Entomophagy - 10 reasons why we should eat insects

[Aura]

A new BBC Four documentary sees presenter Stefan Gates trying to discover whether eating insects could save the world. Helena Goodrich gives ten reasons why this might just be true.

 Can Eating Insects Save the World is a new documentary in which food writer and self-confessed gastronaut Stefan Gates travel to Cambodia and Vietnam, to discover whether eating insects can save the world. This programme asks us to consider whether we would be willing to make bugs part of our regular diet. But if you’re not convinced, here are ten reasons why we should…

1. Insects could be the solution to world hunger. There are forty tons of insects to every human, that’s more than enough for an ongoing "all you can eat" insect buffet.

2. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation are taking this idea seriously. They are planning to hold a world congress on it later this year.

3. They are naturally sustainable. Mealworms, for example, survive on waste wheat chaff rather than guzzling grain like our favourite meat sources.

4. It is easy to farm them on a large scale without damaging the environment.

5. They provide unusual flavours and textures. In the documentary, Stefan Gates enthuses about the “lemony sourness” of red ants paired with the “creaminess of their eggs”.

 6. They are highly nutritious. Caterpillars, for example, provide more protein and more iron than the same quantity of minced beef.

7. Many other countries are already eating insects. Cambodians eat tarantulas, in Thailand they deep fry crickets. The UK are way behind.

8. There are over 1,000 varieties of insects edible to humans. Surely there’s something for everyone.

9. British Mexican restaurant Wahaca has already started experimenting. They are currently selling chilli-fried grasshoppers.

10. There is a distinct lack of emotional attachment - unless you were particularly taken with A Bug’s Life.


Can Eating Insects Save the World BBC full Documentary 2013

I see the point and willing to try, for good. I think insects are a natural food, though look disgusting to the domesticated human being.

I have got even bigger tarantulas here but local people cannot tell if edible or not.
They are already too civilized.. 

What about you guys?

[cherimoya_kid]

I'd eat them if they tasted good.  The only live ants I've ever eaten tasted far too sour.  They weren't good at all.

[goodsamaritan]

In the 1970s worm culture for hamburgers were introduced in the Philippines.
When Jollibee (our mc donalds) began it was rumoured that they used worms.
They have a term for worm culture called it "vermiculture".

I've eaten raw live ants eggs and yes they are very good, expensive too. --- highly recommended if they can be made cheaper.

When my father in law was 8 years old during the Japanese invasion, when they were up in the mountains and ran out of food they would eat insects as backup food.

Beetles in season are sought after and cooked by Ilocanos.

Locusts are eaten when they infest crops.

Crickets are served in our Pampangga  restaurants.

[goodsamaritan]

The depopulationists will not want this though... successfully teaching all the peoples of the world to eat insects will address hunger and lead to a new population boom.

[cherimoya_kid]

The depopulationists will not want this though... successfully teaching all the peoples of the world to eat insects will address hunger and lead to a new population boom.

You are so ensconced within your pro-life agenda that you don't even understand how the other side thinks.  People in power are concerned with starvation, disease, and war.  They would like to avoid these things.  Keeping the population low is a very effective way to avoid these things.  It's a statistically proven method.

[goodsamaritan]

You are so ensconced within your pro-life agenda that you don't even understand how the other side thinks.  People in power are concerned with starvation, disease, and war.  They would like to avoid these things.  Keeping the population low is a very effective way to avoid these things.  It's a statistically proven method.

Isnt this exactly how i interpreted their concerns?  Insects may feed the world and may cause a new baby boom.  And they dont like baby booms.

[eveheart]

That was a cool show, except I wish the crew acted less squeamish.

I would love it if this conversation turned more to the subject of eating uncooked insects. I get the impression that insect eggs are okay raw. How about various larvae, pupae, and adults? I've got spiders galore! Maybe they are good when fermented.

[svrn]

Im all for eating insects. Be warned however, part of agenda 21 is to get us off of red meat and onto insects (due to global scamming, er I mean warming). Keep this fact in mind when promoting this. We should be eating insects but I believe red meat is much more important. Maybe insects are better though who knows.

[cherimoya_kid]

Isnt this exactly how i interpreted their concerns?  Insects may feed the world and may cause a new baby boom.  And they dont like baby booms.

There can be a LOT of people who have LOW quality of life, or FEWER people with BETTER quality of life. It's a trade-off.

[svrn]

You are so ensconced within your pro-life agenda that you don't even understand how the other side thinks.  People in power are concerned with starvation, disease, and war.  They would like to avoid these things.  Keeping the population low is a very effective way to avoid these things.  It's a statistically proven method.

The elites are concerned with us?

 LOL

They are concerned with exploiting us for their own profit to the maximum amount thats for sure. Not only that but they also have great disdain for ordinary man. Perhaps you should read some of the books they write calling us "profane" and "useless" eaters among many other friendly terms.

why dont you grow up instead of trusting your loving parents the government to look after whats best for you. Maybe youll find they only want the worst for you. These people arent simply doing one blunder after another they are following a carefully crafted script. a who knows how many of thousands of years long plan.

you can read their "scientific" books from many years ago such as the next million years by charles galton darwin or read the religious books they wrote such as the bible (revelations isnt a prophecy its a business plan this is called predictive programming and is used very often like in the x files pilot episode that showed exactly wat happened on 9/11 and admitted it was a false flag months before 9/11 happened, go watch it on youtube if you dont believe me.) The things in books such as these arent amazingly accurate predictions, they are plans.

as far as not knowing how the other side thinks, youa re definitly wrong there if you think you know better than me. How many books by the elite bloodline families have you read? I bet none based on your childish view of these people. Iv read many and am doing so constantly.

sorry if i sound a bit mean but im just sick of adults thinking the worldwide organized crime ring running our world actually loves us and is simply fumbling at every step. Read at least one of the books by these people before you start talking about crap like that.

[svrn]

as far as world hunger the answer is very simple.

jail all these parasitic elites bankers un bureaucrats for robbing the people of the world.  Ban the production of currency by private banks who lend it to governments. Also not throwing out tons of food every day may help as well.

There isnt hunger around the world because theres not enough food, its because there is a deliberate attack on humanity and they want to starve us to death so we can be at 500 million people on earth in harmony with nature jsut like the georgia guidestones say.

the problem is the system we live in not earths ability to produce food.

[svrn]

those insects sure look tasy. I must ask though. If we switch to insects, where will we get our at which is most important? We will need to have at least dairy to go with the insects.

Perhaps they want u switching to insets because theres no fat?

[cherimoya_kid]

Trollofthedungeon, have you ever been diagnosed with a mental illness?

Do you realize that you're not a moderator here?

[svrn]

what difference does it make if im a moderator?

and of course the only response I get is people calling me crazy as always because they have no way to argue against that which the top families of this world have written themselves.

why dont you read the next million years by charles galton darwin, or maybe brave new world by his cousin aldous huxley whos brother was the head of unesco,

also recommended is any book by george bernard shaw, zbigniew brzinski (between two ages is particularly revealing), henry kissinger, or bertrand russell.

im sure I will be diagnosed with several mental illnesses if im around when mandatory psychological evaluations roll around. But then again, so will anyone else who unwilling to go along with one world government. I mean everyone else seems fine with it, you must crazy not to go along with it when everyone else is.

[Iguana]

Troll, do not derail this thread which is about insects' consumption and is not intended to tout conspiracy theories.

Yes we should eat more insects. Bruno Comby did some research on that when he was at Montramé Instincto Center, tasting various raw insects to know which ones are edible and which ones aren’t. He published a book: “Délicieux insectes” in 1990.

[cherimoya_kid]

what difference does it make if im a moderator?

Why do you think it's OK for you to be disrespectful?

Your ideas are crazy conspiracy theories...but even if they weren't, your disrespectful presentation makes it very unlikely that anyone will listen or pay attention.  Also, your presentation is scattershot, disorganized, totally random, and completely unasked-for. Finally, it's too much information all at once.

But it's all craziness. I generally don't complain about this stuff because I went through a similar phase right around the time I went raw.  I figure you (and the other conspiracy theorists here) will eventually grow out of it.  It's a natural process, it generally just takes time.

[goodsamaritan]

Here's the book!

http://www.amazon.fr/D%C3%A9licieux-Insectes-Les-Prot%C3%A9ines-Futur/dp/B004EJ1KES

[svrn]

as far as derailing the thread goes, I didnt bring up the topic of depopulation.

as far as crazy conspiracy theories go, please read at least one of the books I listed and try to explain away why these old dusty books talk about what is being done to us today exactly as they describe it.

as far as disrespect goes, the first one to do any disrespecting was cherimoya.

"You are so ensconced within your pro-life agenda that you don't even understand how the other side thinks."

you claim that GS doesnt understand that which he has a much better understanding of than you. Either way, you could of stated your point without projecting yourself as the mightier than thou scholar who understands how the elite think while GS is simply trying to make himself comfortable (look up the definition of ensconced) when he is simply stating the truth. The irony of this is that you are actually the one ensconced in your trusting attitude towards the elite. Rather than face the truth of a powerful elite that hate the general human race (as they constantly discuss themselves in the books i mention) you have ensconced yourself in the comfortable view of an elite that cares for its slaves.

So ask yourself, who is really doing the ensconcing, gs who acknowledges an elite trying to kill him or you whos belief is that the elite want whats best for him? You will find that GS's view actually very uncomfortable making it by definition an impossible view to ensconce ones self in. Your view on the other hand is a much more comfortable way to view view world. So ensconcing himself is definitly one thing GS is not doing. You are definitly doing it however.

·sconce  (n-skns)
tr.v. en·sconced, en·sconc·ing, en·sconc·es
1. To settle (oneself) securely or comfortably: She ensconced herself in an armchair.
2. To place or conceal in a secure place.

[eveheart]

Here's the book!

http://www.amazon.fr/D%C3%A9licieux-Insectes-Les-Prot%C3%A9ines-Futur/dp/B004EJ1KES

Yikes! That book costs EUR 286.90 from the seller!

Here is a link for an article: http://edibug.wordpress.com/list-of-edible-insects/. There are tons of similar links with a search engine. I guess the basic idea is to learn how to gather bugs efficiently and avoid poisonous ones.

[Aura]

I like the idea of constantly challenging myself.

It is a fact we do not eat certain (natural) foods because we have been indoctrinated by the industry to buy "their meat" instead.

I see it very clearly here where lands are filled with snakes but very few people eat them and prefer to buy commercial chicken..
They got brainwashed very quickly, like in a couple of generations and they lost their tradition..

Now they also have more money to be spent.

Anyway, I believe insects (and snakes)  are natural foods because they are easy to catch (even a child could, by himself) and they are just about everywhere..

If we (humanity)  start to change our views (not only about what's food), we would surely be more sustainable.

The more I delve into the process I am in, the more I see how much I am made up of "dogmas". I barely can see something like a conscious Higher Self.

Surely, need to break free from this pattern.

And I would not mind eating some cooked insects, as long as they are not deep fried! 

[svrn]

I ate a snake once. It was delicious. The crunchy spine was especially tasty. It tasted somewhat fishy, lots of oil.

[svrn]

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-08/humanity-needs-start-farming-bugs-food-says-united-nations-policy-paper

one of many articles linking bug eating to save the earth for global warming.

since livestock produce much more co2 than bugs, the carbon taxes on livestock will be so high that only the richest people will be able to afford it. The bugs produce so little co2 that normal people who have a bit of money will be able to get some bug protein.

for the poorest of the poor we will get poop burgers. Its for the earth. how loving.

http://www.thepiratescove.us/2011/06/18/its-come-to-this-poop-burgers-to-reduce-greenhouse-gases/

but the ones who love the earth the most will of course be vegan. The quicker death and sterilization (lots of gm soy for the vegans)they get from this diet will be an added bonus will be great for the earth because it means less people. These folks will of course be held up as heros of the community just as those who volunteered to be sacrifices on top of the aztec pyramids (or any of the other pyramids these sickos built all around the world) had a year of luxury life before they happily went off to their deaths. The modern day sacrifices will also get many perks as well.  Isnt earth worship great?

so i think eating raw insects is great. however, bringing global warming and saving the earth into the promotion of this is very dangerous. It should be promoted as a health food, not as a save the earth thing (save the earth really means live in poverty, unless you work for the government, then you are saving the earth no matter how much co2 you emit a la al gore)where we will have eat only bugs like the kids in that video with no option for livestock.

[cherimoya_kid]

Vat-grown meat is already a reality.  All that remains is for it to become cheap and widely available.  It will be far more efficient and cheap than raising actual livestock.  You just have to make sure it has the correct nutrients and nutrient ratios so that it will be as healthy as wild-caught and/or grassfed meat.

I predict vat-grown meat will be nutritionally acceptable for people like us to eat within 20 years or less.

[Aura]

but the ones who love the earth the most will of course be vegan. The quicker death and sterilization (lots of gm soy for the vegans)they get from this diet will be an added bonus will be great for the earth because it means less people. These folks will of course be held up as heros of the community just as those who volunteered to be sacrifices on top of the aztec pyramids (or any of the other pyramids these sickos built all around the world) had a year of luxury life before they happily went off to their deaths. The modern day sacrifices will also get many perks as well.  Isnt earth worship great?

Sorry, I did not fully get the point you are trying to make..

so i think eating raw insects is great. however, bringing global warming and saving the earth into the promotion of this is very dangerous. It should be promoted as a health food, not as a save the earth thing (save the earth really means live in poverty, unless you work for the government, then you are saving the earth no matter how much co2 you emit a la al gore)where we will have eat only bugs like the kids in that video with no option for livestock.

I can think of no diet today as truly sustainable. I used to think urban fruitarianism was but actually, presents important cons.
I mean, I guess big scale farming and transports are just two of  the main issues.

Once you are back in the land, Mother Nature will present you with different varieties of local food it is only up to you to accept them and be soulistically satisfied.

Claming "eating insects saves the world" sounds a bit too easy to say; it seems most of a cover up for other ongoing present wastes about natural resources but at least, could lead some of us a  step closer to humans frugal state of being. 

[svrn]

Sorry, I did not fully get the point you are trying to make..
I can think of no diet today as truly sustainable. I used to think urban fruitarianism was but actually, presents important cons.
I mean, I guess big scale farming and transports are just two of  the main issues.

Once you are back in the land, Mother Nature will present you with different varieties of local food it is only up to you to accept them and be soulistically satisfied.

Claming "eating insects saves the world" sounds a bit too easy to say; it seems most of a cover up for other ongoing present wastes about natural resources but at least, could lead some of us a  step closer to humans frugal state of being. 

most people unfortunately wont get the point.

And what is all this talk of sustainabilty? If the earth cant sustain a certain number of people then those it cannot sustain will simply die off until a balance is reached.  There is no need for elites to play god and attempt to replace nature by taking measures to depopulate people against their will.

and as far as talk about agenda 21 being irrelevant, tell that to half of this documentary which is about praising the UN and pushing the global warming and overpopulation scams.