Crickets, Grasshoppers And Other Disgusting Things Are An Excellent Source Of Iron (And Other Minerals!)
I am sure you already know that insects are a very good source of protein, often better than meat. And I am sure that this means nothing to you (if you are a westerner) and you would probably never touch a dish full of crickets, unless you really starved to death or something. And I am sure that after reading this post you will still not be interested!
So, according to the introduction of a new report by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization the "interest in the consumption of insects (entomophagy) as an alternative environmentally sustainable source of protein in the diet of humans has recently witnessed a surge. "! [1]
Have I missed something? Are westerners really thinking of switching beef to crickets to save the environment or something? Well, I don't know about you but I am not changing my diet any time soon. I love my meat. I know, I am a piece of shit.
(memes get not credit)
So, back to the study. As of today, it was well established that insects are a good source of protein but we knew very little about the bio-availability of other nutrients. In this study, the researchers set out to examine how the availability of of various minerals in four commonly eaten insects compares to sirloin beef.
"This study evaluated the availability of Fe, Ca, Cu, Mg, Mn and Zn from four commonly eaten insects and compared these to sirloin beef. Soluble iron from the samples was measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Iron bioavailability was determined using an in vitro simulated peptic-pancreatic digestion, followed by measurement of ferritin (a surrogate marker for 10 iron absorption) in Caco-2 cells." [1]
Wonder what they found? It turns out that crickets had the highest levels of iron and its actually much better absorbed by the human body than beef.
Iron-deficiency? Eat a cricket! (credit)
As for other minerals, like calcium, copper and zinc the critters fared quite well, as they appeared to be equal or even better, in regards to bio availability when compared to beef.
In most cases, mineral solubility was higher from the four insect species than found in sirloin. In general, grasshopper, cricket, mealworms and buffalo worms would provide significant levels of soluble minerals than sirloin in the diet. [1]
Overall, the researchers concluded that eating critters is good for you! I am sure people from China, Thailand and other countries where they eat insects are not surprised!
Insects could provide significant proportions of daily recommendations of minerals and in particular, be excellent sources of bioavailable iron in the diets depending on the insect species. [1]
So, what do you think? Are you ready to try one of these guys?
(credit)
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Interesting. Gotta start eating some critters:) I do not know about our ancestors: I guessed they ate loads of insects. Personally, I love snails. Never tried honey roosted crickets before, sounds delicious!
Yeah, I guess insects would be an easy source of food for cave people. Plenty of them, easier to catch compared to a mammoth :)
Meat is good, but one must be careful with an over-consumption of meet. This is not super good for health. [just reacting to the image you posted]
I would like to test grasshoppers or any other insect, but I didn't have the opportunity yet, says the guy who already ate live octopus and enjoy new experiences :p
*meat
totally, we shouldn't meat too many people :p
img credz: pixabay.com
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Crickets and the larvae and pupae of ants have been consumed in Mexico since pre-hispanic times. The crickets are grilled, and the larvae called Escamoles are sauteed in butter garlic, cilantro and chiles. They are pretty tasty. For some reason I can't bring myself to eat the crickets tho.... even the cricket granola bars they are selling lately.
True! In my hometown, and in other parts of Mexico, you can see street vendors selling little bags of seasoned crunchy grasshoppers as a snack:
They are actually not bad, crunchy without any gooey stuff and the seasoning they use gives them a strong and very characteristic taste/smell. Toasted grasshoppers are also used as toppings for salads or other dishes to add a crunchy texture (they taste a bit like fried bits of bacon):
mmmmmm salsa Valentina... yeah i think seeing them in full form and imagining the insides is what makes me a little hesitant. I'll try them one of these days. Thank you for the pictures!
but why? don't you like crunchy stuff ? XD
yes, I'm ready to try. As long as you cook it I think that would be fun and exciting.
I am bad at cooking. Is it ok if you have them fresh & raw ? :D
I have tried eating fried locusts with lots of spices, it was delicious!
Not disgusting, just a potential acquired taste to develop. I tried a worm spread for bread, was ok, but needs to be mixed very well into a paste in order to stomach it first.
But it's all in the mind. For example there's a delicacy here in Europe called wullocks that are boiled very slimy sea snails or mussels and oysters. I don't see much difference between that and a worm breadspread or a cricket burger actually.
I am from greece, yeah I know, snails are also a delicacy here. Never touched this shit and I hope I never will ^__^
I've had roasted crickets and super mealworm chutney on crackers. It's not bad, once you get over what you're eating.
Absolutely disgusting, but great to know for preppers or outdoorsy peeps that may get stuck or lost in the woods.
A pretty disgusting article as we would all expect from you.
Nice job .
thank you my friend :D
I could say that it was a pleasure reading it... But it wasn't. Mission accomplished. :)
I don’t know what future holds, but if I hold the future then I would never ever eat these. Yak!! Nice article btw!!
thank you ^__^