3 Reasons Why Edible Insects Are The Food Of The Future
People from all over the world take pleasure in eating insects. They enjoy devouring cockroaches, stingless bees, and nutty crickets.
No, they haven’t gone mad. These people have only realized that bugs are as delicious as they are nutritious.
To you, consuming insects may seem a little bit primitive, even disgusting.
However, millions of people bed to differ. They have done it for centuries and they are not going to stop now. What is keeping you from gobbling up edible insects? Bug dishes should be an integral part of your menu.
Even the Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations say people should start eating insects. If you’re still not convinced that this is the best course of action, then maybe these 3 reasons will convince you that insects are the food of the future.
World Hunger Is Still an Issue
A great number of people are suffering from chronic hunger; most of them live in the developing world. Poverty is what is causing world hunger.
Nonetheless, there are other factors to take into consideration, such as poor management of natural resources. Waste is produced through various farming activities. Why? You may ask. Because some owners don’t know how to adequately exploit the potential of agricultural fields. What is more, the few goods that are produced are exported for a competitive advantage.
Unfortunately, there isn’t enough food for everyone on the planet. Individuals go to sleep hungry every almost every night. The practice of eating bugs, commonly referred to as entomophagy, is the long-awaited solution. Producing twice as much food is not possible, but feasting on edible insects is.
There are tons of edible insects available out there, more than enough to feed the hungry mouths. And we aren’t talking only about developing countries.
Ethical Eating On a Budget
Back in 1965, Francis Brambell imposed some standards for the animal production industry. To be more precise, pain, injury or discomfort were prohibited. Common concerns were inhumane treatment of food animals.
Although we live in the 21st century, things haven’t changed radically. Most farmed animals still endure painful lives. When eating edible insects, you do not have to worry about the moral consequences of your food choice.
Devouring bugs is ethically sound. Insects are killed in a peaceful way, so they don’t suffer. If more individuals would start eating insects, then maybe animals wouldn’t be exploited so much for food.
What about the price? It’s true that at present edible insects aren’t exactly cheap. However, in the near future, the prices will go down owing to the law of supply and demand.
Edible Insects Are Some of the Best Sources of Protein
As surprising as it may seem, edible insects are high in protein.
A cricket, for example, gives 20g of protein. This is indeed impressive taking into consideration that a serving of beef provides only 8g of protein. In villages in Mali, children frequently hunt and consume crickets as food. What is certain is that those young people do not suffer from protein deficiency.
Other nutritious edible insects are mealworms, soldier flies, and houseflies. These critters are rich in essential micronutrients, like magnesium, zinc, calcium. Some of them may be annoying, yet keep in mind that they are beneficial from a nutritional standpoint.
Eating bugs is a lot healthier than eating, say, pork or chicken. Insects do not require as much space as livestock and they can replace expensive ingredients. That is what makes them the food of the future.