It’s one thing to grow organic fruits and vegetables, but it’s quite another to buy them because they can be a little pricier. In order to keep these fruits and veggies less prone to disease and pesky insects, farmers will spray these plants repeatedly to ensure a “quality” harvest. However, there are 12 types of produce you should always buy organic. This list includes:

• Celery
• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Blueberries
• Nectarines
• Bell peppers
• Spinach
• Kale
• Cherries
• Potatoes
• Imported grapes

Now when you’re in need of certain produce, you don’t have to always buy organic. If you have to pinch your pennies and are unable to grow certain plants in your backyard garden, there are 15 clean fruits and vegetables you can buy non-organic. You can buy the following produce normally:

• Onions
• Avocado
• Sweet corn
• Pineapple
• Mangoes
• Sweet peas
• Asparagus
• Kiwifruit
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon
• Grapefruit
• Sweet potato
• Honeydew melon

The more fruits and vegetables you include your diet, the healthier you will be so don’t neglect this part of the food pyramid even if you can’t fund organic shopping all of the time. Also, no matter what, always thoroughly wash or peel your produce before eating it.

These crops are genetically manipulated to inherit genes that do not occur naturally. Environmentally speaking, these genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can contaminate natural organisms causing “genetic pollution”. If these desirable traits spread, we will reduce the planet’s biodiversity and may kill off non-target insects that are beneficial to the environment.

In addition, these crops are treated with insecticides and pesticides for the purpose of aphid control. Aphids are small insects that feed off of certain plants and destroy the crop revenue. However, the harmful chemicals used to manage these bugs seep into the soil and can potentially contaminate groundwater. Non-chemical aphid control is more environmentally friendly, because chemicals are not involved. Instead farmers will use monitoring (checking crops to prevent infestations), biological control (use ants and parasitic wasps to ward off aphids), and cultural control (plant crops away from aphid populations).

Health Concerns
With regard to humans, there has not been any conclusive testing to determine whether GE foods cause allergic reactions, yet these foods are still available to consumers. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved a Michigan State University’s mouse model that researcher Venu Gangur designed specifically to test whether GE foods cause allergies. This grant-funded project may commercially release its results in 2011.

Similarly, in 2000 StarLink corn was thought to cause allergies, so the Center for Disease Control tested it, but their data was inconclusive. This corn contained cry9C protein, which protected it from black cutworms and other corn borers. Initially, this corn was approved for nonfood products and animal feed in 1998 but somehow traces of this protein were found in taco shells and other foods, so asthma sufferers thought their asthma attacks might be caused by consuming this modified corn.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture claims that the Animal and Plant Heath Inspection Service (APHIS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the EPA are all responsible for regulating GE food products. There are so many unanswered questions when it comes to GE foods, yet our government still allows them to go on the market. Supporting organic gardening reduces the amount of chemicals going into the soil and your body. Although studies are not conclusive on whether organic foods are healthier, you at least know that you are consuming a natural product.