When growing herbs and vegetables in my garden, I prefer to go the organic route. This also applies to buying from the store or market. When possible, I buy organic options because I like the quality of the produce better. Sometimes if the organic option is quite expensive or unavailable, I'll default to the inorganic version. But I try to keep in mind the Dirty Dozen when shopping around. These are the items you should opt for organically first since you eat the skin and they typically contain the most harmful pesticides.
12 Most Contaminated 12 Least Contaminated
Peaches Onions
Apples Avocado
Sweet Bell Peppers Sweet Corn (Frozen)
Celery Pineapples
Nectarines Mango
Strawberries Asparagus
Cherries Sweet Peas (Frozen)
Pears Kiwi Fruit
Grapes Bananas
Spinach Cabbage
Lettuce Broccoli
Potatoes Papaya
Check out this link for a print out card to carry this list with you on the go!
Also, simple ingredient items are best. Take peanut butter for example. A typical jar of Peter Pan is full up of mysterious artificial chemicals and preservatives. Opt for totally natural and sweeten with a touch of honey if needed.
GMO's, the verdict is still out on this one. It sure seems like an unfounded health scare since man has been genetically modifying crops since agriculture began, only now, people are doing so in the laboratory. Perhaps it is a danger. Who can say? To be safe, avoid where convenient, but I wouldn't go out of your way to avoid them just yet. Clementines and sweet corn are two things I can't say no to!
The idea here is to avoid consuming large amounts of pesticides, hormones and additives. If you don't consider these threats, you may be exposing yourself to a larger than healthy dose. If you can avoid where convenient, you can reduce an overexposure to these possible and likely dangers.