6 days ago
You may be probably have heard of these animals but the idea of having to add them as nutritious meal to your diets may sound strange to you, right? Well, this article hopes to bring to your fore five not only threatening but also enjoyable diets that are not down played in certain places of the globe.
1. Scorpions
Scorpions are always considered as one of the most dangerous animals in the world due to the high morbidity and death rate cases recorded annually by World Health Organization in areas they reside.
Unknown to many, scorpions are discovered to be surprisingly nutritious, offering high protein content, low fat, and essential vitamins and minerals. They can be a healthy alternative to traditional meats and support overall vitality.
Scorpions are eaten by some people in West Africa, Myanmar and East Asia, and Thailand. Fried scorpion is traditionally eaten in shandong, China. There, scorpions can be eaten in different ways including cooking, roasting, frying, or grilling. Some remove the stingers while others do not because through direct and sustained heat the venom becomes harmless. They are used in Vietnam to make snake wine.
2. Snakes
More often than not, when you talk about snakes, you get responses like they are venomous, they can harm us. However, some people have managed to turn this animal into something delicious and nutritious.
In this section of this article, we shall dive into the health benefits snake meat offers and the ones that are edible. In fact, not all snakes can be eaten due to excessive poisonous ability they possess eg black mamba. Copperhead, cottonmouth, rattlesnakes and coral snakes are the few ones people eat. Why do people eat snakes? You may ask. Well, the meat contains protein just like any other traditional meat.
Yes, the meat also comes with these health benefits; It cures certain types of cancer, hypertension, stroke, and high allergic reactions. It improves skin complexion with its whitening and smoothening effects and It cures impotence among men.
Consumption of these animals' meat could have massive negative effects, some of which may result in death. Below are some of the risks and side effects associated with consuming snake meat.
i. The danger of being killed by residual venom.
ii. The danger of being pierced by poisonous, contaminated bones. The meat may have microbiological and heavy metal contamination. Snake soup has been considered a delicacy in Chinese culture for over two thousand years; however, they are generally eaten in other countries including: Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand.
3. Cockroach
It is obvious that consuming cockroaches may trigger stomach disorders because they can carry bacteria, toxins and parasites that may be harmful if you consume them. Furthermore, it is no surprising to find cockroaches on unsanitary places. But that does not stop people from putting cockroaches into their sumptuous diets.
They are highly regarded as essential food source in Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico and China. They can be eaten grilled, roasted, boiled or fried. Cockroaches are abundant in proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. It is also known that some people prefer eating insects like grasshoppers or crickets to cockroaches
4. Mealworms
Another mind blowing delicacy on this list is the mealworm, which is a darkling beetle in its larvae form.This nutritious delicacy is fit for both pet and human consumption.
Mealworms are packed with nutrients such as proteins, fat, vitamins, fiber and minerals like copper, iron, potassium, sodium, selenium and zinc. Their consumption is highly embraced in Asia and parts of Europe.
They can be eaten raw but most often they are served dry-roasted or ground up and added to flour. In Mexico, they are normally used this way to make tortillas.
5. Termites
They may be best known for chewing wood, and they normally come out during raining seasons but in other parts of the world including Africa, Asia, and South America they are known as food.
They do not carry diseases that may be harmful to the human health and since they are somewhat easy-to-catch insects, rich in protein, fatty acids, and other micronutrients, they are highly consumed especially in rural areas that inhabitants experience higher rates of malnutrition.
Termites also do have iron and calcium. These bugs can be served fried, smoked, or cooked. In furtherance to the people eating termites in these areas, the insects are also used to feed livestock because of their nutritious content.