Creepy crawlers are superior to traditional protein sources in terms of nutritiousness, a report published by The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found.

The University of Oxford research team pitted a number of insects (crickets, honeybees, silkworms, mealworms and caterpillers) against traditional proteins, comparing the calorie, sodium, sugar and saturated fat levels per 100 grams.

The overall winner? Honeybees, followed by crickets, and most surprisingly, pork.

Eating insects isn’t new; other cultures have utilized them as a food source for centuries. In 2013, the United Nations called on western nations to adopt insects as a way to combat world hunger.

“Edible insects contain high quality protein, vitamins and amino acids for humans,” the report said.
“Insects have a high food conversion rate, e.g. crickets need six times less feed than cattle, four times less than sheep, and twice less than pigs and broiler chickens to produce the same amount of protein. Besides, they emit less greenhouse gases and ammonia than conventional livestock. Insects can be grown on organic waste.”