The History and Health Benefits of Eating Insects

Before you begin reading, warning this topic might seem nasty to you! When you walk to your pantry, chances are that you’re hungry, but you don’t know what to eat. How much money would it take for you to have chocolate covered crickets in your pantry that you eat occasionally? What about the fried spider, or even vanilla extract grub worms. No matter your opinion, bugs have been eaten since the dawn of man and surprisingly have many health benefits. If bugs offer a healthier and better nutrition source than your everyday foods, would you change your diet? Today, we will go over the health benefits of eating insects, as well as the history of entomophagy.

Entomophagy

From as far back as the times of John The Baptist, humans have been practicing entomophagy. Entomophagy is the practice of eating insects, especially by people. Entomophagy is a common practice in many parts of the world, including China, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and some developing regions of Central and South America. With the popularity of agriculture and livestock in western societies, it seems that the more viable option for food soon replaced the original diets of entomophagy. So what are the health benefits of eating insects?

Health Benefits of Eating Insects

Insects are usually high in protein; about 70% of there body is protein. This nourishment compared to other foods, such as beef, shows that insects can be a solution to relieve undernourishment, without all the fatty acids. Bugs also contain micro-nutrients, such as iron, copper, magnesium, phosphorus and more, which are all essential to your health. Tests have also concluded that insects have no evidence of transferring zoonotic diseases, such as mad cow, which can help prevent potential outbreaks. For every 10 kg of feed mass invested, there are 9 kg of insect’s biomass produced and only 1 kg of beef meat. This means insects can turn more of their diet into body mass making it a bigger meal with less feeding. For more health benefits, check out this medicalnewstoday.com article.

Recipe Suggestions

So what about good bug recipes? There are many ways to get bugs involved with your favorite foods. For instance, chocolate chip cookies use roasted crickets. Another recipe involves bee larvae with the great taste of a BLT sandwich, coined Bee-LT Sandwich. Grasshopper kebabs are very common and give you a great source of protein in your boring old veggie field stick. If you’re not too into bugs, closing your eyes might help!

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