Will you eat the bugs?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
https://theconversation.com/eating-insects-is-good-for-you-and-the-planet-118675
I keep seeing articles like this one popping up more and more, and it seems like there’s definitely a concerted effort underway to move the Overton Window in the direction of this. Yes, other cultures have traditionally eaten insects for millennia, so there’s no need to impress us all with your reminding us the obvious. Likewise for those who would quip that shellfish are already akin to terrestrial invertebrates. But this version of entomophagy would be different, with insect protein being processed into a presentation more suited to Western conceptions of what “meat” should resemble. So instead of grilled insects, it would be more akin to a soy-burger. Will you eat insect based “meat’? |
Anonymous
| No. |
Anonymous
| Nope. |
Anonymous
| I would eat a bug-burger before an impossible burger. |
Anonymous
| Hell no. I'd rather go vegetarian than eat bugs |
Anonymous
| I mean, i probably won’t be an early adopter but I’ll do what I need to do to survive. |
Anonymous
|
I think I could make the transition to foods that include ground insects for protein without too much trouble. Honestly, if you eat any processed foods AT ALL (like even organic processed foods, even lightly processed), you probably consume a certain number of insects each year. There is an acceptable parts per million to pass inspection and it's not 0.
I have a very strong instinctive food aversion though, and have since I was a little kid, so I don't know that I'll ever be able to eat recognizable insects. Even understanding the environmental advantages, which matter to me. My throat closes off and I gag. I have learned that if I feel like I have to choke something down, I just shouldn't even try to eat it. So the question with these foods is how to get around that reflex, which many people have. The food will need to be processed enough, or incorporated into foods that are widely appealing in a way that helps people get passed it. Expecting people to just suck it up and deal (the way many people try to do it with kids who are picky eaters, for instance) won't work because it's not a conscious response. There's evidence it's genetic even, and it makes sense that there would be a lot of people with this genetic disposition because historically, aversion to suspicious or unfamiliar foods would have been a pro-survival instinct that increased chances of procreation and passing on genetic material. |
Anonymous
| Nope. If it's necessary for survival, then... maybe? |
Anonymous
| The revulsion towards bugs exists for a reason- because theyre gross, feast off excrement, and their bodies contain horrible antinutrients that arent intended for human consumption. So no I will not be partaking. |
Anonymous
| Only for survival. Not for pleasure or if other foods are available. |
Anonymous
Source? |
Anonymous
|
Yes, BUT:
Processing is in itself an energy-consuming and possibly unhealthy method to ingest foods. Eating too many processed foods is linked to shorter lifespans and various diseases. So I'm not a huge fan of fake meats, be they plant or insects. We need to be able to eat the actual plants in a combination that gives us enough amino acids (think rice and beans = complete protein) and consume insects in a more natural form. Which is the issue, because I say all this but I wouldn't be very happy eating a live grub, like certain indigenous tribes do!  LOTS of healthy protein, though!
|
Anonymous
Next time you get the urge to ask that question, I need to tell you about a little thing called google. You should really check it out. |
Anonymous
So, no source. Got it. |
Anonymous
All bugs, though? I think eating farm raised crickets is probably different from eating houseflies. (And yeah, I'm silently gagging a little as I type this.) |