Eat Insects!

More than 2 billion people already do

Let us guide you – it’s good for you and the planet!

Edible insects are healthy, nutritious alternatives to mainstream staples such as chicken, pork, beef and even fish! What’s more, they have a much smaller ecological footprint than livestock. That means eating insects is good for you and the planet!

The practice of eating insects is known as entomophagy. Entomophagy is heavily influenced by cultural practices and 2,100 insect species are commonly consumed as a food source in many regions of the world.

Until recently edible insects have been collected mainly from the wild but farming insects for human as well as animal consumption is now on the rise. Their high fecundity, high feed conversion efficiency, and rapid growth rates make insects viable and attractive candidates for farming. In addition, they can be reared in small, modular spaces, making it feasible to raise them in rural as well as urban farm settings.

In general, edible insects are a good source of protein, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, though the nutritional profile is insect species dependent. This makes them a potential food source for healthy human diets.

Even when eating edible species of insects and handling with them, problems may arise. Consumption of inappropriate developmental stages, wrong culinary preparation, handling without protective equipment or collection of insects in unsuitable areas may result in adverse reactions. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN has published a new report: Looking at edible insects from a food safety perspective.

How To Become An Insect Gourmet

Replacing meat and switching to an insect-based diet is not that difficult. Instead of trying to cut meat products out of your diet, crowd them out. Constantly seek out new edible insects or try processed products such as insect protein powders or insect snacks and try experiment with new insect recipes. Read reliable material on insect nutrition to make sure your diet is properly planned.

Cooking With Edible Insects: Basic Recipes

Read our introductory recipes to insect food and you’ll never be at a loss over what to eat. Our insect store covers it all: whole insects, snacks, protein powders & condiments, supplements. And of course lots of books.

Nutritional Values of Insect Food

Insects are an excellent nutritional food source with regard to fat and protein, and they have been found to be a rich source of vitamins and minerals, especially iron and zinc

Best Selling Insect Cookbooks

Browsing through a few cookbooks is a perfect way of getting started with your new culinary adventure. We have compiled a selection for you:

Featuring 40 one-of-a-kind recipes to cook crickets, grasshoppers, ants, water bugs, spiders, centipedes, and more

The book's 55 accessible recipes take their inspiration from cuisines around the word using whole and ground insects.

This book takes a holistic look at the subject, along-side stories from the field, tasting notes, and recipes by the Nordic Food Lab

Your introduction to the delicious and nutritious world of entomophagy, filled with more than 75 insect related recipes

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases

See More Insect Cookbooks

The Facts About Edible Insects

Globally, the most common insects consumed are beetles. The consumption of caterpillars is especially popular in sub-Saharan Africa. Bees, wasps and ants come in third and eating them is common in Latin America.

Insects Are Health Food!

Generally, insect meat is rich in amino acids, fats, sugars, and has a high concentration of vitamins B and K (wasps have a much higher concentration of vitamins than some fruits). Many insects have a very high content of fats and proteins. They also boast vitamin and minerals content that can be several times higher than in meat. Check out our insect nutrition table in our blog post The Best Insects to Eat.

Edible insects can essentially be viewed as an animal-source food – like meat, fish, eggs and milk – which can contribute valuable protein, fat and important micronutrients to humans as a part of a varied diet.

Edible Insects Are Good For You And The Planet

NUTRITIOUS

Crickets have

More iron than spinach
More calcium than milk
2x the protein than beef
More B12 than salmon or beef
9x more omegas than wild salmon

SUSTAINABLE

Crickets vs beef

Grow 13x faster
Drink 2000x less water
Consume 12x less feed
Require 2000x less land
Emit 100x less greenhouse gases

Guide to Edible Insect Species

If you are thinking of moving towards including insect with your diet try to keep things easy. Start by looking for insect foods you enjoy that are readily available, and can be prepared with minimal time and effort. Then, if you feel more adventurous, try out new species and experiment with new recipes.

About Insect Gourmet

We provide reliable information on every topic related to entomophagy and edible insects – background, data charts, infographics, studies, news, recipes and much more.