Getting the right mix of nutrients every day can be a challenge. You have to be sure to choose foods that maximize your intake of your daily vitamins and minerals while also incorporating your necessary food groups. With so many “dirty” food options available, it can be tough to avoid the bad stuff while getting lots of the good stuff.

Turns out, there’s a great addition to any healthy diet that can give you plenty of that good stuff. You guessed it—crickets! If you haven’t already been convinced by Why You Should Be Eating Crickets Part I that you should be eating crickets, the incredible nutritional value of crickets just might win you over!

Let’s take a look at a rundown of what exactly is in crickets. When compared weight-for-weight with other foods, crickets outperform many conventional sources of nutrients:

Protein

If you’re looking for healthy sources of protein for your diet, look no further. Crickets are a complete protein source, meaning they contain every essential amino acid your body needs for muscle synthesis. Not to mention that crickets are 58-65% protein (and our 100% Pure Cricket Powder has even more), so the amount of protein they contain is comparable to meat, and sometimes substantially more. Adding some crickets to your meal is a surefire way to get plenty of those amino acids!

Cricket protein is one of the purest sources of protein on the planet, and by blending it seamlessly into our products, we make it easy for you to incorporate cricket protein into your diet.

Iron

Not even spinach can beat out crickets when it comes to iron. According to the USDA, 100 g of spinach contains 2.71 mg of iron, while crickets boast about 5.9 mg of iron per 100 g.

Omega 3s and Omega 6s

Believe it or not, crickets provide the same amount of omega-3 fatty acids as salmon! Specifically, crickets contain 6.28 g of omega 6s and 2.81 g of omega 3s per 100 g.

Calcium

We all know the importance of calcium in our diets. Milk is a well known source of calcium, but when compared gram for gram, crickets contain even more!

Fiber

On top of all of the other nutritional benefits, crickets are high in fiber: 6g per 100g of crickets. That’s more fiber than in green beans, which according to the USDA only contain anywhere from .9 to about 2.4 g per 100 g.

But wait … there’s more! Crickets may serve as a prebiotic.

As if crickets weren’t beneficial enough, early research suggests that consuming crickets may help the growth of helpful bacteria in your gut as well as reduce inflammation. More research is necessary, but this is a great sign for further health benefits of crickets!

So are You ready to try Crickets?

We hope Why You Should Be Eating Crickets Part I and II have answered the increasingly common question, “Why should I be eating crickets?” with an overview of the range of benefits that crickets provide. Crickets are one of the cleanest and most complete sources of protein, they’re packed with other vital nutrients, and they’re far more sustainable to produce than meat. 

So what are you waiting for? You have the power to make a #smallbutmighty change to your diet today! Give crickets a try with our easy-to-consume powdered cricket products and discover why 2 billion people around the world already include insects in their diets. 

We’d love to hear your experience with eating crickets and your thoughts on this amazing source of protein in the comments below!