(ARA) - When the ghosts and goblins, superheroes and villains come knocking on your door this Halloween, do them a favor. Instead of dropping a candy bar or two into their trick-or-treat bag, fill it up with healthy alternatives. With childhood obesity on the rise in the United States, a bag full of candy bars -- with their empty calories -- is the last thing the neighborhood kids need.

“Nutrition and Halloween aren’t two words that are normally seen together, but it is possible to promote healthy eating habits during the Halloween season,” says Lisa Katic, the nutrition advisor for the Snack Food Association. She recommends parents make sure their kids have a nutritious meal before heading out the door to go trick-or-treating so they won’t be tempted to fill up on candy; and instead of handing out candy bars, that you set a good example for the neighborhood by giving away nutritious snacks.

Sugarless Bazooka / Gourmet Sugarless Pops
Sugar Free Rainbow Pops

Among the Halloween alternatives gaining in popularity these days, Sugarfree Jelly Belly, Sugarless Bazooka, and packets of instant Sugar Free Candies. “You really can’t go wrong setting a precedent in the neighborhood as the home that hands out the treats that are good for you,” says Katic.

Which is your favorite flavor? Baskin and Robbins has added great taste to sugar free, low carb sherbet or Sugar Free Candies. Packed in a quart container it can pass for sherbet until you open it to find the outstanding strawberry, raspberry and orange sherbet flavor candies.

Here are some other alternatives to Halloween Candy:

* Sports or trading cards. If you have a little more money in your Halloween treat budget, you might consider buying some sports cards or another popular trading card for children. Those with large budgets can probably afford to leave an entire pack in every child's bag, but you could also give out individual cards.

Orange and Black Bracelets
Halloween Bracelets

Spider Rings
Halloween Rings

* School supplies or stickers. Kids are always misplacing their pencils, erasers and crayons, so these are holiday treats they will really appreciate. Stickers are also popular among youngsters in school. They can use them to dress up their notebooks or lockers.

Sponge Bob Halloween Stickers
Pooh Halloween Stickers
Scooby Doo Halloween Stickers

Halloween Stampers
Halloween Bubbles

Halloween Glow Lights - Bracelets - Necklaces

You can find special Halloween packaged bags of Snyder’s of Hanover minis at stores across the country from now through Halloween. For more information about the health benefits of pretzels, log on to www.snydersofhanover.com. Courtesy of ARA Content

Spooky Lawn Spider

Fill a large black garbage bag with raked leaves from your yard or crumpled newspaper. Tie the top of the bag in a knot to close. Turn the bag upside down. This is the body of the spider.

Ask your parents to take you to a hardware store to buy eight 3-foot pieces of black irrigation piping for legs. Attach the "legs" to the bag with black electric tape. Or, instead of going to the hardware store, you could just cut four garbage bags in half so that you have eight halves. Fold the halves in half lengthwise and tape the cut side together so that it looks like a tube. Stuff the "legs" with newspaper or leaves and attach them to the "body."

Paint eyes on the bag with white paint or glue white construction paper to the bag to use as eyes. Decorate your spider any way you want.

All In One Spider Web
Spider Web Light Set

Silly Spider Web

Put a piece of black construction paper into a cake or pie pan.

Put a little bit of white paint into the center of the paper.

Drop a marble in the paint and tilt the pan around.

The marble will roll all over the paper leaving a white "spider web" trail behind it.

Groundbreaker Skeleton
Pumpkin Lawn Sign

Flying Bat

Blow up a black balloon, tie the end, and attach a string to the end.

Cut wings, ears, and eyes out of construction paper and glue them to the balloon.

Hang your bat from the ceiling.

Bat Lights
Cats & Bats Window Decor

Lollipop Ghosts

Cover a Dum Dum Lollipop with a white piece of tissue and tie a piece of yarn around the stick.

Draw a face on the ghost with markers.