Your Food is full of Bugs

[rashka]

Avoiding insects in your food is "almost impossible," Teich told ABC. "You probably would have to stop eating completely."

Chocolate
Most people who are allergic to chocolate aren't having a reaction to cocoa or any of chocolate's other official ingredients. No, the flare ups are most likely triggered by the ground-up cockroach parts that contaminate every batch.

According to ABC News, the average chocolate bar contains eight insect parts. Anything less than 60 insect pieces per 100 grams of chocolate (two chocolate bars' worth) is deemed safe for consumption by the Food and Drug Administration.


Mushrooms (canned)

The FDA legally allows 19 maggots—tiny, rice-shaped fly larvae that feast on rotting foods—and 74 mites in every 3.5-ounce can of mushrooms. Bon appetit!
Why it’s bad: While maggots do have their place in the medical world—they can help heal ulcers and other wounds—most of us would agree that they don’t have a place in our mouths. Opt for fresh mushrooms instead, and if you need another reason to ditch canned goods, consider this: Most are lined with bisphenol A (or BPA), a plastic chemical that causes unnatural hormonal changes linked to heart attacks, obesity, and certain cancers.


Not a bug...but

Beaver Anal Gland Juice


What it is: It's a bitter, smelly, orange-brown substance known as castoreum, explains Bradley. "In nature, it's combined with the beaver's urine and used to mark its territory."

Where it is: It's used extensively in processed food and beverages, typically as vanilla or raspberry flavoring.

This gross ingredient won't show up on the label. Instead, companies using it in making processed food list it as "natural flavoring." This poses a dilemma for vegans and vegetarians—and anyone who wants to avoid eating any creature's anal excretions.


Crushed Bugs

What it is: Carmine, a bright red food colorant, is actually the crushed abdomen of the female Dactylopius coccus, an African beetle-like insect.

Where it is: Look for it in red candies and red-tinted yogurts and juices (particularly ruby red juices)—it's often listed as carmine, crimson lake, cochineal, or natural red #4 on ingredient labels, according to Bradley.

Why it's bad: Not only is the thought of eating bug juice gross, but it also poses an ethical issue for some vegetarians and vegans.


Here in the United States, we're pretty squeamish about chomping into insects or stabbing our forks into larvae. And that's why it might come as a shock to discover that, because of the FDA's lax food-safety regulations, your food might very well be crawling with creepy, slimy, buzzing things of all sorts. In fact, it's been estimated that the average person unintentionally eats a pound of insects every year. And I'm not talking about gummy worms here. I'm talking about real live (or formerly live) bugs.


Thrips

At anywhere from 1/25 to 1/8 of an inch long, these tiny little winged parasites are legally allowed in apple butter, canned or frozen asparagus, frozen broccoli, and frozen Brussels sprouts.



Aphids

Those same little green or black bugs that can destroy a bouquet of flowers can infiltrate your frozen veggies, particularly spinach, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. And if you home-brew beer, you might consider growing your own hops: The FDA legally allows 2,500 aphids for every 10 grams of hops.


Mites

These tiny white bugs are common in wheat and other grains that have been stored for a while, but expect to eat a few with your frozen vegetables. And if you have indoor allergies, that could be a problem. Storage and grain mites can cause the same type of allergic reaction as the dust mites common in homes.

Maggots

If you’ve ever eaten canned food, you’ve probably also eaten a maggot. These disgusting little critters abound in things like canned mushrooms, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and pizza sauces, as well as fresh or frozen Maraschino cherries. Mushrooms are by far the worst: 20 maggots are allowed for every 100 grams of drained mushrooms, compared with between 1 and 5 for every 500 grams of tomato products.


Fruit Flies

Buy a piece of fruit covered in fruit flies, and you can wash them off. Buy a can of citrus juice, and you’ll be swilling five fruit flies with every 8-ounce cup of juice. Grab an 8-ounce handful of raisins and you could be eating as many as 35 fruit-fly eggs.

Not sure how to pick the best produce? No problem. Master the Produce Aisle and you'll know what, when, and where to buy all year-round.

Corn Ear Worms


Corn is notoriously difficult to grow organically, because it’s prone to insect infestations. But in most cases, it’s easy to avoid eating the earworms that burrow into corncobs and eat the silk—just cut the kernels off the cob, and voilà! However, canned sweet corn will come with some extra crunch from all the larvae, skins, and skin fragments allowed by the FDA.


Cowpea curculio

Love black-eyed peas? Buy them dried and cook them yourself, rather than buying them frozen or canned. A can of black-eyed peas, cowpeas, or field peas may contain an average of five or more cowpea curculio larvae, which will grow into dark brown, beetle-like weevils that infest all manner of peas and beans.

Caterpillars

Fuzzy, ugly caterpillars are supposed to turn into beautiful butterflies for people to marvel at—not eat in a mouthful of frozen spinach. But along with the 50 or so aphids, mites, and thrips allowed in 100 grams of spinach, you may also find yourself munching on caterpillar larvae and larval fragments. Mmm . . . probably not what was giving Popeye all that strength.

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatt...w-youre-eating

[Ozzy]

It's impossible for the bugs to live off of you like a parasite, though, right? Surely they'd all be dead?

I wouldn't mind eating dead bugs if there's no major health risk involved, hasn't killed me yet and it's better than eating dirt.. But, jesus christ, I'd rather die the most painful death than have any of those things crawling around inside of me..

[Quorra]

Extra protein yay!!!!

[Osprey]

Smaller organism have per capita better amount of Nutrients.
Like bugs, new born babies have more proteins.
Some paticular leaves as small as half a thumb have more than 12 times Vitamin C than Orange or Lemon.

[rhiannon]

I'm never eating again lol

[Quorra]

I'm never eating again lol

[Mechanolater]

See, I snack on sour cream and onion flavored crickets every once in a while, so the insects don't bother me much, but beaver anal gland juice is where I draw the line. No more vanilla Coke.