Are Bugs The New Protein?

Unless you're Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods, chowing down on insects isn't exactly something most of us think about doing without experiencing a gag reflex...at least, for Americans. According to research reported by The Atlantic, two billion people all over the globe are chowing down on 1,900 different types of creepy crawlers as a part of their regular diet. A report released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization encourages swapping out beef, fish, and poultry for insects, in an effort to serve as a more sustainable solution for meeting the protein demands that come along with a growing population.

But, because the UNFAG realizes that most folks aren't going to run into their kitchens to whip up a grasshopper benedict, they included what is intended to be a convincing chapter in its study that focuses on the the high nutritional value and low environmental impact of eating bugs versus burgers. “The environmental factor of farming insects is so much lower,” says entomologist Phil Torres. “You don’t need huge, grazing cattle ground. Theoretically, you could make a towering skyscraper and fill it with different types of insects.”

Not convinced? You can consume 3.5 ounces of chicken for 219 calories or the same amount of crickets for 120 calories. Who knows? The "bug diet" may emerge as a new fad before we know it. (The Atlantic)