What do crickets, cicadas, and Madagascar’s “bacon bug” all have in common? These insects may be our key to a sustainable food future.

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Let’s get the most obvious question out of the way first: Is this a weird idea? Well, it depends on who you ask. To the 2 billion people around the world who indulge in entomophagy—that is, they include insects as a regular part of their diet—it probably doesn’t seem that strange at all.

Actually if you love shellfish, then you’re already most of the way to eating bugs already; they’re all arthropods, after all. The US FDA even had to warn people with seafood allergies not to eat any of the billions of cicadas that emerged in 2021 because they contain similar proteins that could trigger an allergic reaction.

Insects could bring a lot of benefits to someone’s diet today. Crickets, for example, aren’t just a good source of protein—they’re also high in iron and vitamin B-12.

All of that is well and good, but what about flavor? Do they taste good? What we need is the Timon and Pumba to our Simba; someone to show us that bugs can be slimy yet satisfying. That or an introduction to six-legged cuisine that’s more approachable than whole deep-fried crickets.

#cicadas #eatingbugs #eatinginsects #science #seeker #elements

Read More:

Get ready to eat bugs if you want to live beyond 2050
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"...per kilogram, crickets offer roughly the same amount of protein as beef as well as significantly more micronutrients, since you're consuming the exoskeleton as well."

They're Healthy. They're Sustainable. So Why Don't Humans Eat More Bugs?
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"Demand for animal protein in particular is increasing the strain on the environment: 80% of the world’s farmland is used to raise and feed livestock, even though animals only account for 18% of global calorie consumption."

If we want to save the planet, the future of food is insects
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"Did you know crickets emit less than 0.1% of the greenhouse emissions of cows to produce the same amount of protein?"
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