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FOOD AND NUTRITION
Consider the Grasshopper
Should we eat insects?
Animal agriculture is one of the most environmentally taxing things we do. Not only do cows emit a shitload of methane and other gasses, but we also cut down an absurd amount of rainforest to feed them. We engage in a lot of stupid shit but burning our only planet for burgers must be at the top of it all.
How about growing and eating insects instead?
A few days ago I saw a french documentary INSECTS FOR DINNER (2020), directed by Guilaine Bergeret and Rémi Rappe. The movie goes a long way by trying to lure us into putting insects on our plates.
Should we eat insects?
Evolutionary it should make at least some sense. All great apes add some insects to their otherwise vegetarian (or vegan?) diet. It is indeed a good source of fats, protein and minerals and it is the only animal food they can catch daily. Some monkeys also hunt for shellfish or small crabs when the tide is low, but that is functionally the same things. Apes are collectors not predators. Chimps are observed to hunt for mammals, but not on daily basis (I guess it functions more as a peer-bonding experience than regular nutrition). Altogether they don’t eat much more than 10% of their calories with insect or animal-based food.
