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Crickets, the other white meat?

Crickets have been gaining a lot of attention recently thanks in large part to the nutritional value the six-legged creatures are packed with.

Chirp, chirp, crunch.

Could that be the sound sequence heard at your dinner table in the near future? Probably not, but crickets are gaining a ton of attention recently as being surprisingly nutritious.

A study done last year by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization noted that crickets are high in protein, iron, B12, essential amino acids and contain about as much calcium as a glass of milk. They are rich in fat for their serving size, but some of that percentage is attributed to the healthier, unsaturated variety.

The macronutrients per 100 grams of cricket are 12.9 grams of protein, 5.5 grams of fat and 5.1 grams of carbohydrates according to research done by Iowa State University.

Start-ups are taking notice of the potential booming bug business, but are opting to take a more conservative approach to consuming these six-legged insects by offering them in the form of cricket flour.

"Insects are probably the most sustainable form of protein we have on Earth," Bitty Foods founder Megan Miller said at a TedX conference earlier this year. "The only real barrier to Americans eating insects is a cultural taboo."

Bitty is one company that uses the ground crickets as the basis for baked goods like their chocolate cardamom cookies. All of their products are grain and sugar free. You can also order the cricket flour and create your own insect infused treats.

Cricket protein bar company Exo started as a way to separate their product in an otherwise saturated market. Two students backed by a dream and 2,000 crickets created products like the cricket flour peanut butter and jelly protein bar. Each bar contains the powder of about 40 crickets and offers 10g of protein.

The method for turning a chirping, leaping cricket into a finely pulverized powder is pretty basic. The bugs are cleaned then roasted to remove moisture before being milled.

Apparently crickets have a toasted, nutty flavor that is actually quite tasty, but before you grab a net and go hunting in your back yard, maybe your first bite should come from one of these experts.

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