Let's face it, food prices are through the roof right now, and families are trying to make ends meet the best they can. For some people, that may mean getting creative. But how far are you willing to go to stretch the budget? Would you consider adding an insect or two to your diet for some protein?
That might seem over the top, but not everyone thinks that eating things that may creep and crawl is off limits. Food writer Tiffany Leigh recently wrote an essay for Insider explaining why she added crickets to her diet and her child's. And you may be surprised to read that it's pretty economical, and Leigh says it's satisfying for your belly, too.
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Leigh is willing to try anything once.
Someone who writes about food for a living is likely adventurous when it comes to trying new things. Leigh explained that she had tried less traditional proteins in the past, and they really weren't too bad.
"I've tasted everything from fried tarantula legs to scorpion on a stick. I've also enjoyed crickets and ants when traveling to countries like Thailand and Vietnam, and I loved how they were incorporated into local dishes to enhance their textural appeal," she wrote.
As a mother of an 18-month-old girl, she is trying to raise her daughter to be a fearless eater. And for the sake of frugality, she introduced crickets to save the family some money. Leigh's family food expenses had gone up to about $250 to $300 a week, so trying crickets seemed like a good idea.
Leigh is raising her daughter to have a bold palate.
Exposing kids to various foods helps them be more adventurous eaters. Leigh's daughter is young enough now that she doesn't judge her food, so it is a perfect time to introduce insects as protein.
Board-certified pediatric dietitian and nutritionist at Solid Starts, Venus Kalami, told Insider, "During infancy, a child is particularly receptive to exploring a wide variety of foods — a strong argument for introducing insects early on and getting ahead of any negative stereotypes around eating bugs, such as being 'scary' or 'inedible.'"
According to the nutritionist, Leigh could have introduced insects into her daughter's diet as early as 6 months. Parents can modify insects, like crickets, to make them a safe consistency for young children by grinding them up and adding them to other foods.
"Once baby has their pincer grasp, crickets and other edible insects may be served whole as finger food," she explained.
Insects are loaded with protein.
Just like chicken, eggs, or fish, insects can provide essential nutrients to humans. The nutritionist explained that 2 tablespoons of cricket powder have 100% of a baby's daily protein needs. The nutrients in crickets help with cognitive development and immune function and can prevent iron-deficiency anemia. Another bonus is eating a bug or two could help your baby remain regular.
She warned that parents do need to be careful about allergies. Children with shellfish allergies could be at greater risk of an allergic reaction to eating insects.
Leigh hid the crickets from her baby, and it was a success.
Leigh explained that the best way to get her daughter to eat the insects was when she disguised them in her food. She gave her cricket cheese puffs that she enjoyed and mixed the insect powder into pancake batter, which she also loved.
"For dinner, I sprinkled some of the powder into our mac-and-cheese sauce, tossed it with some pasta shells, and again, she couldn't taste anything different. She then made the sign for 'more' — it was a winner," Leigh wrote.
Leigh did mention that a bag of crickets for snacking didn't go over so well.
"Next, I tried giving my baby whole roasted crickets. When I picked one out of the bag, I gave myself a jump scare: You could see their little heads, thoraxes, and abdomens all clustered together. I hate to admit it, but touching them was a little icky for me. Thankfully, I restrained my facial expressions, let her peer into the bag, and grab a cricket out for herself. Without hesitation, she took a bite — but promptly chucked the rest onto the floor. She shook her head and told me she wasn't interested."
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Leigh and her daughter will be trying more insects.
The foodie mom-and-daughter duo plan to try more insect proteins. Leigh said she is taking Venus' suggestion and plans to try grasshoppers, ants, and worms. But she isn't going to an insect-exclusive diet just yet.
"In the meantime, it will take a bit more repetition and cooking creativity on my part before eating bugs becomes second nature in our family," she said.
