I am a 22-year-old man from Hubli. I am 5'11” and weigh 58 kilos. Can you please suggest me a diet to increase my muscle mass, I have been going to the gym from the past two and a half years, I soak soya beans in water the previous night and have it the next day. Will my body be able to absorb the proteins from it?

Good to know you are working out in a gym, hopefully under the guidance of a qualified trainer. Are you concentrating only on resistant exercises or also on cardio? It is important to have a balance with the two. Building your muscle mass is the best way to increasing weight; however, you should be aware that these things take time. Soyabean is an excellent source of high quality protein. Make sure you don’t have more than 10 gms per day. An overload of protein could damage your kidneys.

I am 17 years old but am only 4.11”. I have undergone tests to check the thyroid levels and it’s normal as per the reports. Could I still grow tall as I am 17 yrs? I am also very thin. I want to put on weight. Please suggest to me an appropriate exercise regime and diet.

It would have been useful if you gave me your gender. Boys generally grow till 22 years of age while girls till 18 years. If your parents are of small stature, including grandparents, it is most likely that you will be too. As per increasing weight, it really depends on your appetite. If your appetite is poor; you are unable to eat the recommended portions, I would suggest, you eat more frequently. Every 2 hours, have a lassi, or pick up a fruit, have a fistful of dried fruits, or make yourself a sandwich. This should be in addition to your 3 meals. Parallel to this, you should exercise. Exercise has several benefits of which the most important is increasing muscle.

I am 21 years old and weigh about 81 kg. My height is around 5'5''.I am a strict vegetarian. Could you please suggest a proper balanced diet and exercises to reduce my weight?

For your height your ideal weight should be within the 57- 61 Kg range.  Your extra 20 kilos may be because you are binging on fatty, high calorific value foods or you are not exercising enough. I would suggest cutting down on all fatty foods, like chips, chowda, biscuits, cakes, pastries, pies, namkeen etc. Reach out for more natural foods. Avoid pickles, jam, and other forms of preservatives.  Pick up an exercise which suits your day, but stick to a routine.

Parul Dube, R D
Health Professions Council,  UK