Eating insects could offer several dietary benefits like helping lower obesity levels, and is a great, affordable option that can help tackle food scarcity across the world.
Insect-based foods might just be an international game changer, with the potential to cut the environmental impacts of global food systems by up to 80%.
Whether you seek dietary benefits or a sustainable lifestyle, eating insects could also be the tastiest form of pest control.
Known as entomophagy, the practice of eating insects is not new. With over 2,000 known edible species, insects offer a unique and nutritious food source.
However, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), there are currently only 4 legally edible insects in the UK.
Eat bugs, get rid of pests and save the planet all at once
Some might say that eating insects is a form of pest control and a way to combat food scarcity. Although, it is all too easy to say ‘no’ to eating pests, as current western social perceptions of these critters are ‘yucky’ not ‘yummy.’
If you’re someone that is quick to call the exterminator at the sight of bugs or are known to Google search pest control near me when just thinking about insects, then maybe you’re not ready to take that step.
However, if you are open to trying bugs and can overcome the initial “yuck” factor, they may offer significant health and environmental benefits, making them a great option.
Why eat bugs? They are healthy
Bugs, although not staple foods in the West, are enjoyed by 2 billion people worldwide as part of their daily diet. (Journal of Insects as Food and Feed, 2022). Countries that eat bugs on a regular basis include China, Brazil, Australia, Japan, and South Africa (p.s. this is not an exhaustive list.)
According to Dr Duncan Sivell, a London-based expert of entomophagy for the Natural History Museum, said that insects are generally rich in vitamins (Zinc, Iron). He said that insects are great sources of protein whilst being low in fat.
With insects being considered highly nutritious it might be worth changing the narrative of ‘bugs being disgusting. And according to data from a 2022 FSA report, 26% of people in the UK are willing to eat edible insects, so there is interest and demand for edible bugs.
Eating bugs fights obesity
Additionally, one of the main health benefits of eating insects includes potentially combatting obesity. However, studies measuring the anti-obesity effects of edible insects have been conducted primarily in vitro, meaning in test tubes, and on rats. As a result, it is difficult to determine how effective edible insects are at slowing weight gain in humans.
Yet, studies on mice and rat models have indicated that bioactive compounds in edible insects might help with weight control and offer several other significant health benefits.
Moreover, some reports suggest that certain bugs, like crickets, could be beneficial to your gut health due to their probiotic properties.
Also, there is evidence that cricket consumption helps improve metabolism (Scientific Reports, 2018).
A report by ‘the Food and Agriculture Organization’ has even claimed that insects could be more nutritious than meats like beef.
Insects tend to be low in calories but high in protein, for example 100g of cricket is about 121 calories and 12.9 grams of protein. In comparison to 100g of ground beef which contains 23.5g of protein but it is much higher in fat- 21.2g compared to 5.5g of fat.
Saving the planet: sustainable living
Food scarcity occurs when there is a shortage of food because not enough is being produced to cope with growing demand. The world population is estimated to reach 9 billion by 2050, exacerbating this issue.
Dr Sivell advocates for eating bugs as they require less space, less feed and produce less greenhouse gas emissions.
He said: ‘Economically and ecologically, it’s much more efficient to rear insects than livestock. And with the future issues we’re going to have, and the energy and land required to maintain our current food consumption, eating insects is going to happen.’
Additionally, the British Nutrition Foundation has reported that insects have higher feed conversion efficiencies than livestock animals. They convert feed into protein more efficiently. Insects require fewer resources so are cheaper to harvest and are highly energy efficient.
Moreover, entomophagy can provide a stable income for farmers, particularly in less economically developed countries, creating new jobs in the insect agriculture industry.
Yet also, eating insects is beneficial worldwide as entomophagy produces a very small carbon footprint in comparison to rearing livestock.
Final thoughts
Whilst there’s evidence to prove that eating certain insects like crickets have some significant health benefits, it is still soon to say if it is worth making the move to eating bugs.
Yet, there’s no denying that eating bugs is nothing new and could be the key to ‘solving’ world food scarcity.
But to make drastic changes to current social perceptions of eating bugs across the UK, there needs to be a move to rebrand the ‘yucky’ bugs from pests to meals.
And we’re not sure how long that will take or what it will take.
