Untitled Document
 What
do you eat when you’re hungry? Some of you might enjoy munching on a healthy snack,
like fresh fruits and vegetables. Others may grab a bag of chips or
eat a cup of ramen. While all of these foods are delicious choices,
the next time you’re hungry, why don’t you try a handful of insects? Not
only are they low-fat and high in protein, but according to the United
Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)UN식량농업기구, “Insects
are a highly nutritious and a healthy
food source with vitamin, fiber, and mineral content.”
 In
fact, a report recently released by the FAO encourages
people to eat more insects. Their reasons are threefold. First, eating
insects will reduce greenhouse gas emissions
and livestock pollution. Insects
emit fewer greenhouse gases than most livestock. In addition, farming
insects does not require the clearing of land. This may
help slow deforestation. Farming insects
is also low-tech, costs little money, and can be done by anyone, even
by the poorest members of society. Second, insects are healthy, nutritious
alternatives to chicken,
pork, beef, and fish.
“They provide high-quality protein and nutrients when compared with
meat and fish and are particularly important as
a food supplement for undernourished children,”
the report stated. Lastly, the world’s population is set to grow to
9 billion by 2050. Eating more insects could combat food scarcity.
Today, an estimated 2 billion people worldwide?mostly in Asia, Africa,
and Latin America? consume insects as part of
their daily diet.
 According
to the FAO, beetles and caterpillars are the most
common meals among the more than 1,900 edible insect species that
people eat. Other popular insect foods include bees, ants, grasshoppers,
locusts, and crickets. The
two species of insects that are among the least popular are termites and flies.
Doug Yanega, a scientist at the University of California, Riverside
and an expert on consuming edible bugs, also recommends scorpions
and water bugs. “Some scorpions
and water bugs are yummy, and honey bees are perfectly delicious,”
he said. He also agrees with FAO’s report. “The UN report is perfectly
logical, but it’s tough to convince people.”
Are you convinced? Do you think this idea will catch on in Korea? |
|
|
|
