While the idea of eating insects might repulse you, the United Nations recommends adding more of these creepy crawlies to your diet.
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Their mix of protein, high fiber, healthy fats and minerals make them a good source of nutrition.
RELATED: Vending machine at Houston Museum of Natural Science serves insects as snacks
Vending machine at HMNS serves insects as snacks
Think the recommendation is strange? Consider this: More than two billion people eat insects as a regular part of their diet.
These tiny little wonders are helping to treat malnutrition in food insecure nations, giving hungry people a chance at a better life.
While there are more than 1,900 edible insect species on this wild planet of ours, here are eight that you can crunch, suck, slurp and enjoy:
Beetles
Want to know what these armored little arthropods are like as a meal? If you roast them, they come out a little like popcorn, only packed with a high dose of protein.
Orthopteran insects
Ortho-whata? We'll spare you the roaches (although they too are edible), but think grasshoppers, crickets and locusts. These winged insects are crunchy and chefs say they can inherit the flavor profile of the spices you cook them in. They are also recommended for stir frying.
Flies and mosquitoes
These itty bitty nuisances are actually very edible, and their flavors vary based on where they fly. Some even taste like the flesh of some animals if they develop where the host animal lives.
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Butterflies and moths
You're not going to eat them so much in their gorgeous winged form, but you should look to consume butterflies and moths in their fleshy worm states. They are loaded with iron and have been credited with helping treat nutritional deficiencies in developing nations.
Stinkbugs
You wouldn't think they'd taste like apple, but apparently they do. You can crush these little buggers to create more flavorful sauces, and nutritionists at the UN said they are a great source of iodine.
Bees and wasps
Don't worry about getting a little zing. Bees and wasps without stingers do exist, and some people say they have a nutty flavor.
Ants
You can eat yourself to good health by thinking like an aardvark. Ants are low carb treats that are high in protein and iron.
Water insects
The eggs of Corixidae family bugs, like water boatmen and backswimmers, can be made into a sort of caviar, or even eaten fresh for a more fishy taste. You can find these eggs in both fresh and saltwater.
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