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Entomophagy - In 2013, the UN released a report called 'Edible insects: Future prospects for food and feed security,' which made a groundbreaking case for entomophagy's enormous benefits: nutrient density, as well as environmental, economic, and social sustainability.

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Nutritious and delicious -

Insects are rich in protein, healthy fats, calcium, iron, and zinc. Many are actually more nutritious alternatives to typical sources of animal protein like chicken, beef, fish, and pork.

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They’re low in fat - Many insect species have less than five grams of fat per serving, making them superb if you're on a diet.

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A way to combat obesity - The combination of low fat, low carbohydrates, and high protein has led some researchers to suggest that eating insects may be an effective way to combat obesity and its related diseases.

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They’re cheap and efficient - Farming and harvesting insects takes very little water and transport fuel compared to livestock and grains, and it's much more efficient than raising cattle. For example, 100 lbs of feed produces 10 lbs of beef, but the same amount of feed would produce more than four times that amount in crickets.

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They’re good for the environment - Winged invertebrates (i.e. crickets) also emit significantly fewer greenhouse gases than livestock like cattle.

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Alternative, sustainable protein - To produce equal amounts of protein, crickets (known as the "gateway bug")  specifically require 12 times less feed than cattle, four times less than sheep, and half as much as chickens and pigs.

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It's less dangerous than eating meat - Bugs have been wrongfully associated with dirt and disease, but researchers claim it is actually less harmful to eat insects than it is to eat meat. Bugs pose a much lower risk of infecting humans with zoonotic diseases than livestock.

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They eat clean, grow fast, and have lots of babies - Farmed crickets typically consume organic grain-based feed along with fruits and vegetables. Each mother cricket will lay between 1,000 and 3,000 eggs in her lifetime, and it only takes seven weeks from hatch to harvest!

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They can be killed humanely - The ideal conditions for cricket farming involve heat (85-95°F or 29-35°C), so when it comes time to harvest, you turn down the temperature. They slow down as their temperatures decrease, going into something called diapause, which is a more complete hibernation. They don't like to be cold, but it's reportedly not stressful for them.

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Good for the economy - Harvesting and rearing insects is very cheap, meaning it can both boost urban economies and provide low-capital and low-tech investment options for rural communities.

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It’s beneficial all around - Farming insects provides income for marginalized populations, combats malnutrition, and reduces the detrimental impact on the environment.

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A solution to food shortage - By 2050, the world population is expected to reach nine billion, and with climate change reducing crop yields, entomophagy could help meet the large demand for food.

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How do they taste? - Some people say crickets taste like a mix of cashews and sweet corn, and some people say they're more like pistachios. When they’re sautéed with butter, salt and onions, others say they taste like nutty shrimp. You'll just have to see for yourself!

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There are so many options - Beetles are the most commonly consumed insect, but caterpillars, bees, wasps, ants, grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets are all popular choices. More than 1,500 insect species are considered edible, each with its own taste and nutritional value.

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They have a diverse range of uses - Insects can be fried, boiled, sautéed, roasted, or baked with a bit of oil and salt. They can also be made into flour and used for everything from bread to cookies.

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It’s more common than you think - People eat insects all over the world, across an estimated 3,000 ethnic groups. In fact, more people eat insects than speak English!

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Thailand's bug diet - Crickets have been a staple in Thailand since at least 1998, when the king established a comprehensive growing program, but you can find all kinds of edible bugs and worms that are typically deep fried until crispy, heavily salted, and eaten as a protein-enriched snack.

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Japan's sweet and salty bugs - Japanese cuisine has included insects for centuries, but Japanese tend to favor a salty and sweet taste to their grasshoppers, which are usually simmered in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, sake, and mirin. Other dishes include fried silk moth pupae and wasp larvae.

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China's larvae - Gourmands in China might order a plate of boiled water bugs soaked in vinegar or roasted bee larvae and fried silkworm moth larvae, which are both rich in nutrients like copper, iron, riboflavin, thiamine, and zinc.

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Brazil's fried queen ants - Some Brazilian restaurants offer fried Amazonian ants, which reportedly taste similar to ginger or mint. It's far from being commercialized, but the bugs are supposed to taste especially good dipped in chocolate.

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Ghana's termites - According to Terminix, bugs account for up to 60% of protein in the rural African diet. Though the insect is considered a pest in many parts of the world, termites prove to be a nutritious snack with crucial proteins, fats, and oils, which can be fried, roasted, or ground into baking flour.

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Mexico's ant larvae, locusts, and worms - In certain regions of Mexico, you can find ant larvae (Escamol, pictured), chocolate- covered locusts, and candy-covered worms. Alongside mezcal you'll likely see sal de gusano, which is salt made from red maguey worms—an ancient delicacy used to add flavor since pre-Hispanic times.

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Cambodia's deep-fried tarantulas and fire ants - Though tarantulas are technically not insects, in Cambodia you'll find the crispy arachnids next to wok-fried crickets and silkworms, with flavors ranging from Szechuan to Mediterranean.

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The Netherlands' mealworm meat - Some Dutch citizens are trying to bring bug-eating culture to their culturally diverse home country by using mealworms in burger patties, meatballs, and even chocolate!

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UK's Grub Kitchen - The UK welcomed its first ever insect restaurant in 2015, Grub Kitchen, which serves critters in a delectable fashion, from smoked chipotle cricket to black ant and olive goat cheese.

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Not your preferred kind of crunch? - In America, entrepreneurs Rose Wang and Laura D'Asaro developed "Chirps," which are tortilla-style chips made with cricket flour. They're gluten-free, all natural, non-GMO, and contain one cricket per chip, and 20 grams of protein per bag. The crunch and various flavors will make you forget you're eating a bag of bugs!

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What's holding people back? - Even after hearing about the benefits of entomophagy, many people are reluctant to incorporate bugs into their diets, but those squeamish feelings don't stem from scientific evidence—rather, it is often the particular culture of a society that has passed on prejudice. Some societies have inherited the view that bugs are pests because they were interfering with farms.

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Should you go outside and start eating? -

No, there are certain bugs you shouldn't eat (the saying goes, “Red, orange, yellow, forget this fellow. Black, green, or brown, wolf it down”), and some insects may have ingested harmful pesticides. Luckily, it's easy to order edible insects and even farm them yourself.

Will you be munching on a crawling critter soon?

See also: Rare human body features you didn’t know exist 

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