The types of foods you should eat to gain weight is really dependent upon your weight goals—are you more interested in building muscle or gaining more fat? Are you looking to gain weight to improve your health, and therefore would like to build both muscle and fat? Unfortunately, weight loss or weight gain isn't solely a matter of "calories in, calories out." You could eat 500 calories of lettuce or 500 calories of chicken and the resulting effect on your body will be quite different. In general, if you're looking to put on weight, eating calorie-dense foods is a good idea, but take into consideration the nutritional content of these foods and your current activity level.
Foods can be made up of three macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates) and any number of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Any weight manipulation diet should try to find a healthy balance between the desired macronutrients and micronutrients. This body-building website has a helpful calculator that allows you to calculate the recommended proportions of macronutrients for someone with your activity level and weight goals. Bear in mind that if you are trying to gain weight in the form of body fat, you cannot calculate recommended macronutrients for that goal with this calculator.
As a general rule, expect the amount you eat to increase with your activity level. If you are recovering from some sort of illness and have low energy (which inhibits physical activity) but would like to gain weight, you may not have to eat as much as someone who is very active. You may also find you have a lower protein requirement than someone who performs a lot of physical exercise. If you are a very active person seeking to build more muscle, your caloric and macronutrient needs will be much higher than someone who is more sedentary.
Let's consider the possibility that you are someone seeking to put on weight in the form of muscle. In this case, your diet should focus on proteins and carbohydrates for energy and muscle building. You don't have to cut out fat entirely, as this could be injurious to health, but decreasing the amount of fat you eat while replacing some of that caloric and nutritional value with proteins or carbohydrates can help you to maintain a balance. A meal of lean chicken breast, brown rice, and broccoli is full of essential micronutrients and is high in protein and carbohydrates. Again, try to be sure your diet matches your activity level.
If you're a vegetarian or vegan looking to build muscle mass, never fear! It is entirely possible to build healthy muscle on a plant-based diet by eating protein-rich foods like beans. Meat-eaters can reap the benefits of beans, too, as they are high in both protein and carbohydrates.
If you are more interested in building fat than muscle, you can make adjustments to your diet to achieve this goal. Increasing your intake of carbohydrates and fat offers high energy, and any leftover energy in your bloodstream will be converted into fat storage. My recommendation here is to eat healthy sources of fat like nuts, fish, and dairy, and healthy carbohydrates like fruit and whole grain bread. The adjustment made here should be to eat a little more fat and carbohydrates than is recommended for your activity level. Try to avoid unhealthy fats and carbohydrates like those found in chips, soda pop, and other "junk foods." These are more likely to clog your arteries than to put on subcutaneous fat!
If you are recovering from an illness and would like to gain both muscle and fat, eat a diet with the macronutrient proportions recommended for your activity level, but eat a little bit more at each meal. Try to eat calorie- and/ or nutrient- dense foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and lean meat. Avoid filling up on junk foods or even foods like iceberg lettuce, which seems healthy but lacks nutritional quality. You may find it helpful to eat snacks in between meals so you aren't forcing yourself to eat more at mealtime.
Remember to drink plenty of water, get at least eight hours of sleep, and try not to stress too much about what you eat. If it is overwhelming to make big changes in your diet, take small steps until you reach your goal!
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