Health Trends: Would You or Wouldn't You is a monthly series in which we here at YBC will test out some crazy healthy trends and report back. We're up for almost anything (but we have our limits), so if you've heard of something a little nuts in the name of health, let us know in the comments below or over on the Yoga Forum. Disclosure: Exo provided me with the cricket flour bars. All opinions - as always - are my own.
The Health Trend
Cricket flour is apparently the next big food trend (along with other insects!)
The Claim
The claim is that crickets are a more sustainable protein source than meats. For every 100 lbs of feed, you'll get:
- 5 lbs of edible beef protein
- 15 lbs of edible pork protein
- 30 lbs of edible chicken protein
- 60 lbs of edible cricket protein
According to Exo, crickets also produce 100 times less greenhouse gasses than cows, and contain 2.2 times more iron than spinach. Their also a complete protein, containing all the essential amino acids.
We tried it!
If you've been following YBC for a while, you know that I have been on the GAPS diet to heal my stomach from long-term antibiotic use for lyme disease. I've been on it just over a year and have seen incredible results but still have some healing to do. Since these bars are soy, dairy, grain, and gluten-free, I figured I could try them without having my stomach go too crazy. I'm happy to report my stomach handled them just fine.
Cricket flour protein bars
Over the course of a few days, I tried a number of different flavors of cricket bars. The blueberry vanilla was a favorite, as was the cacao nibs bar. I found the bars to be the perfect density - they sort of tasted like your everyday protein bar - chewy, moist with a little bit of crunch, and satisfying. They are full of flavor and the cricket flour wasn't noticeable in any way. They're between 270-300 calories per bar, if you're a calorie counter (I'm not, I seriously have no idea what a calorie is or how many I'm supposed to have), and I think they'd be a great option while running errands and needing a quick fix before I get HANGRY. (I suffer from a serious case of HANGER if I don't eat every two hours or so!)
The only downside is the price. At around $3.00 per bar, these babies are an investment. That being said, they're really delicious and a splurge I know I'd love.
Consensus
I would eat them again in a heartbeat and will be recommending them to friends and family as well! Tell me, would you?
Shop cricket flour options below:
