Halloween is the one day out of the year when children are allowed out to gather as much candy as possible.

Dressed as goblins and ghouls, children go door-to-door in the hopes of hearing a yummy snack drop into their buckets.

With childhood obesity on the rise, it is important to make sure kids are enjoying their candy in moderation, not excess. “Encourage your children to eat meals throughout the day and have one small treat,” said Rochelle Figueroa, nutritionist for the Graham County Health Department. “They are still going to get all of that chocolate, but at least limit it. Don’t replace meals.”

Even children who are not suffering from obesity need to be careful about replacing meals with candy.

“Candy is empty calories, so when children fill up on that, they are not getting the calcium-rich and iron-rich foods,” Figueroa said. “Their little bodies need calcium and iron to grow.”

While most people will buy the little bags of chocolate candy bars, there are treats that are healthier for children for about the same price as the candy, if not cheaper.

“I would like to see things like pencils, pens and little toys passed out,” Figueroa said. “Even roasted peanuts or boxes of raisins would be better than candy.”

Some alternatives to candy include:

Pencils: A box of about 20 can be purchased for around $1.Trading cards: These are a little more expensive but work for a smaller amount of children or party bags.

Raisins, peanuts or small packages of pretzels: There are many healthy snacks that come prepackaged and can be handed out, Figueroa said.Other toys, such as temporary tattoos or pads of paper, will please children without hurting them nutritionally.

After a few weeks, Figueroa suggests throwing away the candy or finding some other way of disposing of it.

“A small treat is okay once in a while,” she said. “When it gets to be a candy bar a day, after a few weeks, it’s too much.”

Much of the fun of trick-or-treating comes from dressing up, seeing all the other costumes and going door-to-door.

Enjoying the experience does not have to result in months of bad eating habits. With a little consideration and attention, candy intake can be controlled.