In many parts of the world, it is not uncommon for people to eat certain kinds of insects. Whether its grasshoppers, beetles or crickets, mankind have been munching the little creatures for a while. It is estimated that up to 2 billion people around the world rely on insects as a protein source.
There are many compelling reasons why you should add some insects to your diet. Here are a few:
- Insects are a healthier and more nutritious alternative providing:
- Twice the amount of protein in beef
- More calcium than milk
- All 9 essential Amino acids
- More iron than spinach
- A lot less fat than most meat sources
Can you beat that?
- Offer a much smarter way to utilize arable land – requires no land clearing, 15m2 to produce 1kg of Adult crickets Vs. 200m2 for 1kg of beef from cows.
- Release 100 times less greenhouse gases than other livestock.
- Consume a lot less water – 1 gallon of water required to produce a pound of meat from crickets Vs. 2,000 gallons for cows.
- Less expensive to raise – only 2 bags of feed are needed for a pound of digestible meat from crickets Vs. 25 bags for cows.
- Much cheaper – pocket friendly for everyone.
- Can be slaughtered by placing in a freezer – eliminates need for abattoirs.
- High in micronutrients like vitamins, zinc, iron, calcium and fibre.
- Less likely to transmit diseases as they are taxonomically distant from humans.
- Have more edible and digestible body parts – up to 80% for crickets.
- Are widely available.
- Useful in waste management as can be fed on organic waste streams.
In case you are wondering, some of the most popularly eaten insects include beetles (31%), caterpillars (18%), bees, wasps and ants (14%), grasshoppers, locusts and crickets (13%) amongst others.
What are you waiting for? Find exciting and new ways to include our six-legged friends whether as whole insects or powders to your favourite recipes.
Bugs for dinner? Yes, please.
RESOURCES
Replacing your Ground Beef with Mealworms: Reasons Insects Should Be On Your Plate