Tip 1 : 1/2 cup of brown rice counts as 1 oz of whole grains. Use My Plan to see how many ounces of grains you need each day.

Tip 2 : Make fresh fruit snow cones using berries, pineapple, or other fruits. Check online for recipes.

Tip 3 : Try a whole-grain pancake or waffle mix to start off your day. If made from scratch, use whole-wheat flour for half the flour.

Tip 4 : Many seafood choices are low in mercury, including shrimp, salmon, sardines, oysters, clams, haddock, flounder, catfish, and tilapia.

Tip 5 : Add fruit like pineapple or fresh chunks of peaches to vegetable and meat kabobs.

Tip 6 : Soups and puddings made with fat-free or low-fat milk can help you get the dairy you need.

Tip 7 : Calcium is a nutrient of public health concern. You can meet your calcium needs by drinking fat-free milk or eating low-fat yogurt.

Tip 8 : Skip or limit the breading on meat, poultry, or fish. Breading adds Calories and can increase the amount of fat soaked up during frying.

Tip 9 : Use vegetable oils (olive, canola, corn, soybean, peanut, safflower, sunflower) rather than solid fats (butter, shortening).

Tip 10 : A small amount of lean meat adds great flavor to dishes made with beans or whole grains. Try chicken chili or turkey barley soup.