Nuts have taken a lot of heat over the years. Too high in fat. Too many calories. Too easy to overeat.

If you’re ready to maximize muscle and get swole, the foods you eat matter just as much as the time you spend in the gym.

Ever found yourself halfway through a bag of chips and thought, Wait … I wasn't even hungry? Yup, been there. This kind of mindless snacking sneaks in, not because our body needs fuel, but because we're bored, stressed, or just passing the kitchen too many times, seeing the cookie jar gleaming from the countertop.

There are many types of fasting, and the motivations behind them usually differ. Because of this, the rules can get confusing. Your friend fasts for ketosis, so she's cool with some coconut oil in her coffee in the morning. Your grandmother does the Daniel fast with her church for the new year so she can stick to vegetables and grains and maintain her fast.

When you're new to an eating routine, figuring out how to meal plan in a way that follows the guidelines of the routine, meets your nutritional needs, supports your health goals, and suits your tastes can feel like navigating a minefield.

For the seventh year in a row, the U.S. News and World Report ranked the Mediterranean diet as the most health-promoting eating routine in the world. As nice as the Mediterranean Sea is, it's not just something in the water: there's a ton of research that reflects just why this eating routine — really more of a lifestyle than a diet — is so beneficial.

Milk has been a staple for humans for thousands of years, and there's evidence that we started drinking it even before we could digest it well. (That period of evolution as we were developing the genes to digest dairy was probably a little … unpleasant.)

What's your go-to drink? If you said milk, you're not alone. Cow's milk is a popular drink for most North Americans and Europeans. In most households, you'll probably find a jug, carton, or — if you're Canadian — bag of cow's milk in the fridge.

All over the world, if there's anything we all have in common, it's that we eat. Through breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, food connects us, fuels us, and comforts us. What we eat, however, is as diverse as we are. Depending on where we're from, we'll have certain foods that are staples in our diets or certain ways that we prepare those foods.