Okay, lets start here.
Short of bashing everyone's sincere thoughts and ideas, I'll tell you whats up.
Carbs aren't the devil. Heavy starches and simple carbs <except after workouts> are the devil.
Complex carbohydrates and fiber are your dearest of friends.
Lean protein is your friend. 90% lean beef is excellent for you, despite any of the crap thats been posted on here. Its an excellent source of protein, antioxidants, and vitamins which leads to an ultimate ends of being a building block for muscle.
As Jordon said, <I taught him so well, *pats him on the head*> Turkey <whether it be turkey burgers which myself and my roomate have daily on the Foreman, deli turkey (which has preservatives in it which aren't the best things for your body, but it beats most other forms of protein), or fresh turkey.
Fish. Omega-3 fatty acids. Yeah, in short - they're the shit. Salmon, trout, halibut, whitefish, bass, you name it. Don't forget about tuna here. Mercury can become an issue if you eat as much tuna as myself and others do, but it can be reduced by buying Chunk Light tuna rather than solid white albacore. It really should be a non-issue though.
Chicken. Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. Purdue sells a bunch of small, precut and prewrapped chicken breasts in separate bags for about $9.00 for 12 small breasts. Buy store brand stuff, cut it up, beat it flat, and wrap it in tin foil and freeze it if you want to be economical.
Carbs;
Whole grain breads and pasta, wheat pasta, wheat bread, wheat english muffins...yeah, they're the shit. Yams a.k.a. sweet potatoes. Absolutely amazing for you and can taste really good as well.
Trying to build muscle? A nice starchy baked potatoe is good as well.
Throw in your mixed greens and other veggies in this carb batch as well.
For fats;
Omega 3 fatty acids, monounsaturated fat <the stuff in peanut butter>. Nuts, peanut butter, olive oil, fish oil.
For supplements;
Whey protein. Buy online for a small discount or buy from Vitamin Shoppe for convenience.
Specifics for some foods that I buy;
Boneless skinless chicken breasts. Purdue prewraps if they're on sale.
90% lean 10% fat, ground beef.
Turkey burger patties, fresh - not frozen.
Wheat wonder bread.
Wheat or mixed grain Thomas english muffins
Wheat pasta - either Barilla plus, or the real deal stuff from the health food isle.
Kashi Go Lean Crunch! cereal. Stuff is real good. Its hard and crunchy but let it soak in skim milk for a few minutes.
Kashi blueberry frozen waffles
Kashi granola bars. The peanut butter ones are banging and a great snack for you.
Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey protein powder. $30 for 5lb jugs, a.k.a 77 servings. Can be found at Vitamin Shoppe.
Extra virgin olive oil
Peanut butter, especially natural peanut butter <but the oil separates out and its way dryer than the hydrogenated stuff that you get when you buy Jiffy>
Go to
Wanna be Big.com - The Ultimate Weight Training and Bodybuilding Resource
Sign up for the forums. There's olympic athletes, body builders, sports coaches, speed coaches, wrestlers, MMA fighters, powerlifters, amateur bodybuilders, and the everyday joe on the site. Great, great information.
Search for "What a bodybuilder eats". Its a huge thread with a great list of healthy food. I'm sure its updated with a ton of new stuff, since I haven't been on there in forever.
Ask whatever questions you need on there or do a search, its been asked 1000times before.
Eat small meals. 6 small meals a day. This will speed up your metabolism and give your body nutrients when you need them. There's an entire science behind these things, but you don't have to get that in depth. Just understand that its not just what you eat but when you eat it. <Complex carbs in the morning, healthy fats> <Simple carbs right after workouts for fast absorption> <Lean protein at night, less starchy food as the hours go by>