HistoryofEatingInsects(JohanaG.
)
1. Entomophagyisthetechnicaltermforeatingbugs.
2. Entomophagydatesbacktothehuntergathers.
3. ItissaidthatJohntheBaptistsurvivedlocustsandhoney.
4. Earlyhumansobservedanimalsinordertodecipherwhichinsectsweresafeandtasty.
5. RomansandGreekswoulddineonbeetlelarvaeandlocusts.
6. LocustsWereanutritious,cheap,andplentifulfoodsourceforancientAlgerians.
7. AustralianAboriginesmademealsofmothsbutprovedpickyinpreparation.
8. TheAborigineswereandcontinuetobe,entomologists.
9. Honeypotantsandlarvaeofthemothscanbeeatenraworcooked.
10. GreekscientistandphilosopherAristotleevenwroteaboutharvestingtastycicadas.
Entomophagy(EatingInsects)(JohanaG.)
11. Humans have harvested the eggs, larvae, pupae and adults of certain insect speciesfrom
forestsorothersuitablehabitatstoeatforthousandofyears.
12. Entomophagyishighlyunlikelytobecomecommonindevelopedwesterncultures.
13. Many westerners unwittingly eat insects or insect parts everyday withoutknowingabout
it.
14. In estimate, the average American eats two pounds of dead insects and insect partseach
year.
15. For example, beer, which is made from hops, can contain up to 2,500 aphids per 10
gramsofhops.
16. People harvest insects for food not so much because they are cheap, or it is an
environmentallyfriendly way of gathering protein, rather insects are consumed because
theytastegood.
17. InSabah,morethan50speciesofedibleinsectswererecorded.
18. Many of the rural and elderly local communities Sabah have experienced eating insects
ofsomeform.
19. There has not been a strong cultural or culinary history associated with eating insects in
westerncountries.
20. In comparison to cattle, insects are five times more efficient at converting food into
edibletissue.
InsectsAsHumanFood(JohanaG)
21. The earliest contact of man with insects was utilitarian and there is little doubt that he
wasinitiallyattractedbytheirpotentialitiesasfood.
22. Scanty knowledge of these beginnings of entomophagyislargelyderivedfromanalogies
andcircumstantialevidence.
23. There are a plethora of cultures thatembrace theconsumptionofinsects,andavarietyof
speciesareconsumed.
24. Insectsareknowntobeeatenin80%oftheworld'snations.
25. Insects as food and feedemergeasanespeciallyrelevantissueinthetwentyfirstcentury
due to the rising cost of animal protein, food and feed insecurity, environmental
pressures, population growth and increasing demand for protein among the middle
classes.
26. There are many traditional and potential new uses of insects for direct human
consumptionandtheopportunitiesforandconstraintstofarmingthemforfoodandfeed.
27. The intentional cultivationofinsectsandediblearthropodsforhumanfood,referredtoas
minilivestock, is now emerging in animal husbandry as an ecologically sound concept.
Several analyses have found entomophagy to be a more environmentally friendly
alternativetotraditionalanimallivestocking.
28. Some argue that the combination of increasing land use pressure, climate change, and
food grain shortages due to the use of corn as a biofuel feedstock will cause serious
challengesforattemptstomeetfutureproteindemand.
29. Therearerestaurantsthatserveinsectstothepubliconaregularbasis.
30. Some researchers have proposed entomophagy as a solution to policy incoherence
created by traditional agriculture, by which conditions are created which favor a few
insectspecies,whichthenmultiplyandaretermed"pests".
Entomophagy(JohanaG.)
31. Muchoftheworldspopulationregularlyindulgesineatinginsects.
32. In the United States, just the thought of someone choosing to eat insects is many times
metwithareactionofdisgustandincredulity
33. Entomophagy is a popular practice in Latin America, Asia, Africa, Thailand, Japan, and
Mexicoareallwellknownfortheirconsumptionofinsects.
34. Such cultures see insects for their high nutritional value, as these critters are great
sourcesofbothproteinandfat(amongothernutrients).
35. Despite Westerners queasy stomachs, more than one thousand different kindsof insects
areeatenregularlythroughouttheworld.
36. Popular insects eaten around the world include (but are in no way limited to): crickets,
ants,grasshoppers,mealworms,caterpillars,beetles,locusts,andscorpions.
37. it may come as a surprise to many Westerners that they already eat insects regularly
withoutrealizingit.
38. Insects can be found in a variety of food items that are bought frequently at the
supermarket.
39. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) actually allows specific quantities of insect
remainstobepresentinmanufacturedfoods.
40. The presence of insects as colorants within food is denoted by the presence of such
terminologyascochineal,carmine,orcarminicacidonfoodlabels.
BugDinnerMenufrom1885EntomophagyinHistory(JohanaG.)
41. In 1885, Vincent M. Holt published a slim volume, more of a pamphlet really, entitled
WhyNotEatInsectstohelppersuadehisfellowVictorianstogiveentomophagyatry.
42. Many of us have a gutfeeling that eating insects is somehow wrong, gross, dirty, or
otherwisebad,andwecantevenrememberwhenwestartedfeelingthatway.
43. The eggs, larvae, pupae andadultsofcertaininsectspecieshavebeeneatenbymansince
prehistorictimesandcontinuetobeanitemofthehumannutritioninmoderntimes.
44. Over1,000speciesofinsectsareknowntobeeatenin80%oftheworld'snations.
45. Today insect eating is rare in the developed world, but insects remain apopularfoodin
manydevelopingregions.
46. Before humans had tools to hunt orfarm,insects mayhaverepresentedanimportantpart
oftheirdiet.
47. EvidencehasbeenfoundanalyzingcoprolitesfromcavesintheUSandMexico.
48. Evidence suggests that evolutionary precursors of
Homo sapiens were also
entomophagous.
49. Cave paintings in Altamira,northSpain,datedfromabout30,000to9,000BC,depictthe
collection of edible insects and wild bee nests, suggesting a possibly entomophagous
society.
50. The methods of matter assimilation and nutrient transport used by insects make insect
cultivation a more efficient method of converting consumed matter into biomass than
rearing traditional livestock more than 10 times more plant nutrients are needed to
produceonekilogramofmeatthanonekilogramofinsectbiomass.
YourAfterWorkoutProteinShakeShouldHaveBugsInIt(LucasK.)
51. Insectsareusedasasubstituteforpureprotein,andreplacethingssuchassoyandnuts.
52. Adietwithinsectscangivethehumanbodyalmostalltheaminoacidsitneeds.
53. InsectsarehighinOmega3,orfattyacids.
54. Insectsareoftenexceedinglyhighincalcium.
55. Bugeating is so wholesome due to the fact that the creatures whole body is eaten
whole.
56. Bugpartsareverycommoninourfoods,sopeopleeatthemveryoftenanyway.
57. Therecanbe90bugfragmentsin100gofchocolate!
58. Surprisingly,thereasonketchuphasacollaristhecoverupthefloatingbugparts.Cool!
59. Cochinealinsectsarealreadyusedasareddyeinmanyfoods.
60. Bugstendtotastenuttywhenroasted.
Bugs:TheWonderFoodOfTheFuture?(LucasK.)
61. Insects could be used as a new food source for the growing numbers of people in the
world.
62. Thedemandforanimalproductsisrisingverysharply,askingformoreprotein.
63. The livestock industry is taking a massive toll on the environment with
methane/deforestation.
64. Infact,theyareoneofthemostpotentpollutersofalltime!
65. Insectsarechockfullofironandzinc.
66. Theyrequiremuchlesswaterandfoodthancattlesandpoultry.
67. Insectscanbefried,smoked,steamed,baked,andmore.
68. Humanshavebeenconsuminginsectssinceourearliesthistories.
69. HumanshaveeveneatenbugsintheBible!
70. Peopletendtobeafraidofinsectconsumptionduetosocialstigmassurroundingit.
Entomophagy:TheBenefitsOfEatingBugs(LucasK.)
71. 100gramsofcricketsonlycontain121calories!
72. Insectsareverynutritiousandhealthyforyouincomparisontoothermeats.
73. Insectsareextremelylowincarbohydrates.
74. Growinginsectsforconsumptionisenvironmentallysustainable.
75. Donoteaturbaninsects!Mostofthemhavebeentaintedbypesticides.
76. Red,orange,andyellowinsectsaregenerallyinedible.
77. Green,brown,andblackinsectscanusuallybeconsumedwithouttrouble.
78. Ifaninsectisobviouslypoisonousorreleasesmusk,itshouldbeavoided.
79. Therearebooksthatdetailwhatinsectscanorcannotbeeaten.
80. Insectsareonparwithproteincontentwithcod,buthavemorevitamins.
TheWeek:BugEatingBenefits(LucasK.)
81. Hunters/gatherers/intheearlypaleolithicagedinedoninsectlifequitealot.
82. ArealPaleodietwouldhaveincludedmany,manybugs.
83. Humanrelativessuchaslemursarestillprimarilyinsectivores.
84. Insectsareimportantfortheirhealthyunsaturatedfats.
85. Chimpanzeesstilleattermites,butresearchshowsthattheyarehealthyforhumans,too.
86. Insectswhereaneasyandexcellentsourceofproteinforprimatesandearlyhumans.
87. Femaleprimates/Paleolithicpeoplegather/edtheinsectsmorethanthemales.
88. Gatheringinsectsmayhavehelpedevolution:
89. Itaidedintheevolutionofthumbstobettercatchthemaswellas..
90. Helpinghumansbecomebipeds!
BugEatingBigBenefits(LucasK.)
91. Thepracticeofeatinginsectsisknownasentomophagyaroundtheworld.
92. TheFAObelievesinsectsareamassiveuntappedresourceinthemodernworld.
93. Twobillionpeopleworldwidehaveinsectsintheirdailydiets.
94. Someofthehealthiestfatsandfibersfoundnaturallycanbefoundininsectchitin!
95. InAsia,Africa,andLatinAmerica,insectsareconsidereddelicacies.
96. Insectscreatemuchfewergreenhousegasemissionsthanlargeranimalslikecattle.
97. Preparedinsectsoftentaketheflavoroftheirseasoningsandtheirrecentmeals.
98. Someofthemostcommonflavorsarebutter,nuts,crab,chicken,andcheese.
99. Pastesmadefrominsectsarealreadycommonfoodingredientsinsomemodernareas.
100.
It takes two pounds of feed to produce one pound of crickets, while it takes eight
poundsoffeedtoproduceonepoundofbeef.
ShouldYoureallyStartEatingBugs?(AzulR.)
101.
In most of the world, from Asia to Africa to Latin America, bugs have historically
beenconsideredpartofahealthydiet.
102.
In some Mexican states, people still hold to a seasonal insecteating calendar,
consumingmagueyworms,stinkbugs,andmesquitebugsdependingonthetimeofyear.
103.
Americans and Canadians tend to be culturally linked to Northern Europeans, who
developedtheirculinarytraditionsincolderclimes.
104.
When snow and frost kill off your bugs or force them into hibernation, they stay
small, and when theyreemergeinthewarmermonths,you'remorelikelyto viewthemas
apestratherthanprotein.
105.
As Europeans ventured into other parts of the globe,theytendedtoseebugeatingas
asignofsavageryamongstthevariousindigenouspeoples.
106.
But even as early as the 19th century, a few American and English entomologists
begansuggestingthatinsecteatingmightbeagoodidea.
107.
In the 1870s, a plague of locusts descended upon the western United States, and
Missouri State Entomologist Charles Valentine Riley proposed eating the locusts as a
meansofcontrollingthepopulation.
108.
Consider the public uproar at last year's revelation that Starbucks' strawberry
Frappuccinoscontainedareddyeextractedfromascaleinsectknownasthecochineal.
109.
Thailand, where Durst is based,isananomalyinthatinsectconsumptionhasactually
increased over the last few decades, as residents of Bangkok andother regionsincentral
Thailandhavecometoappreciatethecuisineofthecountry'souterregions.
110.
The FAO report includes additional nutritional data on a handful of species, notably
speciesofgrasshoppers,crickets,termites,weevils,andcaterpillars.
DisadvantagesInsectEating(AzulR.)
111.
Many edible species are rich in iron, a mineral that is deficient in many diets, and
some, like palm weevil larvae, contain considerably higher levels of zincanother
frequentlydeficientnutrientthandoesanequalweightofbeef,forexample.
112.
Whilst there is little evidence of allergic reactionsfrominsectconsumption,different
geographicregionshavedifferentfoodtraditionswhichmayresultindifferentthreats.
113.
The described allergic reactions include a few cases of anaphylactic shockfollowing
the consumption of the Mopane caterpillar (Africa) and silkworm pupae (China), it is
suggestedthatthelateriscausedbytheallergenargininekinase(Bellucoetal.2013).
114.
Along with allergens there are the potential for antinutrient substances, although it is
thoughtthatthelevelsofthesearesolowthatinhumanstheywouldnotposeathreat
115.
Thereisalsothepotentialforthegrowthofmicrobialfaunawithinaninsect'sgut.
116.
Pesticide
accumulation within the edible insects, particularly wild insects is another
possiblethreat.
117.
Finally some insectsproduce toxins
as aform ofchemicaldefensewhich canbringabout
nauseaorvomiting.
118.
therefore it is important to be able to appropriately identify toxic and non toxic
species.
119.
One particular toxic substance is steroids produced by beetles, which if ingested in
highquantitiescancauseretardation,infertility,masculinisation,andlivercancer.
120.
Alsocyanogenicsubstances foundinColeopteraandLepidopteracaninhibitenzymes
and therefore lead to the inhibition of important metabolic pathways in the bodysuchas
oxidativephosphorylation.
Entomophagy(AzulR.)
121.
Entomophagyisthehumanconsumptionofinsectsasfood:
122.
Human insecteating is common to cultures in most parts of the world, including
North,CentralandSouthAmericaandAfrica,Asia,AustraliaandNewZealand.
123.
Over1,000speciesofinsectsareknowntobeeatenin80%oftheworld'snations
124.
Before humans had tools to hunt or farm, insects may have representedanimportant
partoftheirdiet.
125.
EvidencehasbeenfoundanalyzingcoprolitesfromcavesintheUSandMexico.
126.
Therearealsorestaurantsthatserveinsectstothepubliconaregularbasis.
127.
Entomophagy has been featured on some reality television shows, such as
Fear
Factor
.
128.
The methods ofmatterassimilationandnutrient transportusedbyinsectsmakeinsect
cultivation a more efficient method of converting consumed matter into biomass than
rearing traditional livestock more than 10 times more plant nutrients are needed to
produceonekilogramofmeatthanonekilogramofinsectbiomass
129.
Animallivestockisthelargestanthropogenicuserofland.
130.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, 64 percent of the world's
populationisexpectedtoliveinwaterstressedbasinsby2025.
W
hy,OnSecondThought,MaybeYouShouldntStartEatingBugs(AzulR.)
131.
Caterpillars and termites (winged sexuals) are the most widely eaten and marketed
insects in Africa, but many others are also important from the food standpoint,
nutritionally,economically,and/orecologically.
132.
More than 65 species of insects in at least 22 families have been reported as food in
Congo
133.
Despite the fact that 80% of the worlds cultures eatinsects(thatsright:theUSisin
theminorityhere)mostpeopleinourcultureconsiderinsectssimplytobepests.
134.
Mostedibleinsectspeciesarehighlynutritious.
135.
It is up to 20 times more efficient to raise insect protein thanbeef.Thatsperpound.
This is mainly because bugs dont waste food energy on things like raising their body
temperature,ormakingbones,fur,feathers,andotherstuffwecanteat.
136.
Also,ittakeslesswatertoraiseinsectsmuch,muchless:upto1000timesless.
137.
You are probably already doing it, as the FDA allows a certain amount of insect
matter to be present in most commercial foods: an average of 150 or more insect
fragmentsareallowedper100gramsofwheatflour,forinstance.
138.
Most cultures in the world not only eat insects, but in many cases find them to be a
delicacy.
139.
If insects themselves were deemed a food crop, imagine how much we could cut
downonpesticideuse,anditsassociatedenvironmentaldamage.
140.
Manyinsectsaretasty:somelarvaetastelikebacon.Whodoesntlikebacon?
LetsNotEatBugs(AzulR.)
141.
Many animal rights activists often wont get up in arms overeatingbugs,astheyare
alreadyexterminatedonadailybasis(thebugs,nottheactivists).
142.
. Insectsmaybethefoodofthefuture,asscientistsareresearchingtheirpotentialasa
spacefoodcrop.
143.
Insects are a great, inexpensive, green source of the protein desperately needed by
starving peoples. If we can help create a market and funding for it, there is the potential
tohelpspreadnourishmentthroughouttheplanet.
144.
AUnitedNationsreportfoundthatthelivestockindustryisresponsibleforgenerating
moregreenhousegasemissionsthantransport.
145.
Insects haveservedasafoodsourceforpeoplefortensofthousandsofyears,allover
the planet. Today insect eating is rare in the developed world, but insects remain a
popular food in many developing regions of Central and South America, Africa, and
Asia.
146.
People from Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Africa, Mexico, Columbia and
New Guinea to name just a few, are regions where the inhabitants eat insects for
nutritionalvalueaswellasfortaste.
147.
Some of the more popular insect and arachnids eaten around the world are: crickets,
grasshoppers, ants, a variety of species of caterpillar, also referred to as worms, such as
the mopani worm, silkworm and waxworm, and last but not least scorpions and
tarantulas.
148.
There are an estimated 1,462 species of recorded edible insects including arachnids.
And in all likelihood, there are hundreds if not thousands more that simplyhaventbeen
sampledorperhapsnotevendiscoveredyet.
149.
According to the Entomological Society of America insects generally contain more
proteinandarelowerinfatthantraditionalmeats.
150.
In addition they have about 20 times higher food conversion efficiency than
traditional meats. In other words they have a better feedtomeat ratio than beef, pork,
lamborchicken.
