Children in the US should be exposed and encouraged to eat insects

Definitions:Insect - a small animal that has six legs and a body formed of three parts and that may have wings. - Merriam-WebsterEat - to take in through the mouth as food : ingest, chew, and swallow in turn. - Merriam-WebsterExposed - not protected or covered. - Merriam-WebsterEncourage - to make (someone) more likely to do something : to tell or advise (someone) to do something. - Merriam-WebsterChild - A person not yet of age. - Merriam-WebsterStigma- A set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something. - Merriam-WebsterUS (Short for USA) - United States of America - Oxford DictionariesIndex:1. Nutritional benefits.2. Ecological benefits.3. Conclusions4. List of sources.Reasoning: Due to the increasing world population, food security is an obvious issue to keep humans alive and well. However, it has become apparent that industrialized countries have seen health issues related to food safety as well as the environmental sustainability of food production. Therefore, the resolution that pro supports is a possible solution to the latter problem while maintaining ecological stability.1. StudiesWith over approximately 2 billion people who practice entomophagy, there have been several studies done to understand the nutritional benefits of insect consumption. A study by Rumpold and Schlüter focused on 236 edible insects. "Although significant variation was found in the data, many edible insects provide satisfactory amounts of energy and protein, meet amino acid requirements for humans, are high in monounsaturated and/or polyunsaturated fatty acids, and are rich in micro nutrients such as copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, selenium and zinc, as well as riboflavin, pantothenic acid, biotin and, in some cases, folic acid." [sic] (FAO) Another study was done earlier than the previous one, in 1997, analysing 78 species from Oaxaca state, Mexico. The final result was a report that determined the caloric content was 293-762 kilocalories per 100g of dry matter. Xioming et al. in 2010 evaluated the protein content of 100 species. It was found that of those evaluated, content ranged from 13-77 percent. (Refer to pg. 7 of FAO section 6. Nutritional value of insects for human consumption)In 2005, a study compared mopane caterpillars to beef when considering the needs of a 25-year-old male. It was found that the caterpillar was an excellent source of iron. Where beef is 6 mg per 100g of dry weight, the mopane caterpillar was 31-77 mg per 100g depending on their diets.NutritionCereal products are often key staples around the world and yet are often low in lysine and, in certain cases, tryptophan and threonin. However, in some insect species, these lacking pieces of nutrition are well represented. (FAO) Several examples are from the Saturniidae family, palm weevil larvae and aquatic insects(Crustaceans). In fact, this is seen in countries where the culture accepts entomophagy. Countries such as Papua New Guinea eat lysine/leucine-poor tubers but compensate with the consumption of palm weevil larvae. Insects are an important source of fat. For example, the Witchetty grub has a fat content of 38 percent when considering its dry weight. It's also rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acid.(FAO)2.Population strainThe need to feed a growing global population inevitably places continuous pressureon crop production, which in turn contributes further to the degradation of naturalresources (FAO, 2009a). [sic] 38 percent of land on planet Earth is dedicated to Agriculture(poultry, beef, crops, etc). It takes approximately 200 m^2 to grow a single pound of beef. However, AsapScience notes that it takes only 15 m^2, or .075 percent of 200, to grow a single pound of crickets, which are comparable in protein but have many essential vitamins and minerals. By 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will have limited access to water and yet 70 percent of our fresh water supplies are put in to agriculture. To understand where the 70 percent mainly goes, AsapSCIENCE details some of the consumers. 1 kg Standard Cattle take approximately 22,000 Liters of water to raise, 1 kg of Pork requires 3,500 Liters and and 1 kg Chicken require about 2,300 Liters. To make 1 kg of Crickets, approximately 1 Liter is required due to their ability to get much of their water from their food.Comparing edibility, Crickets (note this is just a single example, the pro is not simply advocating the singular consumption of one type of insect) have 80 percent of their body edible. Only 50 percent of a Chicken is edible and a mere 40 percent of Beef is edible. Having a heavily industrialized country such as the US rely on insect production instead of almost exclusively on crops and animal production would help the ecology massively. 3.ConclusionsAccording to the Standard American Diet, 50 percent of all Americans die from hearts attacks and strokes, however there is a less than 4 percent chance observed in American vegetarians. Due to the issues that have been observed over many years (I will find sources for con to post next round if they request it in the comments) with vegetarians failing to get a truly balanced diet as certain nutrients just don't exist in large amounts with plants, insects are a viable solution. Children would be an excellent start as they will be able to grow up with acceptance of healthier eating through their school years. As a secondary benefit, it is commonly recognized that not just America, but many westernized countries (China is a notable exception) have a stigma against entomophagy. With the future generation being exposed to the benefits of insects, it will decrease the unreasonable thought that insects are purely unhealthy. This can standardize the acceptance of insects as they are already somewhat accepted by many in the United States. The acceptance is of the Crustaceans, aquatic insects, however. They are actually classified as an insect and yet many people I have interviewed personally have a stigma against terrestrial insects (Due to seeing flies, ticks, fleas, mosquitoes, etc.) but not aquatic insects. This is partly due to the fact that the Crustaceans are not something that we have to deal with constantly. Where flies buzz around the room, the only time most Americans see a Lobster is on a plate at the restaurant.Therefore, pro stands in affirmation of the resolution to have Children in the US exposed and encouraged to eat insects. Pro believes and has evidence to state that this would help the environment as well has aid in such issues as heart disease. Thank you.Sources Standard American Diet - http://www.fundamentalsofhealth.com... AsapSCIENCE - Should We All Be Eating Insects? - This is what will be referenced other than the FAO report due to their lacking specifics in credit, however the sources this video will be listed below and pro encourages the reading of them.FAO report on food security(2013) - http://www.fao.org...Edible Insects in a Food Safety and Nutritional Perspective: A Critical Review http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com...Why Insects Should Be In Your Diet - http://www.the-scientist.com...Rub a Dub Dub, Is It Time to Eat Grubs? - http://blogs.scientificamerican.com...