The Disgust Factor
Why are crickets not “ICKY”?
First thing that comes to mind when you think about eating insects usually is “This is disgusting!”, “How can I eat something that flies/have so many legs/resembles too much my least favourite house guest?”.
Well then, let us tell you something you probably do not know about insects! They are part of the diet of 80% of people outside Western countries! That is a lot of people, believe us.
When you look historically on different foods people are consuming nowadays, can you imagine, for example, that shrimps were looked at with disgust? Again by the Westerns, by the way. China food markets had them on display as far as 13th century. Can you think of a seafood restaurant now without them? Exactly!
The disgust factor is playing a major part in switching ones diet to alternative form of protein intake. The feeling of disgust can vary based on the shape, form, taste and smell of the food a person is consuming. So when someone is associating their meal with the most hated vermin in the household (yeah, I’m looking at you cockroaches), it is kind of understandable why they won’t be over the top happy to eat it.
How do we get over that?
Well, if you are not a person with a taste for adrenaline and urge to try something new every day, you will probably need some self-convincing. One thing to start with is changing the paradigm that what you are about to eat is harmful. The evolutionary process behind the feeling of disgust is suspected to come from the instinct for self-preservation. If something does not look delicious it can probably kill you, right? Do not worry: You are not in the forest picking unknown plants!
Crickets definitely will not kill you (except if you have any sort of digestive problems or allergies, so do not forget to do your yearly doctor check-ups). In fact, they are considered beneficial for the body. Some scientist even think they can help people with digestive problems, due to how pure the protein is. Especially if you are farming them yourself and you know exactly what food they have eaten, what supplements you have given them and so on.
So, when you finally decide to try crickets, keep telling yourself “Chill out body, we are not eating something that will kill us!”. And voilà now you have something else to munch on when you are craving snacks during an intense study session!
