Weird Foods You're Surely Missing Out On
ooh yummy, insectsThat's right; insects. Now, before you tune out in disgust, let us look at the facts.
Insects are edible
Insects are quite edible. There are 1,462 known edible (tasty) insect species in the world. In fact, judging by their nutritional content, one might assume that they were specifically designed for consumption by the Big Guy upstairs.
No, you will not turn green and grow a pair of antennae if you eat a bug. In fact, every person consumes about a pound of insects in their lifetime — we just don't know it. On occasion, most foodstuffs (especially grain products) harvest small insects and critters; they might be as inconspicuous as a small speck on a grain of rice.
An inexhaustible food source
Unlike most seafood, which can be sapped by overcooking, or beef, where some species are slowly being forced into extinction by over-selective breeding, we never need to worry about abusing that particular food source. Plant-life aside, insects compose 90% of all creatures on Earth.
Easy and cost effective
Insects reproduce like crazy. Let's face it; they spawn whether we want them to or not. You don't need to haul blocks of hay, plow acres of land or buy tons of expensive fertilizer to raise insects.
Insects do not require immunization. As well, they do not require fancy provisions, vast amounts of land to graze on, or sterile barns with ventilation or lighting, to thrive. Insects are designed to survive, so farmers need only the bare essentials to reap a bug farm.
Low in fat, high in protein
Now, on to the meat of the argument.
Insects contain the purest form of protein available in the animal kingdom, save for maybe egg whites. They have a better protein ratio than beef, lamb, fish, pork, or chicken. That squishy gray stuff that comes out when you step on them is almost pure protein. They also contain virtually no fat, which would make them a perfect food source for bodybuilders (if they can stomach them).
Like it or not, insects will become the food of the future. They offer too many pros to be ignored. Currently, insects are readily consumed in Peru, Venezuela, South Africa, Botswana, Uganda, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, China, Australia, Japan, Mexico, and even the United States. And once people get over the "grossness" of eating bugs, this food source might replace some meat we eat today.
try new thingsSome of the aforementioned foods can be easily found in grocery stores, like kelp and tropical fruits. Granted, insects aren't available in stores because here we can't fathom eating such critters, mainly because insects go completely against our habit of consuming sterilized, over-packaged and bleached food.
Until we get over the practice of removing all signs of nature from our comestibles, our society will miss out on many things, so be daring and try new things.