One day in 2001, film-maker Edgar Wright switched on his TV and saw a vision of Armageddon: a giant bonfire of cows smoking against the English sky. Having avoided the news for a fortnight, the emergence of foot-and-mouth disease had completely passed him by.
The horrific footage made him realise that “the world could be ending” without you noticing – an insight that he translated into his 2004 zombie flick, Shaun Of The Dead.
It’s an insight that has resonance today as the global population swells and demand for animal protein sources grows. Dairy farming is hurrying us towards climate apocalypse. The cattle industry alone is as large a polluter as the entire construction sector. With soya bean cultivation another major source of greenhouse gas emissions, the time has come for us to consider switching to a cheap, muscle-fuelling yet green alternative.
Luckily, scientists have identified a solution that has legs: bugs. At the University of Helsinki, researchers found that eating insects could have a game-changing effect on reducing our consumption-based carbon footprint, while biologists at the University of British Columbia have pointed out their bountiful vitamin and mineral content, alongside protein levels that rival beef.
Meanwhile, a recent paper by Aelius Biotech suggests that powdered crickets, which have a complete amino acid profile, are 50 per cent more digestible than whey protein, potentially supporting muscle growth more effectively than your standard dairy-based supp.
So, it might be time to overcome your aversion to the idea of slurping on an arthropod smoothie. After all, bugs are already part of the regular diets of two billion people around the world – and are they any more unpalatable than a glass
of raw eggs?
Three Nutritional Jump-Starts
Curiosity piqued? It’s easier than ever to get your fix. Grub’s up.

1/ HOP TO IT
This unflavoured protein powder is made from 100 per cent crickets. It is also gluten- and dairy-free. (hoppafoods.com; $30)

2/ VITAbug
This alternative cricket protein supp from Vitabug is milled to the consistency of regular flour. (ediblebugshop.com.au; $35)

3/ Protein PASTA
Hoppa makes a high-protein penne made from cricket flour and durum. Top as you please. (hoppafoods.com; $10)