Eating Insects Healthy? 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Bugs For You And The Environment [VIDEO]

Just recently, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization released a report naming insects as a viable source of protein for the world's diet. The practice of eating insects is known as entomophagy, and people throughout the world have been doing it for years.

According to the report, "Insect consumption is not a new concept in many parts of the world. From ants to beetle larvae -- eaten by tribes in Africa and Australia as part of their subsistence diets -- to the popular, crispy-fried locusts and beetles enjoyed in Thailand, it is estimated that insect-eating is practised regularly by at least 2 billion people worldwide," and there are more than 1,900 edible species.

Now that we know it's actually safe to eat bugs, here's five reasons why you should not be so skeptical about it and actually give it a try.

• Insects are high in protein, good fats and fiber.

• They improve growth, strengthen immune defenses and sometimes their fat helps prevent pulmonary problems. Plus, you won't have to worry about swine flu, bird flu or mad cow disease.

• They are environmentally-friendly. Through grazing and feed crop production, livestock occupies 30% of the ice-free terrain and the industry is responsible for emitting more greenhouse gases than the world transportation system.

• Agriculture consumes 70 percent of water worldwide, and the production of animal protein requires 100 times more water than protein from grain. Insects need far less, and can be grown throughout the drought.

• You're already eating bugs in your regular diet. According to the FDA, a certain amount of insect parts in our food is considered a "natural defect." You eat 30 insect parts in a bar of chocolate and 10 insect parts in a jar of peanut butter. Most of us eat half a pound of insects by accident each year, and if you're organic, your rate of insect consumption is higher.

Entomophagy is a practice that's making its way into today's Western societies, and a group of students of the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London got together to create way for people to consume bugs in their regular diets.

They based their project on the idea that "before mass consumption of insects can become a first-world reality, you need to fix the perception problem," and they created Ento Box, a food product in which the bugs were unrecognizable. Also, direct visual links were created between the style of Ento and sushi, giving the food an exotic appearance that attracts eaters.

The students hope that by 2020 people won't need to trick their minds in order to eat insects.

If you're feeling a little convinced already, The Food Insects Newsletter has over a thousand subscribers and they share delicious recipes you could try in the comfort of your own home. Also, biologist David George Gordon has many books written on the subject and The Eat-A-Bug Cookbook is one of the people's favorites.

To leave you on a sweet note, here's Larry Peterman, owner of Hotlix Candy, as he cooked his friends a dinner party they'll never forget.