Halloween is coming. You see the signs of it in every grocery store you visit. Candy. Full size. Fun size. Even party size. Pumpkins. Candy bars. Suckers. It's almost impossible to think or talk about Halloween without bringing home at least one large "party size" bag of candy. When you've been doing your best to avoid eating excess sugar, Halloween can seem like an inevitable pitfall. But, it doesn't have to be. Whether you're limiting sugar for just yourself, or for your entire family, there are healthier Halloween treats that'll allow you to still have fun with the holiday without blowing your goals.

For parties

You have a Halloween party coming up. Whether you're hosting, or simply bringing a treat to share, you'd like to see something healthy on the table. Thankfully, most of the healthy foods you enjoy on a regular basis can be customized into a Halloween treat. Think how you can turn your favorite foods into scary treats. For example, you could try:

• Ghost string cheese. Leave the wrappers on your string cheese, and use a permanent marker to mark a ghoulish face on the front.
• Clementine pumpkins. Peel your clementines and add a small green "pumpkin stem" cut from celery or a green pepper on top.
• Monster smiles. Cut up an apple into slices. Smear the inside of two apple slices with peanut butter. Insert small marshmallows or even nut slices for "teeth" in the middle of the two slices. You should end up with a monster smile.
• Candy corn veggie tray. Select your favorite white, yellow, and orange veggies (think cauliflower, yellow peppers, and carrots). Cut up the veggies and arrange them on a tray to make a candy corn shape. Add your favorite dip and you have a healthy Halloween snack. You can do the same thing with fruit for a fruit tray.

For trick or treating

Homemade treats used to rule the trick-or-treating game. Today, however, most parents won't let their kids eat homemade treats gathered during trick-or-treating. It might seem like candy is your only option to give away to trick-or-treaters but it doesn't have to be. Use the following non-candy ideas to spread healthy fun to your whole neighborhood.

• Bouncy balls
• Bubbles
• Small bottles of water
• Stickers
• Sugar-free gum
• Popcorn
• Juice boxes
• Chalk or crayons
• Snack bags of pretzels, crackers, or fruit snacks
• Temporary tattoos
• Glow sticks
• Pencils and erasers
• Vampire teeth, spider rings, or other spooky accessories
• Play dough
• Granola bars
• Baked chips

Halloween doesn't have to be a scary pitfall of excess sugar and never-ending sweets. Plan ahead for parties and trick-or-treaters. It may not seem as easy as picking up a bag of candy, but eating healthy during the upcoming spook fest doesn't have to be complicated or difficult. Your party guests and trick-or-treaters might even appreciate a change of pace from all the candy.