Bob's Red Pill #4 - Eat The Bugs
by Crypto Psi
We’re being bombarded with oddly specific propaganda from known bad actors to start consuming insects. This is because bugs are a more “sustainable source of protein” in a world supposedly being devastated by climate change. Bill Gates, World Economic Forum’s Klaus Schwab, and other pals insist that animal agriculture is far too resource-intensive for a growing population.
Resistors insist that this is clearly a mass social control agenda, and that billionaires will continue to consume A5 Wagyu cows daily, while the peons will be forced to feed on a Soylent-inspired cricket chow. Any listener of Rare Candy will know that we detest such agendas. A more careful listener will know that I (Psi) am a “vegan” who’s not really a vegan, and might be wondering how I feel about all of this. Hence, Bob’s Red Pill #4: Eat The Bugs. I’ll save my climate and meat/dairy takes for another article, but rest assured: as a dietary hipster I’ve been eating the bugs before Klaus made it cool. Perhaps I can convince you to include a few choice esoteric animal products in your diet, regardless of your current habits and ideological leanings.
First off, while I generally hate these classifications, most regular folk would look at what I eat on a daily basis and conclude that I’m a vegan. Most hardcore vegans would call me a fake vegan. I consume animal products irregularly, and am considering making it a more consistent habit. However, I don’t mean beef, pork, chicken, or any animal flesh. I don’t eat fish or eggs, cheese, butter, or dairy, either. I’ve also never eaten cockroaches, spiders, maggots, grubs, mealworms, crickets, or any other forced-narrative bug, as these would be disgusting to me. I understand there are some cultures that I respect deeply that regularly eat such foods, shout out Mexico. There clearly is a cultural element here, most North Americans will always detest the idea of eating insects. But I digress: what animal products do I eat?
Based + Esoteric Animal Foods
Almost all critiques of veganism from a nutritional perspective boil down to one core pillar: that veganism is insufficient in nutrients to sustain an individual, let alone a family or society across generations. That’s it, I summed up the whole thing. This has always been the critique since these debates began. It’s probably obvious that I think this narrative is strongly overblown. I personally know several vegan-from-birth friends who are absolutely thriving, whit far less chronic health issues than the average normie. One of them is about four inches taller than me (a common critique of childhood vegan diets is stunting). There are also endless examples of vegan athletes, my favorite example being Kendrick Farris. He was the only powerlifter invited to the Rio Olympics from America.
Now, regardless of genetic potential, no athlete in a specialized field like powerlifting can be world-class on a deficient diet. Forget the fact that Farris credits his dietary habits for helping him improve in strength and recovery, allowing him to separate from the pack. I think it’s fair to say that our idea of how successful a vegan diet can be has radically changed over the decades. In the 1940’s, absolutely no one thought any of this would have been possible. Yet it’s clear that there are people thriving on an animal-free diet long term, and I commend those that have put in the work to prove this.
That being said, a lot of people struggle when their diet initially goes full vegan, including myself. It’s absolutely possible to fail to meet nutrient requirements on any poorly-planned diet, but poorly planned vegan diets really seem to mess people up. Everyone’s heard of B-12, omega 3s, vitamin D, et cetera, but for me the big one was zinc. Which brings me to the bugs.
A lesser-know but absolutely essential Chinese tonic is polyrachis ant. It is generally farmed with a high standard of quality, and these ants grow synergistically with ginseng plants in the wild. Ants can lift 100 times their own body weight and possess a non-stop work ethic. Oftentimes, the quality of an herb is reflected in the human who consumes it, and this appears to be the case with the humble ant. In humans, ant appears to stimulate ATP (energy) production, increase strength and stamina, support the adrenals (like all good Jing tonics), and improve life overall. I treasure it for its incredibly high zinc content, and I suspect it contains a treasure trove of other rarer trace minerals.
Ron Teeguarden, one of the most brilliant herbalists in the world, recommends ant extract to anyone who wants to thrive, but urges vegetarians and vegans to take it, if they are willing. He claims it really fills in the missing gaps for the classic anemic vegetarian with dark circles under their eyes. His company Dragon Herbs sells a few ant-based formulas in capsules — no one has to consume raw ant to get these benefits. I love his ant-he sho wu formula, as he sho wu is another potent vegetarian source of zinc and other minerals. Men seem to particularly benefit from ant (and he sho wu), but some women report miraculous hormonal balancing effects.
I have zero qualms about consuming ants for health. It’s a minor addition to the diet, and me simply existing in modern society has decimated more insects than I could possibly consume in a lifetime. I don’t eat ant for any environmental reasons, I eat it for the incredible health benefits; however, if more people cut back on meat (which I recommend) and fill in any nutritional gaps with ant and other herbal extracts, it would surely be a net-positive for freeing up more agricultural land. Even if you have zero care for the environment, you’d be a fool not to at least try ant. Imagine the benefit you receive from eating a steak … ant probably supplies this benefit at least five-fold if taken regularly.
There are other zinc-rich foods that those otherwise eating vegan include in their diet. Oysters are a famous example, as bivalves with no central nervous system, they act as a whole-food natural supplement to any diet. They’re not really my thing, but I have consumed a platter of oysters or two over the years and have enjoyed them every time.
There are a handful of other animal-based tonic herbs that have been used for centuries, all of them fascinating. These things live in a gray zone, not quite vegetarian, but perhaps worth including for their fantastic health benefits.
Cordyceps fungus is blowing up because of the fictionalized version that infects humans in The Last of Us video game and HBO show. The real cordyceps infects various insect species, takes over their brain and zombifies them, then fruits into a mushroom using the insect carcass as substrate. In ancient China, peasants used to crawl along hillsides on their stomachs to search for wild cordyceps that infects caterpillars, and almost 100% of the harvest went straight to the emperor — that’s how precious this herb was considered back then. Today, wild cordyceps is perhaps the most expensive natural “spice” on earth, much pricier than top-tier vanilla or saffron. When extracted, it radically increases blood oxygen carrying capacity and lung strength, making it a favorite herb of athletes. Luckily, it can be grown in controlled settings for much cheaper, using wood or grain instead of insects as growth medium. In spite of its domesticated upbringing, I’ve found such products to be very effective.
Pearl is another classic herb, famous in women’s beauty formulas. Gecko is another rare but respected strength herb. Chinese herbalists aren’t afraid of fucking around. Deer antler is perhaps the animal herb most highly cherished. Fresh spring growth of deer antler tips are harvested and extracted, ideally without harming the deer. I understand a principled vegan’s opposition to such a product, but my curiosity was too much to not try it. Antler extract is a powerful herb to be sure, not for the meek of heart. I don’t consume regularly but it is worth checking out! I’ll just leave it at that ; )
There are plenty of other bug-related supplements that I haven’t touched on, like male silk moth. Tons I haven’t personally explored. Just imagine what’s out there currently undiscovered.
Look, men, I’m dropping some serious heat in this lil articleerinoo. This is advice that can give you erection quality you haven’t had since your teenage years, allow you to make love to your woman for twice as long, increase your strength in the gym or at the job site, ultimately making your life better and easier in every way. You’re telling me you’re willing to not even try this 8,000 year old time-tested stuff cuz an evil WEF guy said bugs are good? Seems like an ideological mistake to me. And I guarantee Bill Gates isn’t on this good shit.
I’ll finish with this. I have a pretty squeamish disposition and wouldn’t make it on the old school Fear Factor show. None of the above supplements really are a problem for me. May I humbly suggest eating the bugs for optimum health, perhaps levels of well-being you have yet to experience? Let me know what you think and do drop a testimonial if you give it a go!
To your health!
-Psi
This is why I love your guys’ content. Not afraid to say what’s up even if it ruffles some feathers