best foods to eat while building muscle

Chicken breast, lean beef, fish, brown rice, yams, tons of fresh veggies, oatmeal

Yes, that is the majority of my foods in that list. I did forget eggs and egg whites, though. I have had a few protein bars lately but trying to cut those out. I also have a shake post-workout of whey powder and skim milk. That's about the extent of my dairy consumption unless I have a cheat meal with cheese.

Nut butters, avocados, brown rice, chicken, fish, turkey, sweet potatoes, nuts, yogurt (with fruit), cheese, olive oil, coconut oil, lots and lots of veggies (low glycemic), eggs (whole and egg whites), full fat cottage cheese, full fat butter, bacon, olive and vigegrette dressing, with salads..

This is all I can think of right off the top of my head... you stated healthy and gain weight... To gain weight for me it would be a lot of other things added to this to meet calorie requirement that may not be to you "classified healthy" foods.. I do cook a lot, make low carb desserts, and much much much more..

But basically the above is what I eat during the week (and not to gain weight... just eat like this every day)

Nuts are a good sub for veg. Good fats w/fiber. Almond butter is awesome, btw. If you haven't tried it, do. That stuff is wonderful.

Nuts are great additions to a muscle building diet. Almonds, walnuts, pecans all contain healthy fats and fiber. But they aren't a good sub for veggies. Veggies have other vitamins and nutrients and no/low fat. It's nearly impossible to over eat vegetables but the fat content alone means you need to watch the amount of nuts you consume.

Pick the veggies you like, and eat plenty. Try some you haven't thought of before. Add fruit but be careful of the amount of sugar.

Gia, I can't believe I forgot avocados! I love 'em!

Bulking? That's an easy one, eat all of the food.