Tip 1 : 1 cup cooked pasta or macaroni counts as 2 oz of grains. Use My Plan to find out how many ounces of grains per day you need.

Tip 2 : What’s the issue with whole milk? An 8-oz glass contains about the same amount of saturated fat as 5 strips of bacon.

Tip 3 : Try a new recipe and get fruit into your dinner dishes--try chicken with apricots or lentils with apples and dried fruit.

Tip 4 : Instead of butter and syrup, top pancakes with unsweetened applesauce and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Tip 5 : Green bean, broccoli, or spinach casseroles are a quick and easy way to serve vegetables--make them healthier with low-fat ingredients.

Tip 6 : When storing raw seafood, meat, and poultry, place them below ready-to-eat foods in the refrigerator.

Tip 7 : An ounce equivalent of protein foods is 1 oz of meat, poultry, or seafood, ¼ cup beans, 1 egg, 1 T. peanut butter, or ½ oz nuts or seeds.

Tip 8 : Mix whole-grain cereal with unsalted nuts and dried fruit for a great afternoon snack.

Tip 9 : Make fruit kabobs using pineapple chunks, bananas, grapes, and berries. Use yogurt as a sauce for your fruity snack or side dish.

Tip 10 : Peanut butter adds protein to a snack. Try it on apple slices, celery, whole grain crackers, or a small square of dark chocolate.