This should be an easy one, but for some reason, it's not.
I've been working out and building muscle for years with a good degree of success, but even I still struggle to find the "perfect" foods and drinks to help me build and maintain it.
For starters, let me tell you what NOT to eat and drink: don't drink coffee.
Coffee (most coffee, anyway) tends to be an unnatural stimulant, and doesn't help your muscles in any way.
The nutritional value is very low.
Don't drink too much beer.
Certainly a dark beer or two can be wonderful for you, but if you overdo it, your body will be working twice as hard just to maintain its health, and its energy won't go toward building.
Eat a lot of protein; protein repairs muscle tears.
Whether it's MY favorite choices of eggs, fish (sushi!), and turkey, there are plenty of other sources of protein that you can go with, even for vegetarians out there! You can go wild with the eggs, you can eat a ton of peanut butter, or you can skip the butter part and simply eat the nuts.
I recommend the deluxe mixed nuts.
Excellent choice! There are plenty of muscle-building drinks out there, but how do you choose the right one? Well, in my opinion, I'd go with the soy drinks, and I'd try and keep the carbs low.
I myself try to limit my carbohydrates during the day, as the crash tends to slow me down.
Sure, ingesting SOME carbs before a workout is a great idea; just don't overdo it! Hope that helps!