Editor:
I have some comments I would like to make regarding Paul Martiquet's column "Is organic better for you?" (Coast Reporter, Oct. 26).
I would like to know who were the people who took part in the Stanford University study. Were they all young people, meaning still in their 40s and younger, and did any of them have serious health problems?
I have suffered for many years from a chronic liver disease and well as systemic lupus. I have a very sensitive digestive system and cannot tolerate a lot of foods, which are ordinarily considered healthy.
I was told to eat a lot of vegetables, especially broccoli and other green vegetables. I had incredible bloating, gas and discomfort until I switched to organic vegetables. Since that time, I have had little discomfort.
What I noticed is that especially broccoli has a very strong, unpleasant smell while cooking. The organic vegetables have almost no smell, since they have not been heavily fertilized with nitrogen fertilizers. I also observed that organic vegetables have a stronger shelf life and don't spoil easily.
My husband has subscribed to the Consumer Report for many years, and the studies, which have been made by this organization, have written a lot on this subject. Quite a few years ago, they did extensive studies on U.S. grown fruit and they found that peaches and apricots where so full of pesticide toxins that it was recommended not to give those fruits to children under four to six years old.
For this and other reasons, I feel there is no service done to people by articles like this.
Gerhilde Stulken, Sechelt
