By: Hettie Basil Lighttower

Enhancing plant growth and production with electroculture was interesting last week. But what about all those types of bugs that are in the garden? Would you eat them? My immediate answer is: Uhhh…..NOT! There is absolutely nothing appealing about that concept to me.
You know in some cultures it is normal to eat insects. I have a friend from Africa that readily told me about how there are certain caterpillars they roast over a fire when he learned I raise caterpillars into butterflies. He described the crunch when cooked properly and how delicious they were. (insert vomiting in the air motion here) I passionately told him to stay away from my caterpillars. He laughed, “It’s not just any kind we eat.”
I have even been in the gift shops at West Virginia State Parks and they have a variety of candy and snacks in their shop as well. Guess what they have included in their selection? You guessed it chocolate covered bugs of a few varieties. WHAT? WHY? I guess some folks get a thrill of overcoming the grossness of it. Or even like to watch the look on friends’ faces when actually doing it. Not me. I have zero desire to partake. Perhaps I have a psychological block about it but I just can’t fathom even pretending they look appetizing. Is it just me? What are your thoughts on this?
Sadly, shockingly, I have learned that I have been eating bugs anyway!!! Be near your emergency vomit bag for what I am about to reveal to you. Let me start off easy….. you know the gorgeous well known bright red lipstick that so many of us ladies like to wear? Well, that red comes from a specific beetle when crushed up. Now putting on lipstick is not the same as eating bugs but YUCK… a smashed bug on your lips, that you lick and think you look pretty wearing? Forget it. No more. I have been wearing zero to very little lipstick of another color since I learned this years ago.
Now this is the hard part. There are five main companies out there that use dried and powdered bugs as fillers in their food products and list this ingredient under creative verbiage, so the common man has no clue what it means. But because they legally have to include all ingredients, the inconspicuous terms are considered legal and therefore acceptable instead of having to say outright “crickets” or “meal worms” or whatever else critter.
Ok, you doing alright? Probably just threw the paper down, paced the floor a couple of times and are now coming back for another peek of “what next”. I guessing you want to know-don’t want to know-want to know what these companies are.
Here goes…. Barilla(pasta)since 2023 this premium pasta line uses cricket flour under the name of “plant protein”. Ugh! They are farmed in Thailand and processed. A second runner up is….. Beyond Meat (plant based meat) they list meal worms as “pea protein isolate” a technical loophole in their 100% plant based patties. This next one is going to shock you all: Red Bull (energy drinks) that red dye “carminic acid” comes from crushed female cochineal insects and it requires about 70,000 bugs per liter! It has been used for 150 years, but now they include the chitin(outside shell aka exoskeleton) to enhance taste and list it as “natural flavors”.
This one just makes me cry and has affected me the most in this list. It also makes me sick to my stomach. And I may still partake now and then because I love it so much, but I am NOT HAPPY about it. I will explore “off brands” and read their labels and settle for a slightly different quality. Sigh: NUTELLA…..(chocolate/hazelnut spread) WHY???? Ugh! Anyway… in this recipe black soldier fly larvae (yes, maggots!) are included under the name of “mineral enrichment”. The legal loophole is that these insects are high in iron and zinc and are much less costly than all cacao! They are dried and powdered for crying out loud. This is a disaster. I am not sure when they started these shenanigans but I used to buy Nutella in bulk at food stores as a twin pack and it was my go to snack because I thought the hazelnuts and cacao were good for me. They are, and I guess so are the maggots….. but geez a whiz! Just…….. why?
And lastly, for all you chip-eating lovers out there…. We have PepsiCo (Lay’s chips). This company has learned that an alternative to MSG (which everyone knows these days to look for then not eat the product if it is in it because it causes addiction and obesity) is using grasshoppers and locusts! These are raised on a farm in Mexico and after processed are found on labels as “Hydrolyzed protein” or “natural flavoring”. By the way, these two insects are a traditional food in Mexico.
So now you know and can make an informed decision as to whether you want to continue purchasing these items and eating them. Who knows, this bit of information may help you in your new weight-loss program. No more pasta. No more energy drink. No more nut spread. And no more corn chips. Look for the words. Decide.
I had noticed for years now the words, “natural flavorings” and pondered…. Okay, so what are they? If they are natural, why not just say blah blah blah…. Essential oil of orange, or dried tomato or whatever the NATURAL thing is! Well, now I know…. I don’t want to know. Nobody WANTS to know. And “they” know that. But now you know.
Send in your notions and comments to [email protected]. And remember, kindness is contagious~*