What I have grown to affectionately refer to as my ‘Cricket eBook’ has become my best selling publication to date. In fact, it has outsold all of my other eBooks combined. Plus, it receives the most pages read online than all my other eBooks combined as well. Why it is so popular is still a bit of a mystery to me.
Titled “The Foodie Guide to Farming Insects for Protein” I published it at Amazon as a Kindle product on October 14, 2015. At the time, it was my third eBook and probably the most unusual at the time. When I first published it there were no other eBooks that I could find on the subject. Now there are so many I’m even more surprised that I still sell copies of mine. In fact, earlier this month my ‘Cricket eBook’ held the #5 position in Canada in the High Protein Diet category. I was a lot more than just a little bit stunned when I discovered that piece of trivia. The eBook has brought me in contact with several individuals and businesses that support the entire edible insect movement. I’m even convinced it can solve hunger issues all over the globe. But I would never have imagined that my little (it’s not a very long read) contribution was going to have such an impact. I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen once I started writing it. All I knew was that I was on to a new trend and that maybe I could benefit from it in some small way. By the way, the revenue so far in eBook sales will not make me rich. The idea of the eBook was just one of those things that happened. I was reading a magazine in a doctor’s office and for some reason I kept flipping back to a page on edible insects. It didn’t sound all that strange to me and I thought nothing more about it. On the way home I mentioned the article to my wife, Brenda and then told her I thought I had an idea for a new eBook. Within days I was researching and writing and had it published shortly after that. I have since published three more eBooks – each one on a very different subject – and although each of my total of six eBooks has seen some sales, nothing comes close to the activity on my ‘Cricket eBook’ and it would take a major miracle for any of the others to catch up to it any time soon. Which is okay as far as I’m concerned. I suspect I will keep publishing a couple titles per year until I have a complete catalogue of eBooks online. Regardless of what happens to them I will never forget the funky little one about insect protein that caught the attention of readers from all over the world – most copies have been sold in the United States for some reason. Some in Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom. To find out more about “The Foodie Guide to Farming Insects for Protein” or any of my other eBooks visit my Amazon Author Page. To download your copy of my ‘Cricket eBook’ click on the link here.
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It was months ago when I first approached Coast Protein in New Westminster, British Columbia. They had launched a Kickstarter campaign related to their cricket protein bar products. I was originally tipped off about it by a friend on the West Coast who had tried their protein bar and pointed the product out to me.
While I have been keeping my eyes open for any kind of cricket protein bar in the health food stores I frequent (which is rather infrequent since the nearest one to me is over an hour away) I have had no luck. That was what prompted me to just go ahead and contact Coast Protein. I explained a bit about my eBook (see below) and that I have posted a video and review already on this website for a cricket pasta product. I explained I was keen on trying my first cricket protein bar and was hoping it would be one of theirs. They offered to send a sample and I left it at that. A package arrived a few weeks ago (March 2017) and I decided to hold off until Earth Day (April 22) to conduct the actual taste test. Oddly enough, it was exactly a year ago to the day when we tried cricket pasta for the first time. When I opened the package I was pleased to discover that Coast Protein had sent a sample of two protein bars. One was identified as Dark Chocolate Raisin and the other was named Peanut Butter. I liked the basic packaging of the pair in a plain brown wrapper with a decal on the front with the company logo and name of the item. The back had a decal with all the nutritional information, an ingredient list and related details. So, I tore into them. Appearance The two bars looked a lot alike in that they were flat with squared edges. Both were thick in size and felt hefty which indicated that they were densely packed giving me the feeling they would prove to be satisfying as a quick snack or pick-me-up during a day or between workouts. The only real noticeable difference between the two cricket protein bars in appearance was that the Dark Chocolate Raisin one was a deep, dark brownish/black. The Peanut Butter one was the creamy light brown of your favourite peanut spread. Taste I chose to try the Dark Chocolate Raisin bar first. I had to bite into it to break a piece off, but it was not difficult. I liked that the bar was not crumbly, and it broke up nicely when chewed. The first thing I tasted was the dark chocolate and the raisins. My wife, Brenda tried it the following morning and described it as having “a heavy raisin taste” which scored high with both of us. The dark chocolate blended well with the raisins. I could pick up a hint of the honey and sunflower seeds. In all, a very tasty protein bar that I snacked on throughout the following day, enjoying each bite. The Peanut Butter bar was as solid as the first one. Not crumbly at all, and broke up nicely when chewed. I noticed instantly that it was drier than the first bar. That would have been because of the peanut content and lack of raisins. However, after tasting peanuts I picked up on the apples and pears which added a hint of a fruity after taste. Again, this was also another great tasting protein bar that I munched on throughout the following day. What About The Crickets? Ah, yes. They are cricket protein bars. The cricket content in these comes in the form of cricket flour. Each bar listed the protein content as 20%. The ingredient list on both gives a hint at the amount of cricket flour there is in each as that is listed as the third item in the Dark Chocolate Raisin bar and sixth in the Peanut Butter bar. As ingredients are typically listed in order of amount starting with the most and going down from there, I’m guessing there is not a lot of cricket flour in either. But, it is in there somewhere. Nutritional Facts Each Coast Protein bar weighs 58 grams. The Dark Chocolate Raisin (DCR) one has 282 calories versus 275 with the Peanut Butter (PB) bar. Here is a breakdown of the rest of the contents: Fat (15 grams each with DCR having 12% saturated to 11% for PB. Both show 0% trans fats), both bars have no cholesterol, with sodium at 152mg (DCR) and 127mg (PB). Carbs show up as 26g (DCR) and 25g (PB) with that broken down further to show 4.21g of fiber and 16g sugars (DCR) to 3.79g fiber and 18g sugars (PB). As already stated, both bars have 20% or 10g of protein. Neither record any Vitamin A, with DCR showing 1% Vitamin C (0% PB) and 3% calcium (2% PB). The only real difference in numbers comes from the amount of iron in each bar. PB has just 3% where DCR has 8%. Ratings If I had to pick one from the pair in a head-to-head contest the Dark Chocolate Raisin variety would get my vote. That’s only because they had me at dark chocolate. If the choices were say, Peanut Butter versus something like Apple Pear (I’m making this up as an example) the Peanut Butter would win simply because of it being peanut butter which happens to be my daily breakfast companion and go-to comfort treat. But let’s look at each of them individually. On a scale of 1 to 5 I would rate the Dark Chocolate Raisin a 5 (taste, texture, flavour) and the Peanut Butter a 4.9 only because it was a little drier than the Dark Chocolate Raisin. Would I recommend either of these to you? Most definitely I would! Coast Protein has an incredible product with their cricket protein bars and I thank them for allowing me to do this with them. For More Information For further information on Coast Protein, visit their website at www.CoastProtein.com. To find out more about cricket farming, download my eBook titled “The Foodie Guide To Farming Insects For Protein.” The eBook details the materials required to properly breed crickets or mealworms. It also includes some easy recipes to allow you to enjoy your harvest. The eBook is available at Amazon for $3.99 USD. When researching the term ‘insect protein’ online I found an interesting piece of information. There is a group that has recently formed that is looking to dig deeper than ever into the subject of entomophagy – that’s the human consumption of insects. The group is the NAEIC – the North American Edible Insect Coalition. While on their website I tried to join, but I’m not sure if my survey answers will earn me a membership application or not.
What impressed me most is that such a group now exists. It sort of gives my argument that insect protein is good for you a bit more support. In the words of the NAEIC, they say their mission is “is to foster collaboration amongst stakeholders and create a consolidated voice to encourage the positive growth of insects as both feed and food” and includes the disclaimer that “this Mission Statement will be revised or approved by the Board of Directors” which makes me think this is an extremely new organization. It also tells me that if you have been thinking that cricket flour and cricket protein bars are just a fad, think again. The folks who got together to form the Edible Insect Coalition are some of the movers and shakers in this new wave of protein products ranging from insect farmers to product producers. What really makes the most sense is that the group was born from the people in the industry in an effort to move the industry forward. I’ve always believed success is more likely when those with vested interests are involved. That is why I happen to find the formation of the North American Edible Insect Coalition as such a stroke of brilliance. The Board of Directors was elected following member voting in November and December 2016. A simple Whois Domain search shows that the NAEIC website domain name was originally created on April 4, 2016 so this was not a hastily thrown together group seeking some kind of hangout for like-minded insect eaters. In fact, if you take a good look at their website you will discover a rather complex but well executed structural flow chart and details on the roles and duties for each and every member of the board. So many other groups could learn some valuable lessons on how to develop a leadership model just from that alone. To say I am impressed is putting it mildly. I think it is safe to say that the North American Edible Insect Coalition is going to have some legs – pun not intended, but I’m not editing it. For More Information To find out more about cricket farming, download my eBook titled “The Foodie Guide To Farming Insects For Protein.” The eBook details the materials required to properly breed crickets or mealworms. It also includes some easy recipes to allow you to enjoy your harvest. The eBook is available at Amazon for $3.99 USD. Although many different types of insects are consumed, probably one of the most common is the cricket. This is likely due to the fact that they are easy to raise and have a relatively short life span. The house cricket life cycle comprises of only three stages and they can live an average of two to three months. Some will live a little longer, but this is completely dependent on their living conditions.
A heat lamp providing temperatures between 80 and 90 degrees F will ensure your crickets will grow strong and healthy. This is particularly important if you are trying to breed crickets. The three stages of a cricket’s life are egg, nymph and adult with each stage lasting a short period of time before the growth cycle moves the cricket into the next stage. Let’s take a closer look at these three stages of development: 1 – Egg Female crickets lay eggs. The eggs resemble small pieces of rice and under ideal conditions, the egg will only be present for two weeks. At about the 14th day the nymph that has been growing inside the egg capsule will be strong enough to break it and dig its way out of the substance the egg was laid. 2 – Nymph These look like miniature versions of adult crickets but have a few obvious differences to adults. First, they are not as large as adults. Second, as they are not fully developed, they are missing such things as wings and the females do not have their egg laying organs (called an ovipositor). Also, as these mini crickets are still developing they become snacks for other larger insects – including adult crickets. This is why you must separate nymphs from adults when farming crickets at home. The nymph molts, or sheds its hard exoskeleton up to ten times as it grows to adulthood. The final exoskeleton appears milky white in colour as it is still soft. It may take several hours for it to harden and darken. In another month the nymph will have wings. 3 – Adult The moment an adult cricket’s wings are completely developed, it is considered mature. By this time the average adult male cricket will spend most of its time eating and mating. Fertile females are the target and the male will scrap its wings together to produce the sound we identify as chirping. Chirping is how the male attracts a female. Once a pair has mated, the female will start to lay eggs and she will do so for an extended period of time. The ovipositor is an organ that is hollow and allows the eggs to flow through to be deposited in whatever damp environment exists. In a home cricket farm a breeding tank would have damp potting soil or similar item in place for exactly this purpose. It is common for a female cricket to lay anywhere between 1-hundred and 2-hundred eggs during her life. For More Information To find out more about cricket farming, download my eBook titled “The Foodie Guide To Farming Insects For Protein.” The eBook details the materials required to properly breed crickets or mealworms. It also includes some easy recipes to allow you to enjoy your harvest. The eBook is available at Amazon for $3.99 USD. I can’t argue against logic. When I started researching edible insects for my eBook “The Foodie Guide For Farming Insects For Protein” I discovered a lot of truths that made my beef and pork eating habits seem a little light on protein. So I experimented a little and found that I liked cricket pasta. It was my way of compromising the mix between eating insects and how to actually do it and get past the creepy part.
In my research, which was not for a masters thesis but probably could have been, showed me that although a good portion of the world’s population was already eating insects as part of their diet, there were many to choose from. Figures currently place the number of edible insect species on Earth in the “over 1,900” range. So, in order to spread some logic, here are three reasons why you should consider entomophagy. 1 – Good For The Environment When you compare the numbers, it becomes clear that insect farming is a better choice. Livestock occupy 30-percent of the globe and emit greenhouse gases at levels that exceed all of the world’s transportation networks combined. 2 – Use Little Water To Grow Agriculture uses 70-percent of the water on the ice-free portion of the planet to produce crops with animal protein requiring 100 times more than farming protein from grain. Insects use far less water and can still be farmed during drought conditions. 3 – High Protein Values Insects contain high levels of protein compared to meat and also contain good fats and measurable amounts of fibre. In fact, some of the fats found in insects can contribute to preventing certain types of heart diseases. If that’s not enough, consider that insects are becoming popular additions to several culinary dishes. It’s no longer exotic to dine on a chocolate covered cockroach as edible insects are becoming more mainstream as ingredients in several protein health bars. The reasons for this are really quite logical – the high quality of the protein that is cheaper to produce. For more information on how to start and maintain your very own cricket farm – which will take little space in your home or garage – why not take a look at my eBook? “The Foodie Guide To Farming Insects For Protein” is available from Amazon for just $3.99 USD. It not only details how to get started in cricket farming, it includes a few recipes to get you started on enjoying your crop as soon as you are ready to harvest. We all need protein. It’s the juice that keeps us healthy in that the body uses it to build and maintain muscles, organs and other tissue. In fact, the average human body contains 75-percent protein. It is pretty easy to find in food sources and typically is broken down into two different kinds of proteins: complete and incomplete.
The complete proteins come from animal sources where incomplete proteins are available from plant sources. There are a variety of high-protein foods that come from both sources but one that is continuing to gain more and more attention is protein coming from insects. That’s because a diet containing insects is packed with a lot of extras. Entomology researcher Dr. Arnold van Huis of Wageningen University in the Netherlands says that insects provide an excellent source of nutrition. His studies show that insects are in many cases more nutritious than animal meat with crickets providing twice the protein of beef when measured ounce for ounce. But that’s not all. Cricket protein is actually one of the better types of protein as it also contains all nine essential amino acids that your body requires. This means that a diet that contains crickets can be good for your heart as a study recently at Harvard revealed that adding more magnesium to your diet may reduce your risk of heart disease by up to 22-percent. Crickets contain five times as much magnesium – ounce for ounce – than beef. The extra magnesium can provide additional benefits such as dropping your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by about 33-percent. That’s according to researchers in Japan. Oh, and crickets also have more than three times as much iron as beef does which your body uses to assist muscles. But why such high numbers on insects such as crickets? The way insects are consumed holds the answer. A normal snack of roasted crickets or mealworms means that the crunchy little critter is ingested whole. In other words, muscle, bones and organs are all part of the snack and that delivers zinc, calcium, iron and more to your system. When conventional protein is served, it is usually just the muscle. To find out more about entomophagy – eating insects as a meal – check out my eBook “The Foodie Guide to Farming Insects for Protein” which provides more information on the nutritional value of this alternative source of protein. There are also details on how to start your own cricket or mealworm farm and a few simple recipes to get you started. It’s called entomophagy. That’s essentially the fancy way of saying one is inclined to dine on insects. Sure, it may not be your cup of tea but there are three very good reasons to at least consider chewing on a mealworm or crunching on a roasted cricket.
Let me explain what they are. 1 – They Are Healthy I know you may want to argue this one but the bottom line is that insects are a healthier and more nutritious protein alternative. When you take a hard look and compare insects to fish, beef, chicken or pork it may surprise you to find that bugs are rich in protein. They also contain high values of the ‘good’ fats plus, score on the higher end of the scale when it comes to iron, zinc and even calcium. 2 – They Are Good To The Environment This one covers a number of bases when comparing insects to conventional or mainstream protein sources. For example, the greenhouse gas emissions of insects are far less than cattle. In fact, methane is not produced by most insects. That comes mainly from cockroaches and termites and those are not very high on the edible insect scale, although some cultures do eat them. While we’re at it, pigs produce a high amount of ammonia however, insects produce significantly less. The footprint required to raise insects is considerably smaller than for any other animal raised for food. This means that ground usually used to produce food for livestock, as an example, is far greater than that needed to feed a few thousand crickets. The major plus here is that since insects are cold-blooded, they convert food into protein very efficiently. To compare, crickets require 12 times less feed than cattle, four times less than sheep and half the feed of pigs and chickens in order to produce equal amounts of protein. Also, insects can be fed a diet that comes from just about any organic waste stream. 3 – They Have Economic/Social Benefits Considered extremely low-tech, insect farming costs very little to start. This makes it a great opportunity for entrepreneurs with little capital, including low income earners and even women and children. This means that mini-livestock farming can become a viable income source for anyone, regardless of social or economic status and residential location. In addition, although the cycle required to raise and harvest insects is basic, small scale operations can be designed to be as simple or sophisticated as required. The level of investment will determine the type of farming operation that will be developed but as little space as a closet will suffice at the entry level. Something To Think About While this may not be enough information to push you headlong into the cricket or mealworm farming world, it should give you something to ponder. Imagine feeding your family at a fraction of the cost of beef and still receiving high quality protein in your diet. I live in cattle country and love beef. I also enjoy poultry and fish. There is no way I would ever pull all of those things out of my menu and replace them with crickets and mealworms. However, I have the choice. Not everyone on the planet can afford meat. There is absolutely nothing wrong with insect protein and how it is used. To find out more about the benefits of insect protein as an alternative, I have written an eBook on the subject which also includes a few simple recipes. It is titled “The Foodie Guide To Farming Insects For Protein.” Download your copy today to find out more about entomophagy. If the thought of eating an insect creeps you out, consider this – you are already eating them. Well, in most cases you are eating only bits and pieces of them in some of the foods you already buy. No, it’s not some sort of conspiracy aimed at slowly turning you into an insect protein fan, either. It’s something known as accidental ingestion.
Before I start to share the details on this, here is something to consider. Have you ever noticed in recent years food product labeling changes that make a big deal out of peanuts? I mean the warnings that announce that the item you are about to bite into does not purposely contain peanuts. And because it was manufactured in a plant where peanut products are also part of the assembly line production, there could be a little peanut dust in that creamy whatever you just unwrapped. If you have a peanut allergy you will totally appreciate the point being made here. In the case of peanuts, some people are so sensitive that just a minute amount is enough to set off a reaction. Plus, the warning labels are great ways to dodge a lawsuit. Just saying. But what if the labels said something about the tiny bits of insects you may see in your food? As it turns out, that really isn’t an issue in either the United States or Canada thanks to something called accidental ingestion. Both countries have guidelines that outline how many bits of this or that insect is acceptable in certain food products sold to consumers. Here’s a little sample of what I mean: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US says that, for example, bug parts must not exceed the 1 part per gram limit in pasta. In other words, a plate of spaghetti weighing in at 500-grams can have a maximum of 500 insect pieces in it and still be considered safe. Naturally that’s the extreme. Anything under a part per gram is a-ok and would be more likely the situation in that cardboard box of pasta you are thinking about cooking for supper. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) looks at these things as well and considers a head of cabbage with ten aphids on it a #1 Grade product. That grading drops down to #2 once that aphid population increases on that same head of cabbage. Plus, the #1 grading still applies if there is a cabbage worm present and several aphids on wrapper leaves. It drops down to #2 grading if the wrapper leaves have an ‘infestation’ of aphids. Again, I am using extremes here to get across that you are already eating bugs without really knowing it. It’s obviously not going to harm you as all insects are a source of protein and that is why insects as food is not as farfetched an idea as it may sound. In fact, in many cultures they (the bugs) are already a staple in meals of all kinds. Let’s also give the FDA and CFIA a nod for acknowledging that there really isn’t such a thing as the perfect ear of corn or bag of potatoes. Everything we grow as food also feeds those tiny insects or they wouldn’t be anywhere near the produce traveling from farm to store and to your table. It should make it easier to stomach than wondering what is really in a hot dog or slab of bologna, shouldn’t it? |
AuthorMy name is George Elliott. I have been in the Media Industry since 1978. I spent 23 years in Broadcasting and worked in a total of six different radio stations located in southern British Columbia Canada during my career. In 2000 I switched gears and moved into the Print Media Industry at a small town, local weekly newspaper. In 2004 I bought the paper and operated it with my wife, Brenda until July 2016 when we closed it. I launched a freelance web content and article writing business from my home in January 2014. Archives
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