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I feed my daughter crickets for protein — it saves hundreds on grocery bills

April 26, 2023

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Tiffany Leigh wrote about the experience in an essay for Insider that was published last week. Tiffany Leigh

This tip may bug some parents.

In a new essay for Insider, food writer Tiffany Leigh revealed that she feeds her 18-month-old daughter crickets as a source of protein — claiming it saves her hundreds of dollars on grocery bills.

The Toronto mom started to supplement her daughter’s more costly protein diet of beef, chicken and pork with whole roasted crickets, cricket protein powder and Cheeto-like cricket puff snacks.

She said she’s been able to cut down her grocery bill of $250 to $300 a week to between $150 and $200.

The Post reached out to Leigh for comment.

According to New York City-based registered dietician Jenna Werner, crickets can actually be a good source of protein.

“Crickets boast quite a few nutritional benefits important for both children and adults, and at decreased prices than other protein sources it could be a great way to get your family what they need, for less … IF they will eat it!” Werner wrote in an email to The Post.

The essay noted that cricket protein powder contains 65.5% protein; however, Werner recommends making sure the product has an NSF or third-party certification, which ensures that the ingredients on the package label are actually inside the product.

“Cricket powder also contains nutrients such as B12, calcium, iron, magnesium, fatty acids and potassium,” Werner noted.

In her reveal, Leigh wrote that a “mere 2 tablespoons of cricket powder provides 100% of the daily protein needs of a baby, which for my 20 pound baby is nine to 14 grams a day, or 11 grams on average.”

Leigh explained that she has always been open to trying new things and doesn’t discriminate when it comes to bugs. She claims she’s eaten fried tarantula legs, ants, crickets and even scorpion on a stick.

She wrote that when she traveled to places like Vietnam and Thailand, she admired how insects were added into classic dishes — and decided to do the same for her own child in a three-week experiment.

Eating insects certainly isn’t a new concept: In 2013, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations published a study that found consuming these critters could be a solution to climate change and world hunger, with the global population expected to balloon to 9 billion people by 2050.

Leigh explained that she's always liked to try new foods. — Leigh explained that she’s always liked to try new foods.

Leigh noted her daughter doesn’t have any dietary restrictions or allergies (those allergic to crustaceans should be careful about consuming edible insects). Werner also recommended making sure that you consider the age of your child when it comes to choking risks – that is, if you choose to feed them the whole cricket.

Leigh recalls beginning this journey by giving her daughter the Cheeto-like puffs, which are made by a brand called Actually Foods. She reports her daughter loved them.

Next, she decided to feed her daughter a whole roasted cricket, which she immediately spit out, shaking her head “No.”

Leigh claims that when she blended up the crickets and put them into a pancake mix, her daughter didn’t seem to notice and even motioned for more.

“I ate some and could understand why — you couldn’t tell that crickets were in these fluffy cakes,” Leigh wrote. “The only difference was that they had a slightly nutty finish.”

At dinnertime, she put the cricket protein powder into a macaroni and cheese mixture, which was also a huge hit.

However, dietician Werner observed that the cost of protein cricket powder is similar to other plant-based powders out there – something to keep in mind when trying this.

“From what I see with the cost of the cricket protein powder, it is very comparable to many whey or plant protein options out there, so if you are looking to spice and switch it up, go for it and give it a try!” Werner wrote.

“But simply as a protein powder option — not sure it saves any money … HOWEVER if you love/prefer it, that is great!”