Insects are considered as a true protein power food – one out of many reasons to eat insects.
But… why does your body need protein and which food contains how much protein? Read more to find out the answers
Why we need protein
Beside fat and carbohydrate, protein is an essential nutrient for your body. Protein supports the muscle development and fat reduction, produce enzymes and hormones, repair the body tissue and strengthen the immune system.
This is the amount of protein you need.
Adults (in the age of 19-65) need about 0.8g protein per kg body weight daily. As an example, a person with 65kg require 52g of protein per day. Elderly people and pregnant women should have a higher protein intake (0.9-1.2g per kg body weight). Athletes have an even higher demand (1.2-1.8g per kg body weight).
Discover our protein bars with cricket flour
If you weight 65kg you should eat about 52g protein daily.
Please be aware: Eating too much protein, particular animal protein, can strain your kidney, if your kidney is already facing problems.
Animal or vegetable protein?
Beside insects, meat and dairy products, many plants contain high-quality proteins, like legumes, nuts and vegetables.
The quality of the proteins of certain food is defined based on the amino acid content. The more essential amino acids are available in a food product, the higher the protein quality and the better digestible it is for your body.
Eggs are taken as a reference with a value of 100. If you combine different protein sources together, you can reach a value higher than 100.
- Egg: 100
- Milk: 85
- Soy: 84
- Egg & Milk: 119
Animal proteins have a higher quality than vegetable proteins. Therefore, people with a vegetarian and vegan diet should eat more protein in their nutrition.
Unfortunately, there are no scientific results available about the biological quality of insects. Scientists assume that the value for insects is comparable with other animal food.
These food products contain a lot of protein
In the following table, you see the protein content of insects in comparison to other protein-rich food products
| Protein per 100 g | |
| Acheta (crickets), dried | 64.2 g |
| Locusta (grasshoppers), freeze-dried | 48.2 g |
| Tenebrio (mealworm), dried | 45.1 g |
| Beef filet, cooked | 29.1 g |
| Chicken breast, cooked | 28.9 g |
| Essento Protein Bar Raw Chocolate | 21.3 g |
| Essento Protein Bar Berry Coconut | 20.9 g |
| Egg, cooked | 15.3 g |
| Low-fat curd | 13.2 g |
| Low-fat curd | 10.6 g |
| Lentils, cooked | 8.9 g |
Source: Swiss Food Composition Database
Our recommendation
You can increase the protein intake to your body through the combination of different food items. So, you should always eat a mixture of vegetable and animal protein
- Mix a spoon of cricket flour into your smoothie.
- Eat roasted Locusta in your salad.
- Fill your baked potatoes with quark, parsley and Acheta.
Treat yourself with some protein – now!
Sources:
Swiss Society for Nutrition (in German)
Swiss Food Composition Database
Fit for Fun (in German)
