Halloween — a child’s dream and parent’s nightmare. If you fret over the sugary treats your child will be bringing home Friday night, let’s dispel some myths about sugar.

• Sugar causes hyperactive behavior. As much as most parents and teachers believe this, it is just not true. American pediatricians report that 93 percent of parents with children who have attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder ask about avoiding sugar to control behavior, even though studies have shown that sugar does not increase hyperactivity. Why the disconnect? A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested that “parents’ beliefs can have a significant effect on how they perceive behavior and how they interact with their children.” Since sugar is usually associated with fun events, such as birthday parties and Halloween, parents might mistake the excitement for the events and blame sugar for the wild behavior.

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Have a question of general interest? E-mail Chris Rosenbloom Fit to Eat columns Get out of rut: Try new fruits and vegetables  Three questions: Organic produce, iron and iodine, and tryptophan  Setting the record straight on some food myths         More Fit to Eat • Chris Rosenbloom, Ph.D., R.D., is a member of the nutrition faculty in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Georgia State University Related: • Carolyn O'Neil: Think of add-ons as accessories  Good links: • Evening Edge • AJC Food & Drink • AJC Health Channel • Diet and Nutrition headlines, resources • Atlanta Restaurant reviews and search • Low fat/ heart healthy recipes • Search recipes

• Candy causes cavities. Any carbohydrate-rich food can contribute to dental decay, but candy isn’t any worse than other carbohydrate-containing foods, such as raisins. Foods that stick to the teeth create an environment for bacteria to thrive, so the best strategy to is brush your teeth after meals and snacks or chew sugarless gum to reduce the chances of food sticking to the teeth.

Smart choices

You might expect a dietitian to recommend fruit or nonfood treats for Halloween, but let’s get real. Kids expect a treat and don’t want to come home with a toothbrush in their trick-or-treat bag.

Best chocolate treats:

• Junior Mints snack size. One box (about six candies) contains only 80 calories and a 1 1/2 grams of fat. And, they are very low in sodium (15 milligrams).

3 Musketeers fun size. One small bar contains 63 calories and 2 grams of fat. Stick to one bar to keep the sugar to 10 grams or 2 teaspoons.

Best chewy treats:

• Starburst Fruit Chews. Four squares contain 80 calories, a trace of fat and no sodium. With 11 grams of sugar, a smidge over 2 teaspoons, these aren’t fruit, but they’re not too bad for fruit-flavored candy.

• Sugar-free gum. OK, so it might not be very exciting to kids, but sugar-free gum helps carbohydrates from sticking to the teeth and the xylitol (sugar-free sweetener in the gum) helps to prevent cavities.

Best crunchy treats:

• Orville Redenbacher’s 100-Calorie mini-bags of Smart Pop Popcorn. Did you know popcorn is a whole grain? One mini-bag has 100 calories, 2 grams of fat and 4 grams of fiber.

• Cracker Jacks. An old-time favorite, with a prize to boot. One box (1 ounce) contains 120 calories, with 2 grams of fat and 3 teaspoons of sugar. The peanuts add some protein and fiber, too.

Help your kids to not eat too much candy on Halloween by providing a tasty meal before they don their costumes and hit the streets or the neighborhood party. Consider it a pregame meal and offer your little ones a meal that provides carbohydrates, protein and some healthy fats to keep them from devouring their candy before they get home. Good choices include:

• Turkey burritos with baked tortilla chips and salsa

• Baked chicken tenders with wild rice and green beans

• Meatless chili with crusty bread and baby carrots.

Turkey Burritos

6 servings (3-4 ounces in 1 tortilla)

Hands on: 15 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey breast

1 cup diced fresh tomatoes

1/2 cup whole kernel corn, drained

6 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Salsa, optional

In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Sauté the onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the pepper and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the chili powder and ground turkey and cook until the turkey is no longer pink. Add the tomatoes and corn and cook 2 minutes more. Warm the tortillas in the oven or microwave. Spoon some of the turkey mixture into each warm tortilla. Roll up and serve with salsa.

— From “200 Healthy Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less” by Robyn Webb (Small Steps Press, $16.95)

Per serving: 274 calories (percent of calories from fat, 15), 32 grams protein, 26 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 5 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 75 milligrams cholesterol, 365 milligrams sodium

Nutritional bonus points: This kid-friendly meal sneaks vegetables in without kids even knowing it. The peppers and tomatoes are good sources of vitamins A and C, needed to keep your child’s immunity strong.