If you haven’t tried eating crickets yet, Chapul just might convince you to give it a go. Indeed, there are some compelling reasons to eat crickets. Besides the environmental concerns, they’ve got plenty of health advantages. And once you get past the “bug” part, Chapul bars are also delicious.
Going out on a limb, I’ll first try to persuade you with facts. For a complete protein, it’s hard to beat crickets. You’ll get your nine essential amino acids, same as organic pork, chicken, or beef. By weight, it’s got twice the protein of beef, as much B12 as salmon, and 15% more iron than spinach. Compared to beef, crickets require only 8% of the feed and water to produce an equal amount of protein. Cows are gassy. Very gassy. Due to this, crickets produce a mere 1% of the greenhouse gases that cows emit. Chapul bars are all natural. They have no soy, are dairy and gluten-free, and non-GMO. So, better for you, better for the environment.
Chapul combines cricket flour with tasty ingredients to make four distinct bars. They seem split into familiar flavors, and more exotic choices. At the top of my familiar list is the Aztec Bar. How about cocoa, cayenne, plus organic dates and espresso roast coffee beans? For the less adventurous, there’s the Chaco Bar. It’s made with organic dates, peanuts, organic raw honey, 100% cocoa powder, oats, and salt. Texture is almost like a super dense brownie. Not too moist, but not totally dry.
Feeling more exotic? Try the Thai Bar. Because it combines organic dates, almond butter, cashews, organic raw honey and raw coconut flakes, ginger, salt, sunflower oil, and lime oil. No, I cannot describe that mix of flavors in a single sentence. Similarly, Matcha bars use organic tahini, matcha green tea powder, goji berries, sesame seeds, and nori. Many people love them, but they are my least favorite.
You’ll want to check the Chapul website for the full nutritional content. Of course, the only way to judge the flavors is to try them. Choose one or more, depending on the appeal of the ingredients. Again, don’t worry about the fact that they’re made from crickets. That’s the last thing you’d notice. Personally, I could live on the Aztec Bars. A great snack after a hike, or perfect start to the day. In fact, if cricket protein is the future of nutrition, I’m ready for it. Chapul.com #bringinsexyback
Brian
I’d like to thank Chapul for providing delicious samples of each bar. Except for the Matcha Bars, which didn’t agree with my taste buds. To be fair, that’s not their fault.