Celebrities sometimes follow the craziest diets, and Angelina Jolie has never been ordinary. So when news broke recently that she enjoys eating bugs and she even shares them with her kids, most people were shocked, but not necessarily surprised. Why does she consume bugs as part of her healthy diet? Keep reading to learn more.
Yes, Angelina Jolie Eats Bugs
BBC News aired a segment in which Angelina Jolie eats bugs with her kids. They prepared and ate scorpions and tarantulas while in Cambodia, and she even pointed out how to remove the fangs before cooking the bugs for consumption. She also explained that the first time that she ate bugs was during her first trip to the country. She stated that she started off by eating crickets with some beer, and she eventually moved her way up to eating bugs like tarantulas too. She went on to say that her kids like eating a bag of crickets much like other kids would eat a bag of potato chips.
But Are the Bugs Healthy?
The fact that Angelina Jolie eats bugs is one thing, but the question immediately arises regarding how safe and how healthy this practice really is. Are the bugs healthy to consume, or is she putting her health and her children’s health at risk as a result of a dangerous diet?
Well, it turns out that researchers have found that bugs are quite nutritious. The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry published a study in which experts claimed that insects could give you as much iron and magnesium, along with other nutrients, as steak. And when you compare crickets to beef, the bugs even have higher iron solubility, which allows your body to utilize the nutrient. Crickets, mealworms, and grasshoppers also contain larger concentrations of zinc, copper, calcium, and magnesium when compared to beef.
On top of all of that, bugs also contain high amounts of protein. In fact, they could contain anywhere from 60-70% protein. They are also low in carbohydrates and fat. Overall, when it comes to nutritional content, bugs are not bad at all, but they are certainly an acquired taste.
So it’s clear that, even though her diet may seem extreme and out of the ordinary, Angelina Jolie is actually providing her own body, and her kids’ bodies, with a good amount of nutrition by properly preparing and consuming a variety of bugs.
