Tip 1 : Shopping tip: Find specials and coupons in your local paper or online for discounts on fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables.

Tip 2 : 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal (such as flakes) counts as 1 oz of grains. Use My Plan to see how many ounces of grains you need each day.

Tip 3 : Make a breakfast-on-the-go smoothie by blending fat-free yogurt or milk with vanilla extract and a frozen banana.

Tip 4 : Make your own cheese spread for crackers--try low-fat ricotta blended with herbs such as oregano, dill, & chopped green onions.

Tip 5 : Choose fat-free or low-fat milk or yogurt more often than cheese. When selecting cheese, choose low-fat or reduced-fat versions.

Tip 6 : Enjoy preparing foods in different ways. You can steam, grill, stir-fry, roast or stew your vegetables for a change in texture and flavor.

Tip 7 : Add fruit like sliced apples, pears, or a few berries to your salad bowl.

Tip 8 : Need a snack? Have a glass of low-sodium vegetable juice and a few whole-wheat crackers to take away the hunger pangs.

Tip 9 : On long car trips, pack fruit to snack on! Bananas, apples, plums, grapes, and nectarines all travel well!

Tip 10 : Challenge yourself to fit dairy into every meal--milk on your breakfast cereal, yogurt for lunch, milk-based soup at dinner.