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by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.
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Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

Are Bugs Good For You?

Friday May 11, 2001

Someone into health food and nature in a big way asked me the other day if a wellness diet might include bugs, assuming one could overcome the negative cultural conditioning he/she might have grown up with in this country. The SeekWellness visitor wanted to know if bugs were a good food source, noting correctly that they are enjoyed in many parts of the world.

I explained that she was on track about the popularity of bugs in some cultures, though definitely not ours. America does have a museum dedicated to bugs, and it's located in our national capital. It's called the Orkin Insect Zoo, a part of the National Museum of Natural History. One goal of the museum is to get more Americans to think outside the bounds of narrow cultural programming. This, of course, does not mean the curators of the Orkin Insect Zoo necessarily want to promote the consumption of bugs, rather, I believe, they seek a wider appreciation of the role of the bug in nature. We do, after all, have something in common with bugs, at least we do if you believe the words of Francis P. Church, author of that famous 1897 letter that appeared as an editorial in The New York Sun entitled "Is There A Santa Claus?" In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him.

From an ecological perspective, insects (let's stop calling them 'bugs' -- it may be demeaning and we are, after all, in an era of inclusiveness and diversity!) are important to humans. We are in an interdependent relationship with them, whether we want to admit it or not. Yes, in some countries insects are a dietary staple, even a gourmet delight. Most are very high in protein and contain all the essential amino acids.

If you're interested, be advised that insects can be enjoyed in pupae (when newly hatched and worm-like) as well as in full adult form. They are equally good dead or alive, although I know this from my scientific research of a double-blind, crossover trial nature of a horizontal, vertical, and dignified nature, not first hand. Ants, bees, butterflies (especially caterpillars), cicadas, wasps, and grasshoppers are the biggest favorites. It is said that fried wasps, mixed with boiled rice, sugar, and soy sauce was a favorite dish of Emperor Hirohito of Japan.

For all I know it could be better than sushi. Cheers.

Domain: physical
Subdomain: nutrition

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