Are Organic Foods Safer and More Nutritious?

Organic food items are now a staple of fresh produce aisles on most supermarkets. Perhaps, you are wondering why the sudden fondness of organic produce where people flock the weekend market all over the metro like AANI Weekend Market. There are studies claiming that there are no significant differences when it comes to the nutrient contents of organically and conventionally farmed. On the other hand, there are studies that proved otherwise.

Safer the way organic foods are produced

Primarily, organic farming practices are geared toward conserving soil and water and reducing pollution. Organic farmers do not necessarily use fertilizers and pesticides. For the latter, when a conventional farmer sprays pesticide on the produce, residues are left. Although the amount of pesticide residue does not exceed safety thresholds, the fact remains that we can ingest such.

Buying and consuming organic products, therefore, is a way to limit our exposure to these toxins. About 240 studies that compare organic and non-organic foodstuffs discovered that the former are less contaminated with agricultural chemicals. Conventional produce is discovered to contain 40% more pesticide residues. The percentage can be higher than reported.

Further, there is a separate study that organic foods have low levels of cadmium (48% on average). Cadmium is a carcinogen that accumulates within the body. Put simply, constant exposure to cadmium leads to the onset of certain cancers.

More nutritious due to higher antioxidant contents

Another nutritional difference between organic and conventional food is the antioxidant content. Research findings proved that organic fruits and vegetables contain 18 to 69% more antioxidants compared to their conventional counterparts.

Based on dietary interventions, the higher levels of antioxidants resulted in reduced risks of chronic, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Certainly, antioxidants also fight the development of certain cancers.

Food safety tips

Studies said it. However, there are additional safety tips to keep in mind. First, choose and buy various food items from various sources. The practice not only reduces your exposure to chemicals but also provides you with a mix of nutrients.

Second, buy in-season fruits and vegetables. Better yet, buy fresh produce from the farmers’ market.

Third, read labels carefully. The term organic is not interchangeable with the term natural. Organic products are labeled 100% organic. Some products are produced using organic ingredients, and thus should be labeled ‘made with organic ingredients,’ for example.

Fourth, even when the product is labeled 100% organic, it is still best to wash the fruits and vegetables under running water to clean them further. Washing removes dirt, bacteria and chemical residue.

The value of having peace of mind over what you eat and what’s within what you are eating are immense. In the time when green living is more apparent than ever, the movement towards organic diet is a welcome change. Based on the findings, consuming organic foodstuffs is safer and more nutritious than consuming non-organic foodstuffs. 

Isn’t it a perfect time to go organic? Your call.

Should You Demand a Green Maid Service For Your Home?

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Cleaning our home is already a part of our lives. We clean not just because it's already our routine but because we want to ensure that we live in a healthy environment. You don't want to be sick just by looking at your messy home, right? Yes, it's psychological too! Of course, it doesn't matter where you live, be it in a condo in Quezon City or any other condominiums in the Philippines, cleaning your home is a must do.

Some of you here might have tried different ways or methods in cleaning your home. While other condo owners have difficulties to clean their home properly since they are also having a hard time finding time for cleaning. That is why some of them are planning to hire cleaning services just to make their home clean. But before you can decide on what cleaning services you are going to hire, know the company first.

Not all cleaning services provide do cleaning in an environmentally-friendly. Some of them used chemicals that can kill and are dangerous to our health. Indeed, cleaning methods and materials matter. It is important for you to know if they offer services that are friendly to our environment. If not, then there are still other cleaning services that provide good quality services not just to your home, but also to the environment.

Are chemical cleaners that bad?

Before anything else, it is given that chemicals are harmful to our health. Yes, there might be some products that are not that harmful (the mild ones), but usually, chemicals that are used for cleaning are dangerous. Moreover, science has made it clear that chemicals found in cleaning products can have a great impact on our health. Well, this might affect our skin and respiratory irritations and even on our eyes. Using these kinds of chemicals is not good, especially when you are prone to asthma and other allergic reactions.

However, replacing these cleaning chemical products with eco-friendly and organic cleaners can reduce and help prevent potential health danger. If you know that a particular company still uses harmful chemicals on their service, then you can demand a friendly way to clean your home. Or better find another cleaning company that offers a green maid service.

What is a green maid service?

Some of us here might be wondering what a green maid service is all about. Well, it is called "green" since it is different from the other maid services. They offer organic and natural ways to clean your home rather than using chemicals and other cleaning tools and equipment. You will know if a cleaning company offers a green maid service when they use 95 percent natural cleaning materials and have an environmentally friendly or biodegradable packaging. And of course, the company must be accredited by the government that it is safe to hire that particular cleaning company.

Moreover, before they can run their cleaning service company, the government would test their cleaning materials and other products used for cleaning is safe for the environment. If not, then they might not be able to put up a cleaning service company. Of course, it is to ensure the safety of us all.

Benefits of a green maid service

There will always be advantages when you choose and hire a green maid service to clean your home. Aside from the benefits, you can get when it comes to your health, you also contribute a fresh and green to our Mother Nature. Of course, when you use harmful chemicals, this might be the cause of an air pollution where you neighbors and other homeowners can inhale the toxic chemicals. And you don't want to be the cause of their sickness, right?

Moreover, choosing a green maid service is a great choice for you, if you are one of those homeowners who are concern about the adverse effects that traditional chemical cleaners have on the environment. Also, if you have children, it is also safe for them to move around the house without worrying about the harmful air caused by the cleaning chemicals used.

So should you demand a green maid service for your home? Definitely yes! It is also for your safety and good.

Easy Ways To Increase Natural Light at Home

Natural light will always be a good choice than the artificial one. Not to mention it has a lot of advantages when used at home. It gives your room a rich, full spectrum hue that light bulbs can't duplicate. Moreover, natural light increases your serotonin levels, which would give you a pleasant or good feeling. Sad to say, not all homeowners can realize how important natural light is at home. Whether you are living in Nuvali, Alviera, any Ayala Land estate or any real estates in the Philippines, it is advisable for you to use natural light.

Fret not if your home is not designed with natural light in mind since there are simple ways on how you can achieve such light at home. To give you an idea, we list down some easy ways to increase natural light.

Paint your eaves white

The overhangs created by your roof outside your windows are the eaves. They are either left open or covered up with a horizontal soffit. Regardless, you can make increase natural light in every room of your home by painting it white. When you do, the painted eaves will reflect the light into your room. Moreover, since most eaves are angled toward the house, the curb-side appearance will bot be affected.

Use lighter, brighter interior wall and ceiling paints

If you think that light colors are boring, then you better think again. If you want to reflect natural light at home, then it is best for you to use bright colors. One of the best ways to increase a natural light at home is to paint your walls since Light Reflectance Value (LRV) can range from 100% for pure white down to 0% for black. And most importantly, try to avoid dark colors, it would only give a darker ambiance in your room.

Turn your walls into mirrors with higher gloss paint

Choosing the right color is crucial when it comes to increasing natural light at home. That means, you have to make sure to choose colors that would help reflect the light into your room, For many homeowners, they prefer to use glossy paint for their walls, since it gives them a mirror-like effect. And as we all know, mirrors reflect light.

Use glass or highly reflective tiles in your kitchen or bathroom backsplashes

Glass tiles are also one way you can do since it reflects natural light back into your home. Perhaps, you can install highly glossy ceramic tiles for a nearly equal reflective effect. However, never install these glasses if you do not know what and what not to do with it. If you are planning to go for glass tiles, make sure to seek help from home services or any professionals to install the tiles to make sure that it would be fitted properly.

Replace wall space with glass

This project may not be that easy to fix, but this is one of the most efficient ways to increase natural light at home. Through replacing sections of your exterior wall with glass block, it would bring in a fair amount of natural light than not having it replaced. Since glass block is not a structural replacement for a wall stud system, the headers must be installed over the block sections to ensure it would work out.

Install skylights in your ceiling

Skylights are an ideal and practical way of increasing natural light. In fact, skylights or "windows for roof" are not only they give us the light that we needed, but it also adds beauty to the interior design of your home.

See? Homeowners who do not have enough natural light at home can already achieve a desirable outcome through following these tips mentioned above.

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