Should We Be Eating Bugs Instead of Meat?

21a4559b-a663-418e-a761-1356f4dc1372On April 20th, I wrote about the challenges of having to feed at least two billion more mouths by 2050 in “A Simple Way to Feed the World.”  That way was cutting down on food waste.

Here’s another.  Granted, any topic dealing with eating bugs is a sure turn-off for most people, but an article on the Time magazine website (http://time.com/4292792/edible-bugs-protein/?xid=emailshare) makes a strong case for eating bugs.  Stay with me here — some are forecasting a global protein shortage in our future, and insects can be raised with much less water and energy than our common livestock.  For example, crickets have as much protein as pork (assuming you can keep enough of them down).   Plus insects emit a fraction of the greenhouse gasses.

The article’s key is a nifty nine-question quiz to test if you can guess which is healthier between some common bugs and our favorite meats.  (The first question is shown.)  This is no panacea — crickets are saltier than any meat on the list, but overall, bugs do very well.  The perfect food?  It might just be bee larvae, a promising nutrition alternative… if we can supply them.

 

 

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