the unique source of the fatty acids avocadene and avocadyne, which protect against type 2 diabetes, research suggest.

2. Homemade granola

Granola is a nutritious blend of grains, dried fruits, nuts and seeds — four tremendously high calorie items on their own – often sweetened with honey or maple syrup, and occasionally bakes in coconut oil. Each 100g amount normally includes between 400 and 600 calories, and delivers a healthful mix of protein, carbohydrates and fats.

Related: The 2000 Calories Shake

3. Brown rice

Fill your bowl with brown rice, not white, for a high calorie food increase. While the latter contains marginally more calories — 129 calories per 100g, compared with 122 calories in the same quantity of brown rice – the most nutritional components of the grain have been eliminated. As a whole grain, brown rice contains considerably more fibre and keeps its antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

4. Macadamia nuts

While all nuts contain loads of calories, Macadamia nuts are the most energy-dense high calorie kind, with an astonishing 360 calories in per 50g dose. In the same portion, you’ll guzzle up 90 per cent of your daily manganese consumption – which helps your body produce connective tissue – plus 50 per cent of your thiamin requirements; a B vitamin that’s needed to turn food into energy. While all nuts contain loads of calories, Macadamia nuts are the most energy-dense, with 360 calories in each 50g serve.

5. Cheddar cheese

While cheddar is not the highest-calorie cheese — that honour goes to Parmesan – you’re likely to consume a larger piece of cheddar, which is why it made the list. Each 100g piece offers 400 calories and 55% of your daily calcium requirement for bone growth, as well as 46% of your vitamin B12 requirement for a healthy nervous system.

6. Mackerel

Mackerel contains 227 calories and 23g of protein per 120g fillet, making it one of the most calorie-dense fish available. As an oily fish, it contains a high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to reduce detrimental inflammatory reactions in the body, according to study conducted by The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).