I know this whole thing is going to
sound strange, but stick with it and you may be pleasantly surprised!
Have you ever considered that there
may be some alternative protein sources out there, aside from animal and plant
based sources? Well, i'm going to talk to you
guys today about eating insects…yes you heard right actually eating insects…
I have done a lot of research for my
MSc dissertation into entomophagy (eating insects) and it appears that the
protein content actually rivals that of whey, chicken and beef. Now I’m not
suggesting we go ‘I’m a celeb’ style and look under a rock to find our food,
but would you even notice if you ate a protein snack that contained insect
flour instead of whey? I don’t think we would!
What
are some unusual protein snack sources?
Insect protein may be in the form of
whole crickets or spiders, a great protein snack right…? Maybe not. However, if
you look at the bigger picture, insects can easily be ground down into a powder
like substance very similar to that of whey protein. This insect protein powder
can then be added into other protein snacks and blends, such as your favourite
protein brownies or cookies. This then wouldn’t be too unusual to us. Mix in some other
yummy ingredients such as chocolate or nuts and this will be one tasty protein
snack.
In the research I conducted for my Master’s degree, over half of the participants agreed that insects could be a
great protein alternative to animal sources, with a further third of the
population stating they would be willing to use solely insect protein in their
diet. They stated the reason for this would be to increase their health and
contribute to a better environment. Reducing the demand on livestock for
protein can reduce global gas emissions by 100 times and increase land space
availability, thus increasing food sustainability for the future. The farming
of insects also uses up to 2000 less gallons of water per lb than the rearing
of cows.
Eighty
percent of the world are already eating insects as protein snacks, so why
aren’t
we?
we?
Commonly consumed insects include
locusts, caterpillars and crickets. The nutritional information for the most
commonly consumed insects are shown below.
Insect
|
kcal
per 100g
|
Protein
*
|
%
Fat
|
Locust
Flour
|
436
|
47.5
|
22.9
|
Cricket
|
117
|
13.7
|
5.3
|
Witchetty
Grub
|
417
|
13.2
|
36.2
|
Silkworm
|
229
|
23.1
|
14.2
|
Caterpillar
|
458
|
66.6
|
13.9
|
Beetle
|
192
|
27.1
|
3.7
|
(Bukkens, 1997)
*crude protein value (total nitrogen content)
As
you can see the protein content, of locust flour for example, beats that of
most of our most popular protein snacks. In addition, insects contain all
essential amino acids.
Do you think that next time you reach for your favourite protein cookie you may think again...?