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Edible insects role in transmission of parasitic diseases to humans (2019)

journals.plos.org

171–180 of 495 posts

Re: Edible insects role in transmission of parasitic diseases to humans (2019)

#171
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They didn't. Many insects are even literally kosher. It's just that farming them didn't make much sense until recently. Plants and mushrooms, having far more different biology from us than insects, are probably a worse concern when it comes to toxins that can't be cooked away. And yet humans managed to cultivate food with plenty of those, like cassava.

If by many you mean just locusts. When a bunch of bugs eat all you food and the only thing left to eat is those bugs, then I think locusts being kosher has more to do with survival than actually being kosher.

At least several types of locusts as I recall. It's been widely speculated that the dietary restrictions were really about parasites and other food safety concerns, but what's also famous is that they were quite legalistic about it. So if it was only permissible as desperation food, they would have said so... at length.

Either way, Jews and other middle eastern groups with picky dietary rules, do have a long tradition for eating it in non-desperate times too.

It's icky for us not used to it, but there's no reason to think parasites is a bigger issue with insects than with animals far more similar to us, which we do eat.

Remember this article is about pet food insects, often fed to pets raw (if not alive), and it notes some extremely unsanitary practices in pet shops that farm them, such as feeding them on the excrement of the type of creature they're fed to. It's not particularly relevant for insects considered for human consumption.

Re: Edible insects role in transmission of parasitic diseases to humans (2019)

#172
post #141

Don’t eat the bugs. You have an innate disgust reaction to bugs and to the idea of eating them. It evolved over millions of years. Heed nature’s warning. They only eat bugs in places where it was historically necessary due to extreme famine. These activists trying to get you to eat bugs don’t have your best interests at heart. Eat meat. It is one of the great liberties man enjoys.

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If you are worried about that, then raise your own meat and stop complaining about "elites".

Too many people take the current consumption society for granted. It is not a human right.

Re: Edible insects role in transmission of parasitic diseases to humans (2019)

#173

>Conducted parasitological examination suggests that edible insects may be the most important parasite vector for domestic insectivorous animals Bummer. I was aquainted with some folks in insect farming who tried to get novel food regulations moving years ago that for whatever reason gave up and fell back to insect based flours/protein powders and animal feed. Some of them had pretty interesting proposals integrating…

> > edible insects may be the most important parasite vector for domestic insectivorous animals

> Bummer.

You quote this as a bummer, but even if we change the 'may be' to 'definately is' I don't see how this is unexpected?

'Domestic animals' avoid a lot of parasite vectors that wild animals face, and if you have a pet reptile that eats insects, then there's not that many other places for it to get parasites from.

Re: Edible insects role in transmission of parasitic diseases to humans (2019)

#176

Don’t eat the bugs. You have an innate disgust reaction to bugs and to the idea of eating them. It evolved over millions of years. Heed nature’s warning. They only eat bugs in places where it was historically necessary due to extreme famine. These activists trying to get you to eat bugs don’t have your best interests at heart. Eat meat. It is one of the great liberties man enjoys.

What's with the sudden uptick in people talking about eating bugs and eating meat (and liberties, billionaires, elites?)? Those two things aren't the only two options, and no one is forcing anyone to do anything, which makes me think this is some attempt by the meat industry to paint all the people who are telling you to eat less meat (like your doctor) as authoritarian lunatics out to undermine civilization.

It’s not a secret agenda. The elite intellectual class is coalescing around the idea that meat consumption is bad for the planet and needs to be phased out by dramatically raising the cost of meat.

Re: Edible insects role in transmission of parasitic diseases to humans (2019)

#177
post #172
post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

If you are worried about that, then raise your own meat and stop complaining about "elites". Too many people take the current consumption society for granted. It is not a human right.

Actually yes, free commercial transactions between individuals should be a human right.

But don't worry about it, they will also make life hard or impossible for small livestock owners. So you won't be able to raise your own or buy from your neighbour.

Re: Edible insects role in transmission of parasitic diseases to humans (2019)

#178
post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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So what happened to those countries that eat bugs nevertheless? They're going against their instinct? Or maybe it just is cultural, but in your culture it doesn't seem that way.

With the right conditioning, people can be made to accept all manner of madness.

Re: Edible insects role in transmission of parasitic diseases to humans (2019)

#179
post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only little backyard operations use animal manure. No large food chain will carry greens grown in animal manure.

Maybe so, but how does that explain how E. coli outbreaks on lettuce? From what I understand the waste from animal farms run off into waterways that feed the vegetable farms.

Field workers who don't get bathroom breaks.

Re: Edible insects role in transmission of parasitic diseases to humans (2019)

#180
post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>my intuition here was way off. I expected insects to pose far fewer risks from parasites to humans. Weird, my intuition was the exact opposite. The thought of eating bugs triggers a disgust reaction, similar to the thought of eating crap. Humans developed those reactions over hundreds of generations for a reason.

My gut reaction to the smell of pork, bacon or any meat derived from pig is disgust. That doesn't mean this feeling is some kind of natural primal intuition, it just means I didn't grow up eating it.

I'm intrigued that you can recognize fried or minced pork by smell and distinguish it from beef or poultry by smell alone.

I know a lot of people have an aversion to mutton as it can have a very gamey aroma to it, but I wasn't aware people perceive pork as similarly intense.

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