ENLIGHTEN UP! a blogSelf-awareness stories: lighting our way to clarity, contentment and resilience in a complicated world.
|
 “I love bugs. And as the first person to popularize their eating in America, I take special pride in seeing their appreciation soar.” — Andrew Zimmern
Let me put a bug in your ear – and maybe in your mouth. Of course, if you are vegetarian or vegan, this article will not apply to you but feel free to read it anyway and share it with your carnivorous friends. Do I eat bugs? Yes, I do. Here’s how I began the process of opening my mind and my mouth to the idea. For years I watched Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, TV personality, chef, and teacher. He travels around the world eating jaw dropping quantities of insects, raw and cooked. The late Anthony Bourdain on No Reservations also ate more than a few insects on his travels around the world. Fascinated, I added eating insects to my Bucket List. Then on a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico last year, my group toured a market, where Nicolas, our guide talked about the insect vendors. I perked up and told him I wanted to try some. He took me to a vendor he trusted and I bought 20 pesos worth of fried worms. I tried to share but no one took me up on the offer. The yuck, disgust and ‘eww’ factor was in full force with everyone but Nicolas and me. Later that week I ate a grasshopper taco at an upscale restaurant and ant mole at a cooking school. I put my travel experiences in a poem for my friend who was supposed to come on the trip but dislocated her hip and had to sit it out - literally. Here’s the part about eating insects: Oaxaca: Day 1 I bought worms to eat Oh my what a treat. So salty and crunchy Delicious and munchy Small and petite The taste can’t be beat And no, they did not taste like chicken! Oaxaca: Day 2 Flying ants in the mole At cooking class today With Oscar the chef; Casa Crespo the school The smells, the kitchen and cuisine so cool It was part hard work and part good luck To make dishes of pork, flying ants, and duck! How does this relate to self-awareness? I think the way we handle food says a lot about how we experience life. We Westerners have a complex and complicated relationship with food. How we choose what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat, where to eat and who to share meals with, offers us an effective way to practice self-awareness of what we put in our bodies and how that relates to our environment. Food is a weighty issue (pardon the pun) because of a global food revolution called entomophagy (En-tuh-MAH-fah-jee) that is poised to positively affect our lives nutritionally, personally, economically, environmentally and globally IF we are willing to engage with it. Entomophagy advocates embracing a sustainable source of healthy protein – insects. Self-Awareness Alert! If your first reaction to this idea is: eww! yuck! or a feeling of disgust, ask yourself, “Why?” Be honest but know that you have lots of company. A study published last year in the “Journal of Insects as Food and Feed” found that 72 percent of Americans are unwilling to consider eating insects. Paul Rozin, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia says the origins of disgust are rooted in culture, which undoubtedly has a major effect on our food habits but they can be changed with time, information and experience. Self-Awareness Alert! How do you feel about sushi? Consider that there was a time when raw fish was seen as repugnant in mainstream US culture. Now it's acceptable and it’s everywhere. So are insects. Most cultures around the world have included insects in their diets for centuries. Western Europe and North America are the exceptions and the United Nations, along with food researchers, chefs and climate change activists are encouraging us to evolve and join the rest of the world. First, we need to understand why eating insects is a good idea. Here are the key reasons: Nutritionally: insects are nutritious and can be up to 69% protein depending on how they are prepared. They are a great source of Omega 3’s and they are prebiotics – food for probiotics, those friendly, bacterial microorganisms that keep our digestive tract and immune system healthy. Grasshoppers, affectionately known as ‘land shrimp,’ are packed with about as much protein as lean ground beef but with less fat, and some caterpillars have more protein by weight than a turkey leg – and contain healthier fat. Personally: Many people are surprised by how good insects taste; and that they come in such a wide variety of flavors. Which insects? Globally, beetles and caterpillars are consumed as much as all other edible insects taken together. Bees, wasps and ants are popular too, along with cicadas, locusts, and crickets. Self-Awareness Alert! Any vegetarians and vegans reading this article may find this next bit of information unsettling. We have been unconsciously eating insects all of our lives. The majority of processed foods we buy have tiny pieces of insect in them. A jar of peanut butter may have up to 50 insect fragments. A package of frozen broccoli may have up to 60 aphids per 100 grams, and the same volume of chocolate can have about 60 fragments of various insect species. The FDA set these limits for aesthetic reasons — so we don't actually see the insects mixed into our food. The fact that we've been eating them our entire lives tells us how little of a danger they present. Self-Awareness Alert! How’s your eww, yuck, and disgust factor now on a scale of 1 – ten with ten being, “OMG! Please tell me this is not true!” I can’t — it’s really true. Economically: According to The World Bank, the global population is expected to increase to nine billion by 2050, which means we need to produce around 50 percent more food in order to feed an extra two billion people. Insects, according to a United Nations report have earned the right to be considered, "one of many ways to address food and feed security." Insect farming is already a multimillion-dollar industry in the US! Environmentally: Farming large animals is expensive and bad for the environment. Growing grain and then feeding it to animals so we can eat them is incredibly expensive and inefficient. Daniella Martin, in her book, “Edible,” points to the fact that insects have the lowest food conversion rate of any potential livestock. For more information on this go to: https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00K8MQ.pdf Globally: Between the carbon dioxide emitted as a result of growing grain and the methane burps emitted by cows as they digest it, it's estimated that raising livestock generates about 18 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions and that’s more than cars! In terms of impact on land, and water using the car metaphor: David Gracer, an advocate for easting insects and an expert on the topic says, “Cows and pigs are the SUVs; insects are the bicycles.” The Bottom line: Eating insects is a practical way of adding a healthy, low-fat sustainable protein to our diets. As opposed to unconsciously eating insects in our peanut butter, broccoli, chocolate and who knows how many other foods, lets do it consciously for our personal health and the health of the planet. If you are ready to join the entomophagy revolution, here are three US and one source in the United Kingdom to explore:
With its increasing popularity it is possible that eating insects will become an accepted part of Western culture, just like sushi. Let’s give bugs a chance and a maybe a place on our plates.
0 Comments
 Why do so many of us love scary movies? Is it just personal preference? Is there science behind it?
Surprise! There is science behind it. Lindsay Holmes, Huffpost’s Senior Wellness Editor, discusses this in her article, “The Psychology Behind Why You Love Or Hate Scary Movies.” And like everything else, the issue is complicated and there is no, one-size fits all. The bottom line seems to be related to how we respond to stress. Some of us are wired to enjoy the energy and heightened stimulation that comes from being terrified and others find it exhausting, draining and way too intense. That’s me. Frankly, I’d rather be stuck in a traffic jam on the Los Angeles Freeway than watch a horror movie. Being stuck would be stressful but I’d have some calming choices. I could people watch, listen to music or daydream. In spite of the fascination (or not) with horror and all things dark and scary we don’t have to look outside of ourselves for ghosts, goblins and things that go bump in the night. If we care to look inside, we can catch a glimpse of our Shadow. In psychological terms, the Shadow is considered the dark side of our personality, which holds our demons. It is the part of us that we either do not know, don’t want to know and refuse to acknowledge. However, if we choose to understand and deal with our scary parts, we will uncover positive aspects of the Shadow. These stay hidden until the light of self-awareness reaches the dark corners of the self where the Shadow lives. We are like the moon, waxing and waning with one side facing outward, presenting to the world what we think the world needs to see in order to give us the approval and love we seek. Then there is the Shadow, our demons and those parts of us that we work hard to hide because we think they are unacceptable. Most of us prefer to deny that we have a Shadow side. We find ways to hide it in the recesses of our subconscious. Does this work in the long term? Sadly no, because the Shadow and its demons cannot and will not stay locked up forever. They claw and scream and shout. They leak out, climb up and invade our mental peace, mess with our health and wreak havoc with our lives. We may want to curse them six ways to Sunday, but they are in there, talking trash, taking names and they seldom, if ever, take a day off. So we have to find a way to listen to what they have to say. I spent most my childhood and adult life either pushing my Shadow away or refusing to acknowledge that it was there. At this stage of life I recognize, acknowledge and listen to my Shadow and the little demons within it that say, “Go ahead, take the cookie, eat the cookie, have another, add some chocolate, french fries and ice cream.” Or, “Buy that dress, have that extra drink. Let’s gossip about that person, skip the gym, or quit the gym altogether.” I hear those voices now and can answer, I hear you but that’s a no-no for me! That is except for chocolate – I have a sweet tooth. That’s going to take a bit more time and a lot more discipline. Then there are the darker parts of the Shadow who say, “You’re a fake and a failure. You have no talent or skills. No matter what you do, you will never be enough so pack it in and quit trying.” I still hear those Shadow voices but I have enough self-awareness to answer back, “I hear you, but that’s just not true or in my best interest to believe at this time.” OK, OK! I can do that most of the time but like everyone else, I have my bad, sad blue days when I have to remind myself that the Shadow and its sneaky demons are actually guides and teachers leading me to self-awareness. Regina Barreca, an educator and humorist, offers a perfect example of this. Her story titled, “An Emotional Rescue in the Dark Night of the Soul,” appeared in her book, If You Lean in, Men Will Just Look Down Your Blouse. It illustrates the principles of awareness, acceptance, and integration of all parts of our selves, especially the Shadow and our demons. I LOVE this story. In the story, three demons decided to ambush a woman who lived alone. They were manifestations of her worst nightmares, fear, anxiety, and despair. They broke into her house and for hours upon end, they ruined what she held dear and disfigured what she cherished. They were enormously confident because they saw that she was all alone and past her first youth. As they continued into the wee hours of the night they began to notice that although weary, the woman had calmly begun to boil water on the stove and set out three cups on the table. When they asked in astonishment what she was doing, the woman stared at them tolerantly and said, “I know all of you by now. You’ve been here before, and you’ll be here again. You might as well make yourselves at home. What kind of tea would you like? The woman was not shattered into pieces because her demons paid a visit. She did not fight them. She simply became aware of them, observed them, and accepted them. And because she also accepted ALL of herself, she was able to manage their impact on her life. If you choose to do this (and I highly recommend it) it will ground you in compassion and forgiveness first toward yourself and then toward others. You won’t be comfortable with everything you find when you begin poking around in your psyche. This self-examination requires that you examine your lifestyle, thinking, behavior patterns, and those aspects of yourself that you dislike, deny, repress and hide. That’s the juicy stuff. Yes, it is complicated, and can be hard. In the end, the only way to Enlighten Up! is to honestly and accurately shine the light of awareness onto your Shadow and its demons. See them. Name them. Accept them and then transform them. They are a part of you. And if you need help with the process, please get it! Here is a poem that reinforces the importance of this practice. Written by Rumi, the 13th century Persian poet, it’s titled, “The Guest House.”1 In it we see that the Shadow and its demons have been at work in our lives for centuries. The Guest House This being human is a guest house. Every morning, a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they are a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond. Spend a few moments letting these words sink in. Now have a cup of tea with your Shadow and its demons. Listen with an open mind and heart to what they have to say. 1. The Essential Rumi, Translations by Coleman Barks with John Moyne, Harper Collins, 1995, Page 109 |
Archives
November 2019
AuthorBETH GIBBS started her yoga practice in 1968, four months after her son was born and she’s been practicing ever since. She currently teaches all levels therapeutic yoga classes for adults, and specialty classes for seniors in the Hartford, Connecticut area. Beth is a certified yoga therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists and is guest faculty at the Kripalu School of Integrative Yoga Therapy. She writes for the blogs, Yoga for Healthy Aging, and Accessible Yoga. Her master’s degree from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA is in Yoga Therapy and Mind/Body Health. Categories |
RSS Feed
Copyright © 2019 Beth Gibbs