Healthy Lifestyles: Five Compelling Reasons to Go Organic

“To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” –Gautama Buddha

Have you ever given much thought about what you eat? Did you ever stop to think about the ingredients of the food you are consuming every day? Were they sourced? Are they natural or organic? Or are they heavily laden with chemicals and preservatives?

These are the things we should constantly ask ourselves if we want to maintain and keep a healthy lifestyle. Having a blasé attitude towards what you eat would eventually lead to future consequences. Sure, that salad might not look so appetizing today but choosing that over flavored chips can make all the difference between a healthy geriatric life and one that would potentially have you visiting doctors on a monthly basis. Unfortunately, going organic is not an easy decision—particularly because chemically laden food items have always been the norm and it can be rather difficult to adapt to this change. However, if we truly want a healthier lifestyle we have to commit to choosing organic over conventional food products.

Unfortunately, going organic is not as easy as everyone might think. Apart from the marked difference in food flavor, organic food products are a lot pricier than their conventional counterparts. However, price point aside, going organic has been shown to have a myriad of benefits and advantages that it significantly outweighs the higher cost. After all, you really cannot put a price tag on your health. So, think of going organic as a long-term investment on a healthier lifestyle. In this regard, you can even see the greater price as an offset to exorbitant medical and clinical fees had you insisted to keep your conventional diet. If you had been contemplating of going organic for a while now, perhaps you should visit the Weekend Market in Manila and take a look at their organic offerings.

In any case, here are some of the excellent reasons why you should go organic:

You do not deal with chemicals

If you choose to organic, you will only be dealing with dirt—not chemicals. Of course, dirt is an inevitable consequence of having natural and organic food. However, while you might be able to wash the dirt off of conventional food, it is not enough to remove the waxy residue, chemicals and other pesticides that might have embedded themselves in your food. Conventional farming uses synthetic pesticides. Studies have shown that the consumption of such food can lead to chronic diseases and health conditions with long-term exposure.

Nutritionally Sound

A common misconception among consumers is that you get about the same amount of nutrients from food regardless of whether they are sourced organically or conventionally. However, studies have shown that organic food tends to deliver thirty percent more vitamins and nutrients than their conventional counterparts. This is because chemicals such as insecticides, fungicides and herbicides can block a plant’s ability to create nutrients.

Better Taste

If you have always believed that all food taste the same whether they are sourced conventionally or organically then prepare to have your mindset changed. Organic food items have been shown to be more flavorful than their organic counterparts because the latter does not have as much antioxidants. More importantly, higher levels of synthetic fertilizers in conventional sourcing of food compromises soil quality which can eventually stress the plant and significantly impact its resulting taste.

No to GMOs

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs for brevity) make up a huge fraction of the most common crops in the world today. Over the years, people have been encouraged to avoid GMO as research has heavily alluded to its potentially harmful effects. To ensure that you do not buy any GMO products, buy only organic.

Promote humane treatment of animals

More often than not, conventional livestock are sourced from farms that practice inhumane and confined conditions. More importantly, they are constantly pumped with synthetic hormones to increase production and keep up with the consumer demand. Unfortunately, these stressful conditions coupled with the inhuman treatment can cause a significant decline in the animal’s health and quality of life. Organically sourced products—while more expensive—have access to the outdoors and are kept in human treatment.

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Business and Farming: The Basic Steps of Organizing Your Accounts

If you want to transform your small weekend affair into one of the highly-earning organic stores Manila, then you must know the basics of handling your finances. You won't know if you're making a profit if you don't understand the formula on how to tally your income and expenses. Moreover, you need to put your money in a safe place. You don't want your hard-earned money mixing with the budget you set for your home. It can result in a disaster.

Whether you're in it for the safety of your finances or hoping to grow your keep, you should know the necessary steps of organizing your accounts. Staying organized minimizes mistakes and ensures you're on the path to hitting your targets. Lastly, it can make things easy once you start expanding your business. You won't have to look for receipts, tax records, and other essential documents.

Below are the things you must know when organizing your accounts.

1. You must have a separate bank account.

Your business account should not be the same as the account you use to save for retirement or other big-ticket purchases. You can start by setting up a business checking account. You can also get a business credit card for your business to build credit. At the same time, having a credit card lessens the incidence of mixing business assets and personal buys.

2. Pick the right bank

Don't open an account or transact with the nearest bank in your area. You should survey which bank offers the least fees. Most business checking accounts apply charges higher than most personal bank accounts. You should pay close attention to these, so you don't end up with expensive rates.

3. Learn the items on your financial statements

Your business financial statement shows your company's performance. At the same time, financial statements can be your guide to assessing past performance and managing expectations. These can also be your means of communicating with interested parties. You can reach out to creditors, investors, and analysts through your financial performance.

Accountants are the only ones who can prepare your financial statements. It's easy to leave everything to their hands to ensure you have the papers you need in your hands. However, you must also know which things are part of your statements. That way, you can check if there are wrong entries or discrepancies in your balances.

4. Establish a way for organizing receipts

You should keep all the receipts from all your business transactions. You never know when you might need it. Thus, you should have a system for storing your receipts. You can keep it in an envelope or a box. You can store them in any place as long as you can bring them out when you need them. Also, they must be separate from your family records and other personal papers.

5. Categorize your expenses

When you're running a small business, you can easily mistake a fee from the other. For instance, your family luncheon can be part of your "meals and entertainment" category even when you didn't discuss business the duration of your meal. To separate your expenses, you must first identify the groups they would fall. Separate meals, travel, transportation, utilities, and business-related purchases. Knowing the divisions helps you easily categorize the costs incurred. It also enables you to determine if the fees should be filed under your business or not.

6. Have a bookkeeping system

Bookkeeping is different from accounting. It is the daily process of recording transactions, putting them in the right category, and reconciling bank statements. Meanwhile, accounting makes sense of these records to create the financial statements. Now that things are clear, it's time you determine the bookkeeping method to use.

You can design a system of your own, or you can hire a part-time bookkeeper to oversee your cash flow. Once you have enough revenue, you can have an in-house bookkeeper and an accountant. You also have to determine if you will use the cash or accrual method of accounting.

7. Establish your payroll system

When you have people helping you out or working under you, you must first establish if they are regular employees or a freelancer. You'll need to have a payroll schedule and ensure your paying taxes correctly. Be sure you know how much you spend on each person and that you are providing the right compensation.

8. Know which payment schemes to offer to your customers

You must find different ways to accept payments. You can set up a merchant account or a third party processor. A merchant account is a type of account that enables you to process credit card payments. The payment gateway you choose depends on you and your customers. If most of your customers prefer to use their e-wallet or swipe their cards, then you should have a merchant account or a third party payment processor.


When setting up your business, you should not only think of your products and the overall setup of your store. You should also take care of your accounts, think of how you accept payment, and how you will record your expenses. These tips are your guide to covering the necessary aspect of your accounts. That way, you won't get lost once you move your shop from a weekend farmers market to your official store address.

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