What is Acheta Powder? How Crickets Might Save Your Gains (and the Planet)
Alright, guys and gals we’re about to talk…cricket powder.
Yep, you heard that right. Not the sport, the insect. 🦗
So what the heck is Cricket (acheta) powder?
It’s ground-up crickets. Sounds gross? Hear me out…
This stuff is the Alpha Male of protein powders. It’s got more protein than beef, it’s better for the planet, and it might just save us all from a food crisis.
What is Acheta Powder?
Acheta powder (a fancy name for cricket flour) is made from house crickets. They grind ’em up into a fine powder after farming them for around 2 months.
Why should you care?
Because it’s packed with nutrients:
- 60-70% protein (Read more on that here)
- All 9 essential amino acids (aka the building blocks of life)
- Loaded with B12, iron, calcium, and zinc (2)
It’s like if spinach and steak had a baby, and that baby was an overachiever.
But is it good for the planet?
Short answer: Heck yeah.
Long answer: Compared to raising cows, cricket farming:
- Uses way less water (like, 2000x less)
- Needs barely any land (they farm ’em vertically, like a cricket skyscraper)
- Produces fewer greenhouse gases (crickets don’t fart as much as cows, who knew?) (3)
Okay, but how do you actually eat it?
You can add cricket powder to pretty much anything:
- Protein shakes
- Bread and cookies
- Pasta (for when you want to feel healthy eating carbs)
- Even chips and crackers
The million-dollar question: Does it taste like bugs?
Nah, it’s pretty neutral. Think of it like tofu, but with actual nutritional value.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Josh, this sounds cool and all, but I’m not Timon and Pumbaa. I don’t eat bugs.“
I get it. It’s weird. But so was sushi when it first hit the US, and now we’re all about it.
Plus, it’s already FDA approved. So you can tell your mom it’s safe when she freaks out about you eating bugs.
Now, I’m not saying you need to go full Bear Grylls and start downing live crickets. But maybe, just maybe, adding some cricket powder to your morning smoothie isn’t such a crazy idea.
Who knows? In 10 years, we might all be walking around with cricket protein bars, feeling like environmentally conscious bodybuilders.
So, do you think you’ll try it?
Not to be hyperbolic, but every time you eat cricket powder, you’re basically saving the world. No pressure.
Stay hungry (for insects), Josh
P.S. If anyone asks why you’re suddenly into eating bugs, just tell them you’re preparing for your audition on Fear Factor.
Sources:
- Nutritional and Functional Properties of Novel Italian Spray-Dried Cricket Powder https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9854902/
- Formulation of Protein-Rich Chocolate Chip Cookies Using Cricket (Acheta domesticus) Powder https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9602185/
- https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/130be8634f12e0d3f90f6dbfc9af183ddd5d5c31
