could insects replace red meat?

Although this link doesn't address this question, this is the question that interests me here;

http://phys.org/news/2014-05-today-insects-tomorrow-grub-.html

replacing red meat with insects would make our meat production more economic partly because much of the calories that a warm blooded animal consumes goes into just keeping it warm rather than going into its body mass while there is no such lose in cold blooded insects.

Also, insects would be a lot healthier than red meat to eat because they don't contain heme-iron which has been linked to heart disease.

The problem is how to persuade people to give up red meat for insects when so many are disgusted with the idea of eating insects?
Perhaps it would be easier and better to simply persuade red-meat eating people to go vegetarian?
Partly for health reasons and partly to improve our food security and partly for environmental reasons, I believe there should be a global campaign to greatly reduce red-meat production and consumption by doing one of those two things or perhaps a combination of both.

fancy eating this insect?

http://piximus.net/media/6859/the-ugliest-insect-in-the-world-1.jpg

Enjoy:
YouTube

You don't have to eat insects whole, just as you don't have to kill and dress your own cows.

Originally posted by humy
fancy eating this insect?

If you saw what went into sausages, you would probably never eat them again.

And don't get me started on hamburgers. (or I might never eat them again) 🙂

Originally posted by humy
fancy eating this insect?

http://piximus.net/media/6859/the-ugliest-insect-in-the-world-1.jpg

People happily eat these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab

Originally posted by humy
The problem is how to persuade people to give up red meat for insects when so many are disgusted with the idea of eating insects?

Here in Africa, it would not be a problem as many people are already quite happy with eating insects:
http://www.hungerforculture.com/?p=303

I have never tried them myself, but that's only lack of opportunity, not disgust at the idea. They are not grown and sold commercially as far as I know.
I think that even in the US, you would find that if you put them in the shops and included cooking instructions, you would get plenty of people willing to try them.

Originally posted by twhitehead
Enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwC4WRKi5QY

You don't have to eat insects whole, just as you don't have to kill and dress your own cows.

I think i might try out this "cricket flour" if I see it although, in my case, I suppose there isn't much point because I am a vegetarian (but still open minded to other options and willing to try something new ) and my diet isn't protein deficient.

I new eating insects would be both more economical and environmentally friendly but even I didn't realize to what extent until I saw this video!
Insects have a feed-to-meat conversion ratio TEN times that of red meat! I new this ratio was high but not that high!
If we replaced red meat with insects, we would reduce CO2 emissions by 18%, lower the cost of food all around the world by about 33%, and reclaim most of the land currently used up in red meat production because insect meat production would use up a tiny fraction of that land!

Originally posted by humy
I think i might try out this "cricket flour" if I see it although, in my case, I suppose there isn't much point because I am a vegetarian (but still open minded to other options and willing to try something new ) and my diet isn't protein deficient.

I new eating insects would be both more economical and environmentally friendly but even I didn't realize to ...[text shortened]... in red meat production because insect meat production would use up a tiny fraction of that land!

When I lived and worked in Thailand, upcountry next to the Mekong, I had a Thai gf and we one day walked to the village open market.

I noticed this ceramic bowl full of iridescent huge beetles all very much alive and trying to climb out, not making it of course.

So I was just kind of half watching her, she grabs a leaf of lettuce, folds one of the beatles in lettuce, dips it in some kind of soy sauce and takes a big bite.

I hid my response pretty well I thought, but I went through an OMG moment there!

She was eating this bug whose legs were still squirming around! Apparently a delicacy there.

Originally posted by sonhouse
When I lived and worked in Thailand, upcountry next to the Mekong, I had a Thai gf and we one day walked to the village open market.

I noticed this ceramic bowl full of iridescent huge beetles all very much alive and trying to climb out, not making it of course.

So I was just kind of half watching her, she grabs a leaf of lettuce, folds one of the be ...[text shortened]...

She was eating this bug whose legs were still squirming around! Apparently a delicacy there.

yuck!

I'd be happy to eat insects if they were tasty and offered in a convenient manner (i.e. in a supermarket). I think this is going to be a major growth market, also in the West, simply because meat will become more and more expensive and farming insects is much cheaper.

Originally posted by KazetNagorra
I'd be happy to eat insects if they were tasty and offered in a convenient manner (i.e. in a supermarket). I think this is going to be a major growth market, also in the West, simply because meat will become more and more expensive and farming insects is much cheaper.

One question: Considering the what, 100 million tons? of beef and such produced every year around the world, how would we ever match that kind of tonnage of insects even if we could convince people to eat them?

Originally posted by sonhouse
One question: Considering the what, 100 million tons? of beef and such produced every year around the world, how would we ever match that kind of tonnage of insects even if we could convince people to eat them?

Insects have a feed-to-meat conversion ratio TEN times that of red meat so I don't see what barrier would stop that tonnage being matched. If anything, it should be possible to make the tonnage TEN times that match although there wouldn't be any need to do so.

Originally posted by sonhouse
I hid my response pretty well I thought, but I went through an OMG moment there!

Would you have the same response to seeing someone in a French restaurant eating snails or frogs legs?

What about live octopus?
YouTube

Scorpions?
YouTube

Here is a BBC documentary on the matter:
YouTube

Originally posted by twhitehead
Would you have the same response to seeing someone in a French restaurant eating snails or frogs legs?

What about live octopus?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNy8MUPOAtQ

Scorpions?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yzO-1MJZSM

Here is a BBC documentary on the matter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Acxbx-DUkL4

I have just watched the octopus one and found it just gross. Felt very sorry for the octopus.

Originally posted by twhitehead
Would you have the same response to seeing someone in a French restaurant eating snails or frogs legs?

What about live octopus?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNy8MUPOAtQ

Scorpions?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yzO-1MJZSM

Here is a BBC documentary on the matter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Acxbx-DUkL4

Now i have just watched the BBC documentary on the matter.
I see from it that there is a vast amount of insect food in the wild, often of pest insects such as grasshoppers, that can be harvested and feed millions. That would be a win win situation for it will help control the pest insects and people would be making a good living just collecting them and it would help feed the world more sustainably and improve peoples health (because red meat it replaces is generally not so good for health ) and help prevent hunger both directly and indirectly by controlling pest insects that eat farm crops.
I am very impressed!