May 4, 2008 2:59 PM
Increasing Protein Consumption with Insect Supplementation
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Found a fruit fly in a basket of strawberries. As I went pick it off, I considered eating it. Although it was dead, hahaha, I thought maybe that the refrigerator had perhaps cryogenically frozen this little insect, preserving all of the freshness. HHAHAHA. I threw the fly in the garbage, but it reminded me of hearing once that insects, specifically grubs or larva, are a great source of protein.
When people tell me that they need to increase their protein intake, I jokingly tell them they should eat some insects. Although certain insects will most certainly kill you, is anyone aware of eddible insects high in protein. Is that something any athletes are practicing.
hahllur
I think I'd rather become a vegetarian then eat insects, which is saying a lot considering I am a protein person. When I was younger my sister gave me chocolate covered insects, don't ask me where she got them, but she told me they were candy so obviously I ate them. After finishing the majority of the bag, she told me what I really had eaten. We haven't spoken since. Kidding! I was only 10, but I was furious. I'm not good with bugs. So no more insect eating for this girl!
ActiveSara wrote -
"When I was younger my
sister gave me chocolate covered insects, don't ask me where she got
them, but she told me they were candy so obviously I ate them. After
finishing the majority of the bag..."
They couldn't have tasted that bad if you ate most of them.
Does your sister still eat insects?
I found a couple of websites that sell chocolate covered insects, but none of them list the nutritional facts. All seems like novelty, but are there any athletes out there grubbing on grubs?
hakuna matata!
Last night I watched Survivor Man eat a small raw and multiple fat witchetty grubs.
And he didn't squirm about it. He claimed to genuinely enjoy them, and seemed extremely stoked. Living in the Australian "outback", he was barbecuing grubs and crawdads. Nothing like some crawdad stew and insect larvae to boost your caloric intake.
I wonder if caterpillars are the highest in protein content of the insects... In many Asian nations, caterpillar is pretty much a delicacy, so maybe that correlates to having a high protein content. After all, isn't caviar high in protein?
Eat all the grubs you want!
Just remember to take in more water to help the kidneys process the extra protein.
Robert Martin
NFPT Certified Personal Trainer
NFPT Endurance Specialist
RRCA Running Coach
SPINNING Instructor
GRAVITY Personal Training Instructor
GRAVITY Group Instructor
Power Plate Level II Instructor
2010 & 2011 Team Aquaphor Sponsored Athlete
Gatorade G Series PRO Lead Ambassador, San Diego
Caviar is high in protein because it is fish eggs, and since eggs are genetic material they are comprised of nitrogren containing amino acids AGCT. With that said, no way I would eat a spoon full of fly eggs. I don't even really like fish roe (eggs) or caviar for that matter, but I have heard its a great source of protein. Might as well just make a Rocky Balboa eggshake.
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