The idea of eating insects may sounds disgusting, and certainly isn’t a part of an average western diet. However, in many places around the globe, especially in the east people have been eating bugs for as long as humans could talk. While some insects are poisonous the vast majority are entirely edible. Over 2 billion people consume insects regularly, the market for insects has grown 40% in the past year. Eating insects as a form of protein may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it has many benefits environmentally and physically.
Edible Bugs Bucket List: 25 Insects People Eat Around the World
Try some of these common edible insects!
The benefits of farming insects for food are enormous and very efficient. Bugs provide equal protein when compared to typical forms of protein such as fish, beef, and chicken, while even surpassing most of these proteins per kg. Insects are also easier to maintain, farm, and distribute as a result of their living habits. On a typical farm, most animals need acres of space to graze and spend their time, however because many insects are apart of colonies they don’t mind cramped space with other insects. They’re also packed with nutrients and other beneficial antioxidants.
Eating insects makes people squeamish regardless of how safe and edible they may be. It’s easier for people if they slowly introduce insects into their diet and work towards other insects. Personally I haven’t ate any insects before but I’d be open to trying them. In the future as our planet faces consequences from global warming they may become more necessary to reach our daily food intake goals. So it’s better to start now than later!
Try this recipe and respond in the comments with how it tasted!
In Asian, South America, and Africa these insects are a staple of their diets, yet this practice hasn’t yet became mainstream in Western culture. If this is the case, other means of eating insects with a twist exist. Many species of mealworms and crickets are grounded into a flour and mixed with wheat which taste exactly the same. People who tried both cricket infused flour and normal flour couldn’t tell the difference. The added benefits of the crickets provide extra protein and nutrients.
https://www.statista.com/topics/4806/edible-insects/#topicOverview
As I stated before, insects have been growing in popularity over the lasts reveal years. The link above details how this market has grown and where it’s forecasted to reach within the coming decades. Hop on the trend and begin tasting insects before they’re introduced into our diets as an alternative to beef and chicken. Everyone I know that has tried insects is surprised with how they taste and how palatable they are. Many people claim crickets taste like peanuts and would try them again if given the opportunity. Many grocery stores are beginning to sell various insects of different flavors and varieties. Just like chips they can be spiced and have flavor added to them. Experiment with different recipes and insects and help both your physical wellbeing and the enviornment which may rely on this food source in the coming years!
I actually am a vegetarian for environmental reasons, and I’ve always been interested in learning more about insects as a form of protein. Though it isn’t anything I think I’ll ever consume regularly, I won’t knock it until I try it!
The images you used were perfect to get your point across — showing insects as a food and the way they are farmed developed the fact that this is quite a popular form of protein outside of the West. One thing I would recommend to strengthen your blog posts over time is to ensure that your links are actually embedded, rather than just posting the URL — that way, it will actually be clickable. Also, I noticed a few issues of verb tense — “Personally I haven’t ate any insects before” should be “Personally I haven’t eaten any insects before”.
Good job!
This entry is super interesting to me, because I would definitely be one of the people who gets squeamish when the topic of eating insects is brought up. I have heard exactly what you wrote about with regard to the protein and other health benefits that eating insects provides, but I’m definitely not ready to eat a cricket just for fun. It is cool that there are insect infused items, however, such as flour, which I would definitely try! Infusing foods we already have with insects would be the best way to introduce such a concept in the age of global warming when it might become necessary in my opinion. Overall, however, I think you write very well and I especially liked your enticing title, even though an insect buffet might not be my cup of tea.
I love the style of this blog; it is very persuasive while still being casual and interesting. If you are interested in insects and their relation to climate change, I highly recommend taking ENT202N at some point since it talks about eating insects and other connections of insects to climate change. The professor even made cookies with the cricket flour for us to try, and it was hard to tell that it wasn’t a normal cookie. It is cool how the market has open up, and if insects were more accessible to eat, I would definitely try them.
I have actually had crickets and mealworms before. I purchased them at the popular IT’SUGAR candy store at the mall–finding edible bugs is easier than people likely suspect! I don’t eat them on a regular basis, but they are palatable, especially when they are spiced. In terms of sustainability, bugs are, yes, more cost efficient, but also way outnumber humans in quantity. Bugs are hardy creatures that have existed through the Ice Age and more, and they are a plentiful resource that humans should lean into more. Their grotesque appearance is certainly a turn-off for many, but methods like grinding bugs up into flour could make edible bugs more appealing to a larger market. We could blend bugs into smoothies, burger patties, etc.