We see them everywhere—on the ground and in the air—and probably never think twice about killing them with a squash of our foot. We’ve seen people eat them on Fear Factor and Survivor in order to win grand prizes, but we squirm at the sight of one of these crawling critters coming towards us. Although bugs are a natural part of our environment, many individuals feel that bugs, as a source of food, are taboo. Although the thought of eating insects for the sake of your own health has probably never occurred to you, there is a strong link between the bugs in your backyard and nutrition.

Eating bugs may not seem like a natural habit, but there are many health benefits that come with eating these creepy crawlers. For starters, bugs have a high protein content, are low in fat and contain no carbohydrates—the perfect diet food. A serving of cooked grasshoppers, for instance, contains roughly 60 percent protein and only 6 percent fat, whereas your regular lean chicken patty contains 18 percent fat and 18 percent protein. In addition, insect fatty acids are unsaturated, and therefore healthier. Unsaturated fats supply fatty acids, such as omega-3 and omega-6, which the body cannot produce on its own, making them essential for your health.

Although a bug-eater among a typical crowd of individuals who only eat meat and plants may appear to be the odd-person-out, eating bugs is a tradition that has remained throughout history for thousands of years. Many cultures today continue to relish these bugs as a main food source in their diet and find nothing strange or peculiar in their eating habits. For example, cicadas, fire-roasted tarantulas and ants are the dominant bugs seen in traditional Latin American dishes. In addition, wingless dragonflies boiled in coconut milk, ginger and garlic are a delicacy in Bali. Cultures in Japan also relish the sweet and salty taste of aquatic fly larvae sautéed in sugar and soy sauce. Other commonly eaten bugs include caterpillars, maggots, scorpions, bees, dragonflies and cockroaches.      

Often, what people decide to eat is shaped by culture. Many foods that westerners readily devour, such as pork, shrimp, lobster and oysters, are considered to be dirty among other cultures. For instance, many religions forbid the consumption of pork. Traditions claim that it contributes to a lack of ethics and shame as well as greed, laziness, indulgence, dirtiness and gluttony. Religions that typically avoid eating pork include Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Jews and Christians.

According to biologist David George Gordon, author of Eat-a-Bug Cookbook, we have become so invested in livestock that the idea of bugs as a source of food becomes an unspeakable notion. However, if the nation turned to insect farming, it would prove as a more environmentally friendly means of obtaining protein than cattle production. According to Gene DeFoliart, professor of entomology of the University of Wisconsin, instead of eating insects, individuals are continuing to hurt the planet by ridding it of these helpful critters.

So go devour a bag of chocolate covered grasshoppers, dine in a Oaxacan restaurant or order stir fried cricket curry over rice. Sit back and enjoy the healthy, crunchy goodness.