The Buzz About Bugs: Your best friend's best superfood

On a walk along a popular Bangkok party street, Khao San Road, in 2024, I was stopped by purveyors of fried, dried, and sometimes raw grasshoppers, crickets, silkworms, water bugs, and even scorpions. Of the insects I tried, the silkworm was my favorite—crunchy but meaty—and the grasshopper was bad (think, legs stuck in teeth bad). Once I washed them down with a swig of beer, I vowed, "Done it. Done. Never doing that again."

And that was where I left it—a daring (for me) but ultimately gross thing to check off my bucket list. But the more I thought about it, the more I considered the impact. What if every nation were to reduce factory-farmed livestock production in favor of a rapidly growing, more sustainable protein source?

Countries like Mexico, Thailand, China, India, Ghana, Brazil, and Cambodia already consume insects on a regular basis, with some European countries like The Netherlands trailing behind the trend.

In the American consciousness, reality TV shows like Fear Factor and Survivor have amplified the practice as taboo by holding grotesque bug-eating challenges and zooming in on contestants gagging, retching, and vomiting on-screen.

Look at this good boy...

But my Havanese, Mason, doesn't have as discerning—or as snobbish—a palette. My dog is a scavenger... I've seen him lower his mouth to the ground in mid-walk to huff up a rotting chicken bone and chew it maniacally before I can drop in a panic on the sidewalk and force his little jaws open to dig the thing out.

Dogs, on a whole, are less particular about the specific ingredients in their food and more interested in its flavor. And the dog-food industry is full of products that use animal parts most people wouldn't dream of eating themselves (so I won't list them here). But many of those ingredients come from factory farms—processing centers for ruminant animals like cows that, through a digestive process called enteric fermentation, release large amounts of methane into the atmosphere, which results in higher levels of greenhouse gases warming the planet.

America has one of the highest dog-to-person ratios in the world—that's 80 million non-discriminating, any-and-everything-goes mouths to feed, and if it's good enough for them, it should be good enough for us.

Only it's not just "good enough." It's better.

Switching to insect proteins would improve America's carbon footprint—and your dog's overall health—in a number of surprising ways:

• Waste Reduction and Circular Economy: Unlike cows, Insects be raised on organic by-products and food waste—effectively turning garbage that would've ended up in a landfill into a valuable, protein-rich ingredient. And the leftover insect excrement, known as "frass," can be used as a natural fertilizer. One of my favorite brands, Chippin, wrote a great piece on upcycled foods.

  
  

• High-Quality Protein and Essential Nutrients: Crickets in particular are a highly digestible, complete protein with all ten essential amino acids, supporting your dog's muscle development and overall health. Packed with healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, insect-based protein results in a shinier coat and stronger bones.

  
  

• Hypoallergenic Potential: Insects are less likely to cause food allergies in dogs with sensitive stomachs, helping to reduce itching and improve digestion. The chitin in insect exoskeletons acts as a prebiotic, feeding good gut bacteria and promoting a healthy microbiome. The cricket-based brand, Jiminy's, demonstrates the health benefits of prebiotics.

  
  

• Eco-Friendly and Sustainable: Raising insects requires less land, water, and feed while producing fewer greenhouse gases than traditional livestock and lowering carbon emissions. In fact, companies like NeoBites claim they are CIRCA Certified Carbon Negative.

Besides the brands linked above, here are a few more great bug-based pet food companies to check out:

• Protix

• Wilder Harrier

• Ynsect

• Innovafeed

• Entocycle