Diverse Opinions
Would you be open to eating bugs as a normal part of your diet?
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Below are the diverse responses to this question answered by Americans in the age range of 15 years to 45 years.
I would not incorporate bugs into my lifestyle normally because I don't like the idea of eating bugs. I hate bugs to begin with and I don't think that I could eat them normally. I also get the sufficient protein and nutirents from the food I eat now.
Yes I would be opened to eating bugs as long as they had six legs. I remember hearing that rule somewhere.
No I don't think I would include bugs into my diet because I don't know where to get bugs or how to implement them into my diet. I also am not sure what would prompt me to include bugs in my diet. Also, the thought of eating bugs does not sound appetizing.
I’d be open to eating them if it became necessary for survival or if they were prepared in some sort of way where I forgot that I was eating insects. I know they are supposed to be a great source of protein and I believe Gwyneth Paltrow has the power to promote any crazy diet craze and make it main stream. It wouldn’t be my first choice food but if we found innovate ways to prepare them I’d be open to eating bugs.
I would be willing to slowly start incorporate bugs into my diet. I’ve done some research on the health benefits previously, and they are a great source of protein with little fat content. However, I am a bit reluctant to begin this incorporation because bugs are not a part of mu cultural background, and eating bugs seems very foreign. I wouldn’t know how to cook or where to purchase bugs to eat, although I could look as I have access to many different cultural cuisines in my community.
I don’t see a need to add those to my diet, I get enough nutrients already without eating insects cause that’s kinda gross.
I would not eat bugs as part of my normal diet mainly because I’m afraid of all bugs. I could not get over putting a bug in my mouth, especially when I’m afraid. Let’s say a small spider is remotely near me I will run out of the room.
I am unwilling to consume bugs as part of my diet. My aversion to the dish is not only due to the consumption of bugs being against the social norm. Rather, I find biting into a crunchy exoskeleton unpalatable and find the idea of having bug guts in my mouth disturbing. A bug landing on me is repulsive enough, much less chewing one up. Bugs have a reputation to be dirty, and I cannot disassociate that knowledge when biting into them.
I would only be open to eating bugs as a normal part of my diet if satisfied these two requirements: (1) they must taste appetizing, and (2) it must be socially acceptable to do so. I highly doubt that a bug will be able to taste as good as a chicken wing or piece of steak, which is why I do not believe I will be replacing those things with bugs in the near future. What might be more feasible is slowly integrating bugs into our "normal" meals until they become something like the equivalent of french fries: a sort of side dish. However, despite the taste, I do not think I will eat bugs regularly if it will make my peers and relatives gag. I wouldn't want to ruin my chances of keeping a boyfriend because I eat bugs! Only if society makes bug-consuming normal will I take part in it.
How what to eat and what not to eat is arbitrarily set by human preferences based on what animals were easiest to domesticate. And how once we remove that social construct we should be able to consume anything from calorie intake standpoint.
I have been through many phases with bugs. I grew up a tomboy and surrounded by many male cousins so I was never scared of getting dirty and being one with wildlife. As I grew up and my personality changed, I suddenly wasn’t as fearless and began to hate bugs to the point where if I were to see one in my room I’d let the bug have my room (this is a true story, I slept on my couch for three days). My issue with eating bugs is that there is no way of getting to the inside and only eating its inner parts. With animal meat you don’t think much of the animal because you’re just cooking and eating its insides, which I consider bearable. Also, when you step on bugs there’s like gooey stuff inside and when they’re cooked, what you’ll be putting in your mouth is the fully formed bug body and I just don’t think I could stomach that knowing that it’s insides are that disgusting. So my answer is no, unless there’s a proposed less graphic way of eating them that is not putting their full formed bodies into my mouth, which is all I’ve been exposed to so far.
I would be open to it because I enjoy trying new foods and know in some parts of the world bugs are people’s diets. I also feel like its a more ethical source of protein considering it's easier to kill bugs and bugs are extremely abundant.
I would be open to eating bugs if there was reasoning behind how it was healthy and/or good for me. I think that there are plenty of foods that come in all shapes and sizes, but it is judged by appearance before it is even tasted. I would like to try something new and if it is healthier for me that is even better. However, it is still hard to initially look at the bug and think “Oh how yummy” because I have never eaten one before. I think that if there was research presented to me on how it is safe to eat and to know if there are any precautions I should take I would be open to the idea of integrating bugs into my normal diet.
I would be open to eating bugs as a normal part of my diet if they possessed some sort of health benefit. I understand that some bugs are fairly high in protein... As long as I could cook them with other foods and didn't have to eat them raw, I could see myself being open to something so absurd.
No. I believe that our society has subconsciously made us biased towards how we see bugs. We focus on the insect aspect of them and not the nutrient factors. Countries around the world eat bugs but since we are taught through out our lives that they are not for consumption, we are essentially repulsed by the thought.
I see no problem with eating bugs. We already put so many weird things in our body. Some of them already bugs. If I'm not mistaken, red food dye comes from beetles, and nobody is freaking out about that. As long as people can turn bugs into a good hamburger or some tasty kind of chip then I should be fine. In fact, I would feel a little bit better about myself knowing that just a bunch of caterpillars or roaches died instead of a cow to make my meal. I'm not too sure why but I simply have less sympathy for insects than I do for my fellow mammals. I feel like it would be difficult to mistreat a bug, but mistreating farm cattle is a different story.
I would not because I already get all the nutrients that I need from a non bug diet, so that’s not a necessary measure. I think eating bugs would be inconvenient and slightly gross.
No I wouldn’t want to eat bugs, that’s kinda gross to me. Maybe if they were mixed into a dish and I didn’t know about it, but I wouldn’t just take a caterpillar and eat it.
I would only eat bugs if it was necessary to survive, like in a zombie apocalypse type scenario. I do only eat bugs now and I don't see a reason to start because I am able to get protein through tastier things.
I would be open to a bug diet. It’s just the same as eating any other meat and I’m sure it’d be interesting and fun to eat.
I would not be open to eating bugs as I have never have before and I’m not fond of insects to begin with.
I would be willing to eat bugs as a part of a normal diet if it was nutritional (which I think it is based off of my like loose recollection of it) and I liked the taste of it. It’s not so much that I wouldn’t eat it because it’s bugs it’s just that certain tastes bother me too much to eat, so I would have to try it first.
I would be open to eating bugs as a normal part of my diet because they are actually a great source of protein. Though I may be hesitant at first due to its appearance, it will be something to just adapt to. I would say that they are very efficient and sustainable so it is beneficial once you get the hang of it.
I would be open to eating bugs depending on how well it was cooked or seasoned.
I would not be open to eating bugs as a part of my normal diet unless I was unaware that they were bugs. I think when it comes to eating bugs, most people kind of wince and think that it is horrifically gross. I know people do eat bugs and I know there actually is nutritional value to it, however I don't know if my preconceived notions about bugs and eating them would allow me to actually put one in my mouth and swallow it. Like I said, if I was unaware that they were bugs and I ate them, then sure, but I think just knowing that they are bugs makes you not want to like the taste and not want to eat them.
I would be open to it but I think I just have a stigma around it because bugs.
I would not be comfortable eating bugs as a normal part of my diet. I have heard some bugs are healthy and have a good amount of protein, but the legs and crunchy shells creep me out. Plus many insects crawl around garbage, so my mind associates them with germs. In other words, I think I could not get over the mental associations. Furthermore, with so many healthy foods I am comfortable eating it would be difficult to see why I would need to get over that. Ironically, I do not think it gross if people in other cultures eat bugs; if they do obviously they are used to that. When it comes to food, everyone has their own cultural foods and that's ok!
I would not be open to eating bugs as a normal part of my diet because I think they are disgusting and there are so many foods in the world I don't see the point of eating bugs. Lots of people try to be daredevils and eat them but I think its gross. I once bought a cricket lollipop at kidspace that contained a cricket in the middle and just licking it grossed me out so I threw it away. Therefore, I don't think that I would EVER eat another bug.
I think it depends. If those bugs don’t taste super weird then I don’t mind adding them to my diet list. But if those bugs taste awful then I’m not gonna eat them. I personally had a random experience of eating worms during one of my trips. Few years ago, I went to a small village in Southwestern China and tried its traditional cuisine, “fried worms.” I didn’t know it was worms before I ate it. Surprisingly it was really good! The cooks put lots of spices and other sauce that totally made the “worm fries” taste like chicken flavored fries. After that I think I’m open to eating weird stuffs.
I totally would eat bugs, maybe not spiders because that is scary. I hear crickets are really good for you and you can’t even taste them that much. I’m open to doing new things.
No, I would not be open to eating bugs as part of my diet. I'm aware they have high nutritional value and a great source for protein but the thought of eating an insect of my own free will does not feel right with me. Instead of having insects I'd rather have meat.
No I would not be open to eating bugs as part of my diet because they gross me out and there is other food that I enjoy eating instead. If it was really necessary then I probably would. Even the candy with bugs in it, not trying to eat that.
I would be fine with implementing bugs into my diet, because many people don't realize we already eat bugs on an everyday basis in products we love such as peanut butter. In addition, they are a source of protein and fiber for a persons diet. Furthermore, if we began to mass produce bugs, they would leave a smaller imprint on the earth than let's say cattle and salmon.
Yes because they’re good sources of protein but I would want them to not look like bugs.
I am not open to eating bugs. #1 I think eating bugs is gross. Seeing a pile of fried grasshoppers or whatever bugs you eat grosses me out. It’s like picking up a grasshopper or cricket off the ground and putting it in your mouth. #2 I’m pretty sure I’d throw up at the sensation of the crunch. It’s like you know you’re crushing and tearing apart the insides of the poor cricket. I probably sound like a hypocrite because I eat meat and all but I don’t think I can handle bugs. #3 where would I have access to the bugs? How would I know that these bugs are “edible” in the sense that they’re good from me and non poisonous. I don’t think I know enough about eating bugs.
I would be questionable to eating bugs as part of my normal diet. Insects actually have a high fat, protein, vitamin, and fiber and they are a sustainable food source. However, the factor that prevents me from fully committing to such a food source would be how disgusting they are. There is no appeal whatsoever when people talk about insects, bugs, etc.
Honestly, I've never even considered incorporating bugs into my diet. I know that is it apart of many groups culture but because it isn't apart of mine I've never considered it. I've heard that many bugs are nutritious and provide vitamins and that's sounds great. However, there I think there is a stigma in society around bugs and eating bugs and it being gross. While I respect the culture of others and I may be willing to try a bug one day, I don't think that personally that is the life style for me. But to each their own.
I would only eat bugs if it were absolutely necessary. I have been informed that they are excellent sources of protein, but since I have the capabilities to purchase and consume meat and nuts, I would not need to eat bugs. So, all in all, I would only eat bugs if the zombie apocalypse (or some other related catastrophic event) were to occur and all food sources were depleted.
I would not be open to eating bugs as a part of my daily diet. I am terrified of bugs and the thought of putting one in my mouth scares me a lot. I also think you can get the health benefits that you get from bugs from other not as intimidating sources.
I wouldn't be open to implementing insects into my diet. I’m a bit of an arachnophobe and unless presented with information stating otherwise, I don't see a nutritional or dietary benefit to it. I don’t like bugs.
Yeah I’d be open to it but we don’t need to eat bugs. But I guess you could say that about a lot of the food we eat.
I would only be open to eating bugs if I knew that they would become part of a basic diet for many other people. But if not, I would not be open to eat bugs because it is not socially acceptable by the US so, in others eyes, I would be considered odd to them.
Yes, I think I would be open to eating bugs as a normal part of my diet. I understand that bugs can be very nutritious. I do not really see a huge difference between eating a cricket or eating a cow. They both would have been living creatures. However, if I do eat them, I would not want it to be apparent I am eating bugs. I also think that if more people got nutrients from bugs rather than livestock, it would make positive changes within the environment.
Absolutely. Crickets have a ton of protein. Since I'm vegetarian and don't eat poultry, mammals, or fish, I'd definitely think about adding bugs into my diet. I think there is a stigma around it in western culture but that wouldn't stop me. For a while I was trying to get some cricket flour to bake with just because I wanted to know the constancy and how to bakes and such. I don't really know much about other bugs but I'm up to try them or incorporate them as a part of my normal diet.
Personally, I would not be open to eating bugs. Most bugs freak me out when they are alive so I think I might have a problem with eating them. The only time I have considered actually eating bugs is when I watch The Lion King movie, when Timon and Pumbaa are eating ‘grub’ or bugs. The animation makes the bugs look so appetizing it’s insane! But overall, I would not include bugs as part of my normal diet.
Yes, I would be open to eating bugs as part of my regular diet. I know they have a lot of protein and require a small amount of energy to farm. I feel like if I learned how to cook and season them so they taste good, I wouldn't have a problem incorporating them into regular meals. However, I don't know if I would eat them by themselves because of their crunchy texture.
I think I would be open to eating as part of a diet if they were grind up and had nutritional value. If they are not adding anything healthy or nutritional to what I’m eating then I probably would not want to eat them. But I would be open to eating them if they were grind up or mixed into whatever I was eating.
I've always really loved bugs, almost as much as I love animals, so I don't know if I would be able to eat them. I bet they're high in protein and aren't bad for you, but I don't know if they'd taste good. If it came down to it I think maybe i would eat bugs.
I would be open if there were health benefits I couldn't get anywhere else.
I don’t think I would be open to eating bugs as a normal part of my diet. I am not informed on bugs and their benefits, but the thought of eating bugs grosses me out for the same reason the thought of eating animals grosses me out. If there were tons of benefits to eating them and I had no choice, I guess I would try to eat bugs.
The thought of consuming insects bothers me because it is not of my culture. It's definitely a superfood but for me, it would take time to get used to eating bugs on a normal basis.