EATING BUGS - Is it the Future of Food? ------------------------------------------- For the past 2 years, Ive been studying entomophagy, or the practice of eating insects. Ive yet to muster up the courage to try them (pretty pathetic, I know), and as a plant-based guy 12+ years in the making, its kind of a weird interest, but at the same time, I cant shake the idea that the future of food *might* lie in insects for 3 main reasons. *Environment - they are extremely efficient fat, protein and fiber creators, arguably the most efficient in converting plant food into human food, and in many cases, even more efficient than plants, particularly if you grow them at home. *Nutritional - essential fats, minerals, fiber, and protein all in one neat little package. Gross-factor aside, you cant argue with the nutrition in creepy crawlers. *Ethics - lots of animals die to produce my vegan salads and stir fries. In fact, hundreds of insects and at least a rodent or two are whacked each day in the process of growing my plant-based meals. Many of the best organic farms use chicken waste or fishmeal to fertilize the soil, so that vegan kale is not really so vegan. Most insects thrive in confinement, dark spaces, clustered in groups. They have very simple nervous systems and are cold blooded so a visit to the freezer puts them peacefully to sleep forever. Is a kale salad more human than a cricket salad? Im not sure, but its a question worth asking. From a how to feed the world standpoint, both plants and the current animal agriculture model are not going to scale to feed us in the next 20 years. Everyone agrees on that. So if we cant grow enough organic broccoli or raise enough chickens (please, lets not try) then what will people eat? I really believe we have to use space and resources better. In my house, I have an extra room, and I have an abundance of food scraps, really high quality rinds, peels, and fiber-and-nutrient dense clippings from plants that go to waste each day. Why not feed these to bugs living in my closet? You can probably think of a dozen comfort and cleanliness reasons. But if were thinking about truly eliminating poverty and creating a massive middle class (instead of the tiny one there is now, on average), I think some kind of feed yourself solution needs to come. MY QUESTION FOR YOU: Is this totally crazy? Would you eat a cricket? Or have I missed something? Do you have a better idea for feeding the plant? Id love to hear your comments and thoughts below…
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 23:00:00 +0000
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