A mother has revealed that she feeds her 18-month-old baby crickets since they’re ‘a great source of protein’ – and has insisted that the tot ‘loves’ eating the bugs and that it’s saved hundreds of dollars per month on her grocery bill.
Tiffany Leigh, a food writer from Toronto, Canada, said that she first tried insects during a visit to Asia – tasting everything from fried tarantula legs to scorpion on a stick – and she ‘loved’ how the critters were ‘incorporated into local dishes’ to ‘enhance their textural appeal.’
When her daughter became old enough to start eating food, Tiffany decided to add bugs to her diet – which she described as a much cheaper way to provide the toddler with protein.
While speaking to Insider recently, the mother-of-one explained that since she started mixing crickets into her 18-month-old’s meals, she doesn’t have to spend as much on ‘more traditionally expensive proteins like beef, chicken, and pork’ – and she said the change has resulted in her cutting her food bill down from $250-$300 a week to $150-$200 a week.
‘[My daughter is] at the age where she’s fearless and curious, so this is an opportune time to try more “exotic” foods that aren’t considered a dietary staple in North America,’ she explained.
‘[Crickets are] a nutritional powerhouse. A mere two tablespoons of cricket powder provides 100 per cent of the daily protein needs of a baby.
Tiffany explained that she first started by giving her daughter Cricket Puffs, which she orders from Entomo Farms – a food retailer which specifically sells treats that are made out of crickets.
She said the Puffs look like Cheetos but taste ‘far less salty and have a fibrous finish to them.’
According to Entomo Farms’ website, the puffs are made from organic cricket flour, fava beans and lentils and are a great ‘source of protein, fiber, and vitamin B12.’ There are three different flavors – including cheddar, cheddar jalapeño, and BBQ.
‘[My baby] took to them immediately. She devoured them with delight and didn’t notice the slight textural difference,’ Tiffany said.
Next the tried giving her daughter Whole Roasted Crickets, which didn’t go as smoothly.
Whole Roasted Crickets are what you would expect – crickets roasted whole. According to Entomo Farms, the ‘light, airy, and crunchy’ snack have a ‘pleasant, nutty, Earthy’ taste, which is similar to ‘roasted sunflower seeds.
Tiffany admitted that she was horrified when she pulled the first one out of the bag, since she said you can ‘see their little heads, thoraxes, and abdomens all clustered together.’
After her toddler took a bite, it was clear she was not a fan of them and ‘chucked the rest onto the floor.’
Not giving up, Tiffany then decided to start mixing the whole roasted crickets into things like pancake mix or mac and cheese sauce – and it a major success, since the little girl couldn’t even tell they were in there.
‘We had more success when the ground crickets were “hidden” in pancakes. You could see the black flecks in the batter, but my baby was unfazed by the appearance change,’ she continued.
‘She took a big bite and clamored for more. I ate some and could understand why – you couldn’t tell that crickets were in these fluffy cakes.
‘The only difference was that they had a slightly nutty finish. For dinner, I sprinkled some of the powder into our mac-and-cheese sauce, tossed it with some pasta shells, and again, she couldn’t taste anything different. She then made the sign for “more” – it was a winner.’
The writer said she now plans to ‘incorporate more edible insects’ into her daughter’s meals as she gets older, including ants, grasshoppers, and worms.
Venus Kalami, a board-certified pediatric dietitian and nutritionist at Solid Starts, told the outlet that bugs are indeed ‘packed with key nutrients like high-quality protein, essential fatty acids, minerals like iron (some have more than beef) and zinc, vital B vitamins, and more.’
‘During infancy, a child is particularly receptive to exploring a wide variety of foods – a strong argument for introducing insects early on and getting ahead of any negative stereotypes around eating bugs, such as being “scary” or “inedible,”‘ she added.
Source: dailymail
