Image source: Time.com
There’s a new movement to introduce bugs to our buffets, and none other than the United Nations is leading the charge to eat more insects. The organization argues that more bug consumption could be critical for fighting food insecurity.
Earlier this summer, the U.N. released a report entitled “Edible Insects,” in which the group estimated that current food production would have to double in order to feed the nine billion people expected to populate the world by 2050. With land already stretched thin and densely occupied, and with many water resources overfished, feeding that population may become increasingly difficult.
New food resources are clearly needed. And the U.N. is pushing western populations, including Americans, to try eating bugs. In other regions of the world, like Thailand, insects are part of the daily diet; those living in Africa, Asia and Latin America regularly consume insects since many meat sources are not widely available and insects are a high source of protein.
These edible insects, which include critters like crickets and beetles, serve as tiny packets of amino acids, vitamins, carbohydrates and unsaturated fatty acids. And perhaps more importantly, they are a sustainable source of sustenance that doesn’t require extensive energy to reproduce. “There are other substances in insects that are good for human health; for example, antibacterial proteins and peptides, enzymes and hormones,” the authors of the report write.
But exactly how nutritious are insects? If the tiny critters are going to take off in the U.S., they had better pack a nutritious punch that helps people to overcome the ick factor of crunching on wings, antennae and other body parts.
So in the interest of eating for a sustainable future, read on for the five edible insects with the most nutritional benefits (nutritional values measured per 100 grams).
Crickets
Image source: Time.com
Crickets are popular on menus in Thailand and other Asian countries and their calcium content makes them one of the more common insects eaten (or at least tried) in the West.
“Protein is a big part of their value nutritionally, but they also tend to be calorie- and lipid-rich and they are generally good sources of vitamins and minerals,” says May Berenbaum, the head of the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “There are ecological and economic benefits, too. [In general] some insects can be raised on foods that aren’t consumed by humans and rearing insects tends to produce far fewer greenhouse gas emissions.”
Protein: 12.9 grams
Fat: 5.5 grams fat
Carbohydrates: 5.1 grams
While crickets contain some fat, some of that fat is of the healthier, unsaturated kind, and roasting the insects can keep the fat that you consume to a minimum. If you’re curious about how crickets compare to a similar sized serving of steak:
Steak, sirloin (100 grams) Protein: 30.55 grams
Fat: 5.79 grams
Carbohydrates: 0
Grasshoppers
Image source: Time.com
They’re similar to crickets, but grasshoppers have a shorter antenna and are more active during the day. Most commonly found and consumed in areas with grasslands, the writers of the U.N. report maintain that the critters are simple to cook, and especially tasty when roasted and seasoned with onion, garlic, chili or soy sauce. Their nutritional content makes them a hearty snack or addition to most meals.
And if the idea of finding, cleaning, and handling grasshoppers makes you nervous, designer Mansour Ourasanah has created a product called Lepsis, a trendy food dehydrator type of device that grows and dispatches grasshoppers for your plate and was featured in the July issue of Wired “Insects were a great source of protein, so on days when we didn’t have enough to eat at home, scavenging for grasshoppers and crickets was a strategy we could always rely on, and nature never failed to deliver,” Ourasanah, who is originally from the African nation of Togo, told Wired. Watch the video of his grasshopper-eating tips here.
Protein: 20.6 grams
Fat: 6.1 grams
Carbohydrates: 3.9 grams
The protein content in grasshoppers comes pretty close to that of a similar-sized serving of chicken breast, but with a bit more fat.
Chicken breast, roasted (100 grams) Protein: 31.02 grams
Fat: 3.57 grams
Carbohydrates: 0
The full article tackles three more nutritious edible insects.
Dr. Rachna Mehra believes that a healthy lifestyle is the key to wellness. Keeping count of nutrient intake is crucial to a proper assessment of one’s health. Visit this Facebook page for more health and wellness trends.
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