Insect Eaters!

Most of us squirm at the idea of eating insects – just think of the dares on Fear Factor and Survivor – and I know I won't eat them. Still, it is impossible for all food to be prepared and packaged without insects, and believe it or not, we each eat around one pound of bugs in our lifetime! The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) even has set guidelines for the maximum allowable insect parts that can contaminate foods. For instance, 50 grams of flour must not have more than 75 parts of insect, and chocolate should not contain more than an average of 60 bug fragments per 100 grams.

But the habit of eating insects – largely for nutritional reasons – is very common in other parts of the world. Some predict that as environmental awareness increases and the interest in ethnic dishes and traditional medicine spreads, insects may start to enter more western diets – and not by accident.

Throughout much of Africa, Asia, Australia, Latin America, and some North American aboriginal cultures, insects are standard dishes. It is thought that many traditions in entomophagy (the eating of insects) stemmed largely from times when there was a shortage of dietary protein. The culinary treatment of insects has evolved, and many dishes are now standard fare, and in some cases, preferred to meat. Reportedly, in some markets in South Africa, when mopanie caterpillars are in season, the sale of beef goes down. It is also said that in Ancient Rome, honeyed locusts were such a delicacy that they were reserved for the aristocracy.

There are about 1,462 known species of edible insects. As a rule of thumb, brightly colored insects, such as caterpillars, should be avoided, and others, like wasps, must be fully boiled to soften the stinger and break down the poison before consumption. Novice bug-eaters should adhere to time-honored traditions and recipes from around the world.

The Healthy Benefits

Types of insects that are typically eaten include ants, beetles, caterpillars, cockroaches, crickets, grasshoppers, earthworms, fly larvae, bees, mealworms, may flies, moths, rolli-pollies, silverfish, snails, slugs, termites, water bugs, and wasps. Not only are insects a high source of protein, many also contain calcium, iron, and zinc – and they are low in fat. Scientists have found that the house cricket can be a better source of amino acids than soy protein. One hundred grams of small grasshopper also contains 35.2 milligrams of calcium and 5 milligrams of iron. Of course, if your apartment building is using pesticides, it would not be recommended to eat household pests. People who are serious about insect cuisine sometimes raise their own – it has been found that as insects consume a healthier diet, their own nutritional value is raised.

Natural Remedies

Some insects are even consumed for medicinal purposes. For centuries, a Chinese ant, the polyrhachis vicina, has been drunk by Tibetan royalty and the elderly in China as a tonic to boost the immune system and relieve arthritis. Research has shown that these ants contain a high level of zinc, which is known as an antioxidant and immune stimulant. Ant drinks are also said to have been used in Britain in the Middle Ages as a tonic for general ailments. In 2001 British company InterContinental Brands launched a version of this tonic called ANT on the western market, as an energy drink (and, yes, it's made with real ants).

Saving the World?

It has been suggested, especially in the third world, that new insect-based food could help increase the average calorie intake, or even boost the economy by starting an industry for export. It has also been hypothesized that by increasing the harvest and consumption of certain pest-insects, the use of pesticides in agriculture may be decreased. These hypotheses are being tested in small projects, but they have yet to be proven or promoted on a wide scale.

Perhaps North Americans could lose some unwanted pounds by increasing their bug consumption. Perhaps entomophagy is not as bizarre as we had originally anticipated. Nevertheless, you still won't catch me eating anything that crept, flew, or swam.

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