Jim McMahon/MapMan®

This woman is chowing down at a recent bug-eating contest in Lijiang, China. Competitors gobbled up bamboo worms, dragonflies, locusts, and silkworms. It might seem gross to you, but eating insects is common in China—and many other parts of the world. 

There are good reasons for that. Packed with protein, insects are very nutritious. They’re an eco-friendly choice too. Raising a pound of insects requires far less food and water than what’s needed to produce a pound of meat. 

Nearly 2,000 species of insects and arachnids are edible. “Roasted crickets have a nuttier taste. Powdered black soldier fly larvae are more cocoa-flavored,” says Louis Sorkin, a scientist who studies insects. 

Today, cookies, crackers, and other snacks made with ground insect powder (such as cricket powder) are popping up in grocery stores in the United States. Companies that make them hope the products will get more Americans to try eating bugs—without bugging out.