Earthworms are a wriggling superfood. They're high in protein and have high levels of iron and of amino acids, which help break down food and repair body tissue. They also contain copper, manganese and zinc.
While worms can be eaten raw in an emergency, you should cook them if at all possible. Like most of the things on this list, they can potentially carry parasites—and the parasite potential should motivate you to cook them first. Not to mention the extremely unpleasant prospect of eating a live worm.
As a company that specializes in vermiculture, we often get asked, “Can you eat worms”? The short answer is yes. These squiggly creatures can be eaten raw or cooked, especially for small children who are invariably drawn to earthworms.
They are useful to human beings and not dangerous. They are also called farmer's friends.
Common global water-related diseases caused by parasites include Guinea worm, schistosomiasis, amebiasis, cryptosporidiosis (Crypto), and giardiasis. People become infected with these diseases when they swallow or have contact with water that has been contaminated by certain parasites.
Dracunculiasis, also known as Guinea worm disease (GWD), is an infection caused by the parasite Dracunculus medinensis. A parasite is an organism that feeds off another organism to survive. GWD is spread by drinking water containing Guinea worm larvae.
The best insects to eat are from three species: At least three insects – crickets, honeybees, and mealworms – have at least the same if not higher nutritional value than the commonly consumed meats like beef and chicken, and not a single comparison shows insects to be nutritionally inferior to meat.
07 Cal / worm. (Note: Because a worm has other molecules, like starches and sugars, that contain calories, you could increase this a tiny bit if you wanted to.)
The Ye'kuana aren't the world's only worm eaters. The Maori people of New Zealand eat earthworms; in the Fujian and Guangdong provinces of China, earthworms are a delicacy. If you're thinking — or, involuntarily, saying — "eww" right about now, you're not alone.
Do not sample meat until it is cooked. Curing (salting), drying, smoking, or microwaving meat alone does not consistently kill infective worms; homemade jerky and sausage were the cause of many cases of trichinellosis reported to CDC in recent years.
Yes, you could fry them, but you also can candy them like yams, marinate them in a vinaigrette, roll them into a puff pastry, and saute, bake, grill or roast them. Anything goes. Whatever you do, don't be greedy. The earthworm is an essential friend in the grand ecosystem.
A person with intestinal worms may not have any symptoms, but threadworms (Enterobius vermicularis), the most common worm infection in Australia, often do cause symptoms. A person with threadworms (also known as pinworms) may have an itchy bottom or redness and scratch marks around the bottom.
They might sense something, but it is not painful and does not compromise their well-being."
Maggots are commonly found in areas where there is rotting food, organic material, or decaying matter and filth. In kitchens, they can be found in pantries in spoiled food, pet food, on rotting fruit or produce that has been laid out.
It goes like this: "Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, think I'll go and eat worms.
You can roast them, fry them, chop them, or dehydrate them. You can even grind the dry ones into a powder to be added to flour or the like. To dry put boiled earthworms on a baking sheet and cook at 325 F for 15 minutes.
Insects that can cause allergic reactions include silkworms, grasshoppers, locusts, cicadas, meal worms, and others. Reactions from eating them for those who are allergic can range from mild to severe. A serious reaction, known as anaphylaxis, can occur and may be life-threatening.
According to Dr. Pritt, for the most part, eating a bug isn't cause for worry. In general, your body will digest arthropods, which include arachnids like spiders, mites, and ticks, and insects such as gnats, flies, mosquitoes, fleas, and bedbugs, “just like any other food,” she says.
The most protein-rich insects are wasps, bees and ants, which contain between 13g and 77g of protein per 100g, the graphic by Western Exterminator shows. True bugs, such as aphids and pond-skaters, contain between 48g and 74g, while crickets contain between 23g and 65g of protein.
Most worms you'll encounter won't pose any threat to you or your pets. These include earthworms, redworms, nightcrawlers and more.
Adult worms may live up to 17 years in the human body and can continue to make new microfilariae for much of this time.