With Halloween right around the corner, public health officials are offering tips to keep young ghouls and goblins from gorging on candy that they bring home.

According to Public Health – Seattle & King County, these are ways to help your kids.

* Eat a healthy meal before trick-or-treating. Kids are less likely to gorge on candy if they are full. Consider a peanut butter sandwich or some fruit before trick-or-treating.

* Offer healthier alternatives. Try sugar-free gum or hard candy — it typically has sugar but no fat. Other great options include individually wrapped packages of raisins, pretzels or trail mix. Kids also love non-food treats like stickers, superballs, temporary tattoos, spider rings and small bottles of bubbles.

* Cut back on sugar-loaded drinks. With all the extra Halloween candy around your home, pay attention to the total amount of sugar your kids are consuming — it all adds up.

Cut back on sugary drinks like sodas, sweetened juices, and energy drinks which can lead to obesity. These sugar-loaded beverages pose hidden health risks for kids including: obesity, Type 2 diabetes, tooth decay and high blood pressure.

For more healthy treats, go to this web site. For information about the dangers of sugar-loaded beverages visit here.