June 28, 2021
Superfood
Why edible insects are the next superfood trend
Don't drive yourself crazy to incorporate edible insects into your diet is a healthy decision for you - and the environment.
A culture is defined by many things, and often the food is at the top of this list.
In western culture, our diet is shaped by many unhealthy ingredients, especially large amounts of sugar, salt and fats. But there is another element that is missing in the American diet and that, according to supporters, should be included in the range of food: insects.
While consumption of insects in other cultures has long been common, he is only now prevailing in the United States and Great Britain. However, it is still a long way from belonging to the mainstream on menus.
Because most Americans overlook the nutritional value of insects, we have missed the advantages for human and ecological health that they offer as a source of food.
In 2013, the United Nations published a report in which they estimated that two billion people worldwide are eating beetles as part of their diet, and asked cultures around the world to start consumption in order to eat the food supply To make the world safer.
So when insects are so healthy, why do some people interested in culinary people - especially in Western cultures - not deal with entomophagy, i.e. the consumption of insects to nutrition?
The biggest hurdle is the "Igitt" factor.
Beetles are better for us
Beetles, insects and even arachnids contain more protein than most traditional meat sources. They also contain enough fiber, vitamins and minerals to keep up with the nutritional value of some grain, fruits and vegetables.
A recent study by the University of Wisconsin -Madisontrusted Source examined the effects of the consumption of 25 grams of whole grilling flour per day - prepared in muffins and shakes - on the intestinal microbiota of a person, i.e. on the body's own bugs that have the general health of a person can influence.
The researchers found that grilling, mealworms and grasshoppers contain a high proportion of proteins and fiber and that the change in diet stimulated the growth of probiotic bacteria and reduced a type of plasma that is associated with harmful inflammation. Although the study only included 20 people, the researchers came to the conclusion that further studies could contribute to confirming their initial results that "consumption of grilling can improve intestinal health and reduce systemic inflammation."
"Essen is very tied to culture, and nobody in the USA ate sushi 20 or 30 years ago because we thought it was gross, but now you can get it at a petrol station in Nebraska," she said in an explanation, that accompanies the study.
While insects are not yet available in most petrol stations, people slowly overcome their initial abdominal reactions to the consumption of insects snacks from a variety of reasons.
Summer Rayne Oakes, a certified nutritionist who studied entomology and environmental sciences at Cornell University and later founded homestead Brooklyn, says the reality is that most people want to be separated from their food.
"We don't go in shops and even see chickens with heads or legs that are still on it," she told Healthlin. "Some people cannot endure fish with a face, so it is understandable that a fried caterpillar or grill could be endured too much for someone."
Therefore, insect flour, as used in the experiments in Wisconsin, could be the first steps to break away from the actual insects. Oakes said that she has already seen that the insects are contained in many finished products: tomato sauces, flour, baked goods, bars, cereals and cookies.
In fact, many people have already eaten insects in different forms without knowing it.
As the food journalist Layla Eplett wrote in the Scientific American, "a person probably takes about one or two pounds, maggots and other vermin every year without knowing it."
"This is particularly useful for urban areas where arthropods can be bred in small areas inside and near houses," she told Healthlin. "As in the past, insects can also be harvested in the great outdoors, especially during certain swarm times."
"As in the past, insects can also be harvested in the great outdoors, especially during special swarm times," said Baldwin. "Since insects take up less space and need fewer resources to grow, their total influence on the environment is much less harmful than that of typical mammals, which makes it good candidates for a global food source. Healthier diet should not be a problem.
Don't drive yourself crazy to incorporate edible insects into your diet is a healthy decision for you - and the environment.
A culture is defined by many things, and often the food is at the top of this list.
In western culture, our diet is shaped by many unhealthy ingredients, especially large amounts of sugar, salt and fats. But there is another element that is missing in the American diet and that, according to supporters, should be included in the range of food: insects.
While consumption of insects in other cultures has long been common, he is only now prevailing in the United States and Great Britain. However, it is still a long way from belonging to the mainstream on menus.
Because most Americans overlook the nutritional value of insects, we have missed the advantages for human and ecological health that they offer as a source of food.
In 2013, the United Nations published a report in which they estimated that two billion people worldwide are eating beetles as part of their diet, and asked cultures around the world to start consumption in order to eat the food supply To make the world safer.
So when insects are so healthy, why do some people interested in culinary people - especially in Western cultures - not deal with entomophagy, i.e. the consumption of insects to nutrition?
The biggest hurdle is the "Igitt" factor.
Beetles are better for us
Beetles, insects and even arachnids contain more protein than most traditional meat sources. They also contain enough fiber, vitamins and minerals to keep up with the nutritional value of some grain, fruits and vegetables.
A recent study by the University of Wisconsin -Madisontrusted Source examined the effects of the consumption of 25 grams of whole grilling flour per day - prepared in muffins and shakes - on the intestinal microbiota of a person, i.e. on the body's own bugs that have the general health of a person can influence.
The researchers found that grilling, mealworms and grasshoppers contain a high proportion of proteins and fiber and that the change in diet stimulated the growth of probiotic bacteria and reduced a type of plasma that is associated with harmful inflammation. Although the study only included 20 people, the researchers came to the conclusion that further studies could contribute to confirming their initial results that "consumption of grilling can improve intestinal health and reduce systemic inflammation."
"Essen is very tied to culture, and nobody in the USA ate sushi 20 or 30 years ago because we thought it was gross, but now you can get it at a petrol station in Nebraska," she said in an explanation, that accompanies the study.
While insects are not yet available in most petrol stations, people slowly overcome their initial abdominal reactions to the consumption of insects snacks from a variety of reasons.
Summer Rayne Oakes, a certified nutritionist who studied entomology and environmental sciences at Cornell University and later founded homestead Brooklyn, says the reality is that most people want to be separated from their food.
"We don't go in shops and even see chickens with heads or legs that are still on it," she told Healthlin. "Some people cannot endure fish with a face, so it is understandable that a fried caterpillar or grill could be endured too much for someone."
Therefore, insect flour, as used in the experiments in Wisconsin, could be the first steps to break away from the actual insects. Oakes said that she has already seen that the insects are contained in many finished products: tomato sauces, flour, baked goods, bars, cereals and cookies.
In fact, many people have already eaten insects in different forms without knowing it.
As the food journalist Layla Eplett wrote in the Scientific American, "a person probably takes about one or two pounds, maggots and other vermin every year without knowing it."
"This is particularly useful for urban areas where arthropods can be bred in small areas inside and near houses," she told Healthlin. "As in the past, insects can also be harvested in the great outdoors, especially during certain swarm times."
"As in the past, insects can also be harvested in the great outdoors, especially during special swarm times," said Baldwin. "Since insects take up less space and need fewer resources to grow, their total influence on the environment is much less harmful than that of typical mammals, which makes it good candidates for a global food source. Healthier diet should not be a problem.