Take a glance at the nutrition facts on your favorite Halloween candy and you'll be afraid. Very afraid.

This is not the time to get spooked, though. Use your willpower and the following advice from nutritionist Cari Coulter and you'll make it through Halloween without being scared to step on a scale.

Coulter a registered dietician with Wellspring, a provider of weight-loss camps for overweight teens and adults, share her "Five Fast Rules to Halloween Candy" with us today.

• Don't buy candy weeks ahead of time. Buying your Halloween candy now extends the amount of time that these tempting little blobs of fat (treats?) are in your pantry and increases the likelihood that you will eat some (or all) before Halloween rolls around.

• Avoid purchasing your favorite candy. If you are less likely to overindulge in Twizzlers than Smarties, than buy the former and leave the latter at the store.

• Most gummy and hard candies are fat free or very low in fat. You can also modify any Halloween themed recipes to be lower in fat than the traditional options. Focusing on hard candies can even decrease your intake further because they take longer to eat.

• Stay smart about leftovers. Kids come home with three bagfuls of treats? Instead of keeping them around the house, toss them.

• Limit the focus on food and candy. Have your kids engage in pumpkin carving, costume pageants, visiting haunted houses and telling ghost stories. Extra points if your activities get you moving.

Caramel Popcorn Balls

1/2 cup splenda brown sugar blend

1/2 cup light-colored corn syrup

1/4 cup light margarine

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 cups air-popped popcorn (6 tablespoons kernels)

Combine Splenda brown sugar blend, corn syrup, and light margarine in a medium or large heavy bottomed saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat.

Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring a couple times to scrape down the sides of the pan and keep the mixture from bubbling up.

Remove from heat; stir in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Place popcorn in a large bowl; pour sugar mixture over popcorn in a steady stream, stirring to coat.

Let cool 10 minutes. Wet hands and form into 1.25 cup popcorn balls.

Let the popcorn cool completely and wrap individually in plastic wrap before storing. Store for up to 1 week.

Number of Servings: 10 (about 1.25 cups each). 140 calories, 2.3 g of fat.

Dawn Minty can be reached at 706-571-8512 and dminty@ledger-enquirer.com