I remember going to the science center as a child; we saw how sports affect our muscles and using static electricity made our hair stand up straight. We were also given crickets, except they were not to bring home as pets, they were to be eaten. Now that I am much older, I have begun to understand the various benefits of eating insects. For one, they are quite healthy. Not only this, it doesn’t take as much space to farm insects as opposed to say, cows. Most influential, the process of insect farming is quite sustainable. Overall, there are many benefits to incorporating insects into your diet.
Going home from the science center that day I had learnt that the cricket I’d eaten was actually a great source of protein. I have since learned a little bit more about the health benefits of adopting insects into your diet. Many studies, like the one conducted by Tae-Kyung Kim, find that insects are an incredible source of protein (534). Kim goes on to explain that “the protein content of edible insects ranges 35%–60% dry weight or 10%–25% fresh weight, which are higher than plant protein sources, including cereal, soybeans, and lentils” (524). There is an abundance of evidence supporting Kim’s findings. Insects are a healthy source of protein. Nonetheless, insects are not commonly eaten in Western society.
In many cultures insects are accepted as part of a healthy lifestyle. Countries have found that the health benefits of insects include their medicinal properties. In India, the silkworm is so highly regarded that it is considered a delicacy. The silkworm has many health benefits including treatments for infant convulsions and sore throats (Dalke 2). In parts of Africa, termites are used in place of injection devices. Basically, an agitated termite is placed on skin covered in the medication. The agitated termite then bites the skin, working effectively to inject the patient (Srivastava 488). This is only the tip of the iceberg as there are millions of insect species. Insect species provide many health benefits including when we access their medicinal properties.
Additionally, the sheer size of insects is compelling enough to ponder farming these species. The physical space necessary to breed insects is only a fraction of that needed for livestock. The farming of insects is a much more sustainable practice than, farming cows, for example. To have an abundancy of insects is far less space-intensive than cows. The process, which is known as insect farming, is already popular in some fields. The cochineal is one insect that is farmed to create red dyes. Even more surprisingly, grasshoppers are often farmed for the sole purpose of being fed to poultry. Imagine the money and land space saved if it were only the grasshoppers bred. Frankly, the farming of animals has become controversial as we become more enlightened on the cruelty used to raise them. The farming of insects on the other hand would eliminate much of those concerns. Generally speaking, insect species are tiny, therefore, requiring minimal space to produce mass abundancy.
Furthermore, the entire process of insect farming is much more sustainable. The breeding of insects has high feed yields. This means that reproduction is quick and abundant. It also does not require much human intervention. On this, I would say the biggest reason why insect farming is more sustainable is because the entire process emits little pollution. Again, when compared to the farming of cows, insect farming has minuscule emissions. Insects offer a healthy alternative that is far less detrimental to our environment, which is important in a world where we are increasingly struggling to balance carbon emissions. According to Kristian Sjøgren from Science Nordic, “cricket farming uses 75 percent less CO2 and 50 percent less water than chicken farming” (1). Raising insects in favour of cattle is, therefore, much more sustainable.
That day at the science center was the first time I ate an insect. A chocolate-covered cricket, maybe not the most mainstream use of chocolate but, nonetheless, tasty. The cricket, just like other insects is full of health benefits. Additionally, they require far less space to farm than other animals and livestock. Lastly, the process of insect farming far more sustainable than other farming practices. Overall, insects offer a plethora of possibilities that we have yet to discover.
Works cited
Dalke, Kate. “Silkworms Spin Medicinal Gold.” GNN — Genome News Network, J. Craig Venter Institute., 2003, www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/01_03/silkworm.shtml.
Kim, Tae-Kyung et al. “Edible Insects as a Protein Source: A Review of Public Perception, Processing Technology, and Research Trends.” Food science of animal resources vol. 39,4 (2019): 521–540. doi:10.5851/kosfa.2019.e53
Sjøgren, Kristian. “How Much More Environmentally Friendly Is It to Eat Insects?” ScienceNordic, ScienceNordic.com, 17 May 2017, sciencenordic.com/agriculture — fisheries-climate-climate-solutions/how-much-more-environmentally-friendly-is-it-to-eat-insects/1445691.
Srivastava, S. K., Naresh Babu, and Hema Pandey. “Traditional insect bioprospecting–As human food and medicine.” CSIR (2009).
