Mythbuster Monday #11: What is Entomophagy and Why Should I Consider Eating Bugs?

Nearly 2 billion people around the world in countries such as Africa, Latin America and Asia consume bugs as a part of their daily diet. The term entomophagy simply refers to the practice of eating insects.

A shift towards entomophagy both meets our protein demands and also saves valuable resources. Currently food agriculture is one of the largest contributors to global warming. Compared to farm animals, insects have a small ecological footprint. They require less water, feed and resources to grow and farm. Thus, entomophagy could drastically decrease our carbon footprint and provide a sustainable solution for how to feed our rapid growing population.

To top it all off, insects are highly nutritious. Crickets are a complete protein that contain high levels of fiber, healthy fats and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and iron!

So if you're feeling inspired.. try these mouth watering high-protein cricket flour cookies!

Ingredients

High-Protein Cricket Flour Cookies

Recipe from April Norris on mindbodygreen

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ cup unsalted butter (or dairy-free butter)

• 6 tablespoons organic sugar

• 6 tablespoons organic coconut palm sugar

• ½ teaspoon vanilla

• 1 egg (or flax egg)

• ½ cup chocolate chips

• ¼ cup cricket flour

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Preparation

1. Pre-heat oven to 375ºF. Mix butter, sugars and vanilla. Beat until creamy and smooth. Add eggs/flax eggs and all-purpose flour. Fold in cricket flour and chocolate chips.

2. Place teaspoon fulls of batter onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Place on cooling rack.