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Edible Insects: A Nutritional and Eco-Friendly Alternative?

by In Food Facts

By: Jeff Dionot

Edible insects seem to be the next big trend gravitating towards food circles. Crickets, mealworms, fly larvae, and more are now jumping from the dirt and onto plates. While some claim that this new fad will offer a more nutritional alternative, help with climate sustainability, and alleviate malnutrition, many are furrowing their brows at the idea of bugs substituting daily dishes. In this post, we’ll take a look at how adoptable these creepy crawlies truly are.

Tastewise, insects are the most akin to shellfish as both are arthropods. Since the majority of insects are terrestrial rather than aquatic, they have a more earthy taste like mushrooms or root vegetables. Although you can boil, steam, or fry them, the overall taste depends on the type of insect: crickets have an umami flavor like parmesan, scorpion meat has a sort of fishy beef tang, and honeypot ants have a nectarean sweetness. Add in some seasoning and/or sweeteners and you can make your dish even more unique.  

Insect

If you can make candied bacon, you can certainly make candied arachnids.

Nutritionally, many claim edible insects to have a similar amount of sustenance as found in regular food. Many species contain as much protein as beef, as much iron as spinach, and as much vitamin B12 as salmon (for example, 100 grams of crickets provides 13 grams of protein, 5 grams of healthy fats, and 5 grams of carbohydrates; in comparison, the same amount of cooked beef has double the protein but more than four times the fat). If people don’t wish to see some well-prepared bugs as a main meal, they could view it as an optimal snack, replacing the average high-fructose corn syrup and trans-fat laden munchies entirely. 

The biggest macroeconomic reason for eating bugs is the fact that if we were to manufacture them on an industrial scale, they would offer a lower cost and climate-friendly alternative to producing traditional livestock. Economies and ecosystems would be able to conserve more water and produce a lower carbon footprint by starting a small insect farm rather than carving out acres for methane-emitting cattle. On top of that, its efficiency would help easily and quickly provide starving communities with much needed nourishment. 

The overarching question is this: should you eat edible insects on a routine basis?

Our answer is no.

While edible bugs have their own reasonable merits, adopting this trend worldwide would go against the entire notion of fine dining. We are born into this land of plenty and now we are expected to subsist on animals with six legs or more? For centuries, large fractions of humanity have survived without resorting entirely to entomophagy (I would define what this word means/use it in a previous sentence to establish the definition) (ex: Europe is home to only 2% of the world’s bug population; this is attributed to its overall size, topography, and history of multiple ice ages) and will continue to do so long after we’re gone. Agriculture was developed roughly 10,000 years ago, and while the majority of civilization took up farming alongside hunter-gathering, insects did not become a major part of everyone’s basic breakfast.

The argument for climate sustainability falls apart when you bring up the demand for other, pre-existing, protein-loaded foods. Too many people, jobs, and diets depend on the production of beef, pork, and chicken. According to Our World In Data, the entire world produced over 300 trillion tons of meat in 2018 with Asia – one of the largest regions that sees eating insects as culturally acceptable – making up over a third of overall production. If people worry too much about the environment, there are other areas and sectors to focus such as emissions of contaminated particles (for example, the WHO claims India, China, the majority of the Middle East, and Africa produce the greatest amounts of pollution levels out of any other country).

Insect

Without acknowledging the true culprits of global pollution, everyday people adjusting their diets will not save the world.

In the case of malnutrition, altruists should recognize that population growth could very well be a more pertinent complication. According to Concern Worldwide USA, based on available data, some of the hungriest countries in the world in 2020 include Niger, Mozambique, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia. According to Pew Research, all of the previously listed countries are grouped as countries with population growths of over 200% in 2019 (as % of their current population). On top of this, these countries already dine on bug-based dishes such as kunga cake, a bread-like concoction made with packed midges or flies. The denizens stick to the edible insect tendency yet their native nations contribute little to the world’s eco-based problems.

Insect

For every mouth that is fed, one more emerges.

So if itty-bitty beasties are your new craving, go ahead and prepare yourself some ant flambé. But no matter how hard someone signals its benefits, this trend will not be the be all and end all answer to the current intercontinental issues at hand.

• • •

Sources:

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-trend-food-edible-insects.html

https://www.eatcrickster.com/blog/popular-edible-insects

https://junglejims.com/5-reasons-to-start-eating-chocolate-covered-bugs/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2373379/

https://borgenproject.org/10-most-malnourished-countries/

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/07/10/for-world-population-day-a-look-at-the-countries-with-the-biggest-projected-gains-and-losses-by-2100/

https://thecleverroot.com/a-history-of-eating-bugs/#.YBGa_ndKjOQ

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunga_cake

https://ourworldindata.org/exports/global-meat-production_v1_850x600.svg

https://www.eatcrickster.com/blog/ultimate-tasting-guide

https://www.concernusa.org/story/worlds-hungriest-countries/

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Is Green Tea Good For You?

by In Food Facts Tagged ,

By: Heidi Wagenbach

My go-to drink is water. 

As soon as I wake up, I’m not the type of person who craves coffee in their morning routine. I occasionally have green tea (a lot less now than I used to while attending college), but avoid diet soda and energy drinks because of the chemicals and artificial flavors that leave a nasty aftertaste. With all the hype that green tea gets, I was wondering if it’s even true. So I did a little internet digging to see if this drink really has the superpowers health experts claim.

Keep reading to discover the history and facts about this beloved drink that gained popularity over the years!

Background

Green tea comes from the same plant that produces black tea: camellia sinensis. The difference is their processing methods. Green tea does not go through fermentation, and is dried/steamed at a high temperature instead to obtain that recognizable greenish yellow shade. Green tea originated in China (as opposed to Japan) and the legend goes as follows: Emperor Shen Nung accidentally discovered it in 2737 BC when tea leaves blew into his pot of hot water. Whether that’s true is up to you. Between the 3rd and 6th centuries, tea was considered a luxury, reserved for the privileged instead of customers at Starbucks.

Helps Fight Cancer and Inflammation

Green tea contains polyphenols which helps fight against inflammation and several types of cancer. There is a 20-30% lower risk of developing breast cancer and a 42% less likely chance of developing colorectal cancer when drinking GT.

Catechin (or epigallocatechin-3-gallate… try saying that ten times fast) prevents cell damage and provides other health benefits against disease. Lower quality brands may contain amounts of fluoride, but the benefits still outweigh the risks.

Brain Function

This drink helps boost brain function with the amount of caffeine present. While not as much as coffee, it’s enough to produce a response without causing the jittery side effects. Caffeine helps improve mood, vigilance, reaction time, and memory. Green tea also has an Amino acid (L-theanine), which increases the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, an anti-anxiety chemical. Green tea gives you a kick of dopamine too and assists production of alpha waves in the brain, thus improving productivity. Drinking tea assists the brain in preventing the development of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia.

Helps Weight Loss And Skin 

Green tea increases fat burning and kicks up metabolic rate. A study showed that when 10 healthy men added green tea extract to their diets, the number of calories burned was increased by 4% and their oxidation also increased by 17%. Obviously, this depends on the individual. Green tea can prevent type 2 diabetes, lowering the risk by 42%, as well as cardiovascular disease. With green tea’s antioxidant content, drinking a cup or two often will boost your immune system and keep your skin protected.

Overall… Green Tea Helps You Live Longer

There was a lengthy experimentation in Japan where 40,550 adults were studied over a process of 11 years. Those who drank the most green tea (5+ cups daily) were significantly less likely to die during that period. Older people (14,001) were 76% less likely to die in their own study of a 6 year period. Below, the results are shown:

  • All causes: 23% lower in women, 12% lower in men
  • Heart disease: 31% lower in women, 22% lower in men
  • Stroke: 42% lower in women, 35% lower in men

★Bonus Facts About Green Tea’s Brother: Black Tea★

  1. Has antioxidant properties
  2. Boosts heart health
  3. Lowers “bad” LDL cholesterol 
  4. Improves gut health
  5. Helps reduce blood pressure
  6. Reduces risk of stroke
  7. Lowers blood sugar levels
  8. Reduces risk of cancer
  9. Improves focus

Conclusion

Green (or black) tea is a tasty and healthy way to change up your hydration routine. Green tea ensures you get a boost of caffeine and some necessary vitamins and preventive properties to keep you living a good long life. So make a cup (preferably no more than 3-5 daily; it’s a nice change but remember to hydrate regularly with water too), stir in a bit of honey, and enjoy the chilly winter temperatures before they’re gone (I know we will in Arizona).

 

Sources:

 

Top 10 Green Tea Facts That’ll Surprise You! – History and Benefits

10 Evidence-Based Benefits of Green Tea

10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Black Tea

 

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10 Fun Facts About Hot Chocolate

by In Food Facts Tagged , ,

By: Heidi Wagenbach

Hot chocolate is definitely an indulgence I have over the holidays or winter months. What’s more warm and comforting than a cup of steaming liquid chocolate, after all? Being versatile with how you adorn your cup of cocoa, whether that be whipped cream, syrup, crushed candy canes, or marshmallows, it’s a treat that’s loved by all ages.

Below are 10 fun facts about this drink that may surprise you!

#1

Hot chocolate dates back thousands of years to the Olmec civilization in Mexico. They are credited to be the first people who roasted the fruits of the cacao tree, then ground them, mixing them with water. Archaeologists discovered Olmec pottery that had small amounts of chocolate inside dating back all the way to 1700 BC.

#2

The Olmecs believed that hot chocolate had medicinal properties. It was high in calories, antioxidants, caffeine and acted as an aphrodisiac, so of course they would think it was restorative. Warriors drank it before battle and Montezuma II apparently chugged down 50 cups daily.

#3

After the Olmecs came the Aztecs and Mayans, who drank xocoatl, made from chilies, water, and corn. It was served warm and frothy. The Spanish were introduced to cacao drinks, sweetening them with cinnamon, sugar, and other spices instead.

#4

The explorer Cortez brought cocoa beans to Europe in the early 1500s and the drink gained popularity. It was adopted by the court of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V… (who knew it was such a royal drink?) There were issues and religious controversies in the 16th century as well; monks locked up hot chocolate to prevent philandering. 

#5

On the same note, European Roman Catholic’s debated amongst themselves whether hot chocolate was a food or a drink. Their religion called for fasting, and it was Pope Gregory XIII that decreed drinkable chocolate was fine, even though many other clerks banned it from their practices.

#6

In the 18th and 19th centuries, hot chocolate was seen as a valued medicine. There were records during this era that claimed it helped treat fevers, liver disease, and stomach disorders.

#7

As the Revolutionary War was occurring, medics would give out cups of hot chocolate to wounded or dying soldiers. It was also offered as a monthly wage. Thomas Jefferson was a big fan, too; he wrote in a letter to John Adams: “The superiority of chocolate, both for health and nourishment, will soon give to the preference over tea and coffee.”

#8

The largest cup of hot chocolate ever made was 880 GALLONS. In 2013, the Tampa Bay’s Museum of Science and Industry collaborated with 300 local students (only appropriate that the biggest cup of cocoa was created by kids) and teachers to produce a pool-sized mix. It included 1,100 pounds of cocoa and 87 gallons of powdered milk. At the opening ceremony, the children were able to shoot marshmallows into it using homemade catapults.

#9

January 31st is National Hot Chocolate Day.

#10

What’s the difference between hot cocoa and hot chocolate? The former is made by extracting cocoa butter from ground cacao beans whereas the latter is made directly from a bar of chocolate, which already contains cocoa, sugar, and cocoa butter.

 

Sources:

13 Things You Might Not Know About Hot Chocolate

It’s Hot Chocolate Season – 10 Facts About the Sweet, Chocolatey Drink

 

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