I am by nature an easy-going person. I do not panic at every alarmist report I read. I do not forward frightening e-mail to all my friends. However I am somewhat concerned about conflicting reports about fish. It is especially a problem for my As, because many fish are beneficial for them and few other meats are.

I read articles that say eat more omega-3 rich fish. Right now I'm looking at a list that says salmon, mackerel, and trout are among the best choices. They are also good for As and Os. That should be good news, but…

There is a big controversy about farm raised fish having high levels of PCBs dioxins and other pollutants. Most of the salmon at grocery stores are not only farm raised, but also have orange dye added to them. Trout and tilapia are also commonly farm raised.

Cod isn't on the Omega-3 rich lists, but is listed as beneficial for As and Os. However, I've never seen fresh cod locally, and there is another controversy about polyamines and frozen fish.

Today I read an article in Reader's Digest (August 2003) about mercury in fish. A California doctor, puzzled by health conscious patients with hair loss, memory loss, and other neurological symptoms, traced their problems to mercury contamination from eating lots of fish. Some of the most beneficial fist for As and Os (like mackerel) are on the most dangerous list for mercury contamination. This article recommends farm raised fish because the mercury levels are known and safe.

In other words I need to eat salmon for the omega-3s, but I shouldn't eat farm raised because of dioxins, and I shouldn't eat wild because of mercury. My head is spinning.

I've got to readjust my thinking about fish. I want to be prudent, but not fearful. ( Did you know the Bible says "fear not" 63 times?)

My husband will be happy because sardines are high in omega-3s and not on any of the danger lists. Tuna, which my daughter likes, is also high in omega-3s. Canned tuna is safer than fresh tuna. Cans of cheap light tuna are safer than cans of expensive white & albacore tuna.

My daughter had a practice after school today. I thought we would get home about an hour later than usual. I brought my water bottle, but nothing else. However, tomorrow is the first pep rally of the year, and after practice she got involved with helping decorate the gym. It was 6:30 when we left the school, and she had to run one errand on the way home. I was hungry.

The store where she needed to go was two doors from a little health food store. Hurray, I thought, I can run in for a snack. All of that food, but nothing for an O! It wasn't surprising that the cookies were made from wheat. And it wasn't surprising that the frozen products had dairy. What was surprising was how many foods I could have otherwise eaten were sweetened with corn syrup. Green tea (sweetened with corn syrup), sesame bars (corn syrup - second ingredient), wheat free protein bars (with corn syrup).

I was feeling desperate! At last I found a cranberry/grape juice with no avoids. It was delicious. But I left feeling it rather strange that in a health food store there was nothing healthy for an O.