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BY BARBARA ROLEK This
story ran on nwitimes.com on Monday, April 25, 2005 12:50 AM CDT They're available in nearly half of all major U.S. supermarkets and used by 43 percent of the population, according to the Natural Marketing Institute. As evidence mounts that we need to take a good look at what we're putting in our bodies, organic foods have become the fastest-growing sector of America's food industry, and show no signs of slowing down. But are there real health benefits to organics? Dr. Andrea Rentea says "Definitely." The 56-year-old Chicago-based general practitioner also is board certified in complementary or alternative medicine. "Eating organic foods means you're taking in less toxins. The liver doesn't have to work as hard if we eat foods that haven't been sprayed with pesticides or contain hormones, steroids or antibiotics." In her practice, Rentea treats with vitamins, herbal supplements and homeopathic remedies made of plant or mineral substances in a diluted form. "But diet is the most important component of treatment." Can organics change your life? Many people have turned to organics not only as a preventative measure, but to seek relief from existing symptoms Six-month-old Cole Wiesner is a little cranky. He just woke up and wants to be nursed. Failing that, goat's milk will do just fine. Cole is a hard-won miracle in his mother's eyes. Dina Wiesner, the owner with Cyndi Sawaska of Organically Delicious Health Food and Juice Bar in St. John, has had a history of gynecological problems. "I was told I had less than a 4 percent chance to have a baby without in vitro fertilization," Wiesner says. At the 11th hour, the 31-year-old shifted plans and tried a course of cleanses, reflexology and fasting. The premise behind the cleanse is to make the body toxin free so it can devote its energy to healing itself instead of eliminating toxins. "I used only organic foods, hair and skin products, and wore only 100 percent cotton clothes for eight weeks," Wiesner says. Three months later and after three-and-a-half years of trying, Wiesner was pregnant. "I'm convinced that this works not only for infertility, but cancer and other diseases," she says. Wiesner's partner, 35-year-old Sawaska says "Most people come into our store because they're grasping at straws. Conventional medicine hasn't helped them, they've exhausted all their options and they're desperate." Take Julie Gant, 36, of Terre Haute, who has rheumatoid arthritis. She says organic supplements got her back into life. "Even though I was taking high-potency drugs, I still had a lot of pain, fever and fatigue. When I got up in the morning, I was so stiff, I could barely crawl to the shower. Two weeks after starting the supplements, I noticed I wasn't having the stiffness," Gant says. A month later, her prescription drug dose had been decreased significantly and her symptoms were subsiding. Now, eight months later, Gant is kicking up her heels in Tae Bo classes. Another example is Sharon Billo, 61, of St. John. The radiation treatment she is undergoing after a lumpectomy in January exhausts her, but she's found a solution. "I drink a Power Surge from Organically Delicious every day to boost my energy. It's become a daily stop in my routine and I believe it has made a huge difference." Power Surge, made with raw organic spinach, carrot, apple, kale and wheat grass, is one of the juices and smoothies available at Organically Delicious, touted to have the only organic juice bar in Northwest Indiana. Mark Snyder, of Sunrise Farm Market in Chesterton, says the food industry began tinkering with food in the 1950s to create longer shelf lifes. "Now the body doesn't recognize it as food anymore and doesn't know what to do with it. That's why we have to get back to the basics. Food is the fuel we need to make us live and think and function," he says. Diane Haines, 56, the owner of Au Naturel Market in Valparaiso, says if the label states "certified organic," she knows it isn't frankenfood (been genetically modified). It's free of pesticides, herbicides and the beef hasn't been fed with antibiotics and growth hormones, and the milk, therefore, is free of them, too. Her niece, Kate Haines, has learned an important lesson about nonorganic milk. Kate Haines' daughter, now 3, started demonstrating behavioral problems at 18 months. At 2-1/2, a sinus infection called for a course of penicillin. "She had an immediate, severe reaction which made her joints swell so badly she couldn't walk," Haines says. The girl was placed on anti-inflammatory drugs and was treated by a pediatric rheumatologist. Surprisingly, the behavioral issues went away as the arthritis symptoms dissipated, but Haines didn't want her daughter on drugs for the rest of her life. She didn't want just to treat the symptoms, she wanted to treat the cause. "In November, when I was breastfeeding my dairy-allergic son and had cut out all dairy from my family's diet, I noticed she was symptom free. When my son was able to tolerate dairy and we went back to it, my daughter's symptoms returned." At her aunt's suggestion, Haines has switched to organic milk because it is free of penicillin, regularly used to treat cows and is transmitted to the milk. "Amazingly, my daughter's symptoms have gone away," Haines says. Dr. Chiedu Nchekwube, 54, a family practitioner with Family Medicine and Wellness Center in Merrillville, says organic foods were the norm until the Industrial Age. "That's when we went into mass production of food. We started not to pay attention to good farming practices like crop rotation," Nchekwube says. We started growing food that looked good but was essentially devoid of nutrients. "When I visit my family in Nigeria, I find that food tastes better. Even though the country people are poor, they look better, their teeth are better than those living in the big cities because they aren't eating processed foods." Nchekwube says we're a long way from being an all-organic world, but the trend is moving in that direction. "What's holding things up is that farmers are attracted to genetically modified seeds for their crops because they can withstand pests, drought and are an almost guaranteed profit. There's still a lot of work to be done," Nchekwube says. What's the difference? * Natural -- Products that have been minimally processed and are free of chemicals, colors, preservatives, artificial flavors and trans fats. * Organic -- Natural products that have been farmed without the use of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, antibiotics, hormones, bioengineering (GMO) or irradiation. To be USDA certified organic, a farmer must be able to prove that he has used no prohibited substances in his soil or on his crops for a minimum of three years. Source: Organic Trade Association, www.ota.com. Why does it cost so much? A gallon of organic milk runs $5.99 and a pound of organic chicken breasts rings up at $6.99 Why? * Organically produced foods must meet stricter regulations so the process is more labor intensive (hand weeding vs. herbicides, etc.) and farming tends to be on a smaller scale with lower crop yields. * It costs more to raise an organic cow because it must eat organic feed. It's the trickle-down theory of organics. If a consumer only can afford one organic product, Dr. Joseph Mercola, the author of "The Total Health Program" (www.mercola.com), says it probably should be free-range organic eggs. Let the consumer beware There are organic snacks aplenty but that doesn't necessarily mean they're low in fat or sugar. You still have to watch what you put in your mouth. Where to find organic products * Au Naturel Market, 1708 E. Lincolnway, Valparaiso, (219) 465-1984, info@aunaturelmarket.com, www.aunaturelmarket.com * Organically Delicious Health Food & Juice Bar, 9486 Wicker Ave., St. John, (219) 365-0277, orgdelicious@sbcglobal.net * Sunrise Farm Market, 371 Indian Boundary Road, Chesterton, (219) 926-8710 (no produce at this time) * Sunrise Farm Market, 17650 Torrence Ave., Lansing, (708) 474-6166 * Sunrise Farm Market, 3203 Vollmer Road, Flossmoor, (708) 365-5400 * Sunrise Farm Market, 15818 Harlem Ave., Orland Park, (708) 845-5424 * Major supermarkets and health food stores |