Healthy Alternatives to Halloween Candy

(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.

Among the Halloween alternatives gaining in popularity these days, Sugarfree Jelly Belly, Halloween 16" Punch Ball, 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 sherbert Sugar Free Candies. Packed in a quart container it can pass for sherbert until you open it to find the outstanding strawberry, rasberry and orange sherbert 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.

* 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.

Halloween Glow Products

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.

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.

Lollipop Ghosts

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

Draw a face on the ghost with markers.

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.

HALLOWEEN PARTY INVITATIONS

A Halloween Classic
Scare guests into coming with a spooky jack-o'-lantern printed on bright white card
All Hollow's Eve
Your invitation wording and this Halloween scene will be printed in the same ink color on a bright white card.
Witches' Brew
Invite your favorite ghouls, goblins and ghosts to your lair with this theme-inspired invitation.

Orange Occasion Invitations
Mommy Orange Card Holders

Halloween Confetti
Happy Halloween Confetti

Tumbling Autumn Leaves
Personalized Maple Leaf Seal

HALLOWEEN PARTY FAVORS

Infant Boys	Infant Girls
Toddler Boys	Toddler Girls
Children	Teens
Adult Male	Adult Female
Adult Couples	Adult Sexy
Kits & Accessories	Boots & Shoes
Wigs & Masks	Halloween Hairspray
Halloween Hats	Halloween Makeup
Ebay Auctions for Costumes
Halloween Party Decorations Halloween Party Supplies
Halloween Party Favors Halloween Party Ideas	Halloween Recipes Halloween Safety Tips
HALLOWEEN SPECIAL EFFECTS
Halloween Scene Setters Halloween Decorations Pumpkin Electric Lights Batty Electric Lights Black LED Light Garland Halloween LED Lights LED Light Ball Necklace Flashing LED Necklace Flashing Strobe Necklace Virtual Message Writer Fiber Optic Wand Slimlite Glow Sticks Glow Necklaces Finger Light Rings Sinister Pumpkin Fogger Grim Reaper Fogger Fog Machine w Remote Smoking Cauldron Swami Spirit Ball Sorceress Spirit Ball Enter If You Dare Sign Haunted Moving Books	Collapsible Coffin Tombstone Rocker Arcade Fortune Teller Half Body with Head Well With Skull & Fog Whirlwind Ghost Whirlwind Witch Hanging Witch  Hanging Scarecrow Hanging Vampire Standing Skullman Inflatable Decomposing Corpse Air Pump Grim Reaper Décor 5'  Grim Reaper 6' Winged Reaper 6' Groom w Bride's Head Evil Bride Tombstone Groundbreaker Skeleton Out Of Ground Skeleton
PLUM PARTY Halloween Costume Party
HALLOWEEN CANDY Halloween Toys & Candy Candy Corn Candy Bar Pumpkin Candy Bar Witch Candy Bar Candy Party Mix 30oz 2LB Candy Mix 4LB Candy Mix 5LB Candy Mix Halloween Candy Wristlet Candy Necklace 22g Candy Necklace 40g Sports Candy Bracelets Candy Watch Ring Pops Candy Lipstick Glo Popcifiers Assorted Marshmallow Pops Dum Dum Lollipops Lollipops Safety Lollipops Patriotic Tooth Pop Candy Filled Pumpkin Wormz & Dirt Push Pop Candy Gummi Candy Pizza Kooky Chew Treats K-9 Candy	SUGAR FREE CANDY Halloween Sugar Free Tooth Pops Gourmet Sugarless Pops Sugarfree Rainbow Pops Holiday Sugarfree Pops Sugarless Bazooka Sugar Free Candies Sugarfree Jelly Belly HALLOWEEN LOOT BAGS Pumpkin Handle Loot Bag Boo Handle Loot Bag Graveyard Loot Bag LG Gruesome Loot Bag SM Gruesome Loot Bag Personalized Party Bags Hand out personalized party bags at your Halloween party
HALLOWEEN TOYS
Hand out TOYS not CANDY Mega Treasure Chest w 500 Toys Value Pack Chest w 100 Toys Grab Bag Treasure Chest w 600 Toys Grab Bag Treasure Chest w 200 Toys Teddy's Treasure Chest w 200 Toys Chest Tooth Assortment w 100 toys Stuffed Toy Chest w 36 Plush Toys Plastic Treasure Chest Red & Yellow Mega Chest Large Toy Chest Magic Tricks w 72 tricks Super Toy Assortment (50) Value Pack Refill (100) Treasure Toy Refill (200) Grab Bag Refill (600)	Plastic Treasure Chest Red & Yellow Mega Chest Large Toy Chest Multi Literopes 50 Multi Literopes 25 Halloween Duck Assortment Wild Animal Mask Ducks Farm Animal Mask Ducks Halloween Necklace Frosty Eyeball Monster Super Balls Sticky Glow Eyeballs Yucky Squeeze Ball Windmill Ball Box Of Super Toys (100) Sponge Bob Halloween Stickers Pooh Halloween Stickers Scooby Doo Halloween Stickers

Halloween Banners

Halloween Pinatas
Pinata Toy Assortment