Limit the Tricky Treats

If you’re trying to determine the unabashed star of Halloween, forget the ghosts and goblins and the pumpkins and pumpkin spices. The real focus of Halloween is candy. So much so that even dentists go along for the ride, based on the report by the American Dental Association that 76 percent of them hand out candy every All Hallows’ Eve.

While it’s easy to see sweets as a holiday hero, they can easily become the scariest part of the scariest of days if the haul is so large that is becomes a part of the diet, ra-ther than an occasional indulgence. There are ways to prevent that from happening. With a little planning, you can have a healthy Halloween without being tricked by the treats. Consumer Reports offers some tips we can agree with.

Make some rules

Talk to your children about the importance of moderation. Being too strict could possibly create the temptation to sneak candy when no one is looking, but having no limits in place is also problematic. It’s best to set the expectation that they can have a few pieces when they get home, but not the whole stash.

Start with a healthy snack

A snack that provides protein and fiber is a great way to energize kids for an evening of trick-or-treating, while also decreasing the likelihood that they will dip into their bags along the way. Grilled chicken, carrots, celery or a hard-boiled egg or all good choices. As a bonus, you can even decorate the egg to

look like a boo-licious ghost.

Don’t super-size the bag

A smaller bag will fill up sooner and leave your child with the feeling that they hit the motherlode without resulting with mounds of candy that could become unhealthy habits.

Share the loot

Encourage your child to sort through the candy and pick his or her favorites and then get rid of the rest. There are organizations like Operation Gratitude that send care packages to military serving around the world. That Snicker might satisfy a soldier on the other side of the world. You can learn more about Operation Gratitude at www. operationgratitude.com.

Stash the loot

Stashing the candy away is a great strategy for removing the daily temptation. If stored in a cabinet or the freezer, sweets can become an occasional snack, rather than a regular staple. Out of sight, out of mind.

Toss the loot

After a week or two, don’t be afraid to send the Halloween candy packing, never to haunt young hearts again. Or, at least until next October.

There’s no reason for Halloween candy to have you spooked. With just a little planning, you can avoid the tricks while still enjoying the treats.

/ Contributed SCARECROW CONTEST: Chick ‘n Scratch Bakery in Rockmart were named the People’s Choice Winners for the Halloween Hoopla Scarecrow Contest organized by the Polk County Chamber of Commerce this fall, and sponsored by H&R Block. They were voted on via Facebook during the past month after judges announced the winners in September.

/ AP-Alex Brandon, File Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., arrives on Capitol Hill, in Washington on Oct. 4. A Georgia Tech political group says Perdue snatched a phone from a student who was video recording while asking the Republican lawmaker a question about Georgia’s governor’s race.