Ever wonder how many insects you've unknowingly eaten or how much bug/rodent poop?

[True Dough]

Maybe you'd rather just never know.

I was cutting up a head of cauliflower a short while ago and I noticed an unusual blue spot. So I took a closer look and it was as small blue worm tucked in the cauliflower (still alive). I cut around it and tossed it in with the compost. Makes you think that there must be plenty of other times when you aren't even aware and you simply ingest these little critters.

And, over the years, I've read a number of stories about people finding mice, rats and cockroaches in their boxes of cereal or in their bags of stir fry, etc. I eat a lot of cereal, but never once have I encountered anything like that, fortunately. But there could have easily been feces from any of those rodents mixed in and I would have just put it down the hatch.

Oh well, I'm still here today!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. I heard a stat that if you sleep on your back, you might easily eat about 7 spiders in a lifetime

No idea where or what the research was based on.

[Ocelot II]

2. We have all probably eaten many things that we wouldn't have wanted to eat

or to have known that we ate them. I just don't think about it.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. It's protein. Seeing bugs in food means it hasn't been bombed to death w toxic pesticides. nt

[underpants]

4. 6 pounds of dirt

https://www.healthcaredailyonline.com/strange-facts-the-average-person-eats-6-lbs-of-dirt/

[mike_c]

5. same as it ever was

Insects are our primary food competitors, and we've been eating them along with our staple crops literally since the dawn of agriculture. Numerous cultures consume them intentionally; they're abundant, nutritious, and range from pretty tasty to-- in some cases-- weird acquired tastes (fried giant Asian water bugs, ugh). Dried, powdered insect protein, usually cricket powder, is used more and more as a food base and protein supplement for humans and domestic animals. It's in lots of food products we consume everyday.

[Paladin]

6. Your closest available Republican has the same effect. (nt)

[True Dough]

9. Sometimes it's tempting

to swallow them whole (perhaps we could find a blue whale to do it), just to make them go away.

[Harker]

7. I've eaten crow on several occasions. n/t

[yellowdogintexas]

8. Cornmeal came with a complimentary supply of weevil eggs

back in the day.

The flour and cornmeal most readily available in our area came from a small local mill, using locally grown grain. Flour was not prone to weevils but cornmeal more than made up for that.

In hot weather sometimes the weevils had already hatched and flew out of the bag when it was opened. If you were using a summer weekend place and left cornmeal in the cabinet, the weevils would swarm out.

My mom always kept cornmeal in the refrigerator to keep the bugs from hatching. The miller told us the eggs were so tiny they could not be filtered out, but keeping the meal cold would stop the hatching.

So many foods could have stealth critters or their debris; there is no way we would ever know just how much we have consumed

[milestogo]

10. Insects aren't necessarily bad for you.

It's a protein source we may need to consider in the future.

Poop is gross, but not necessarily harmful.

[True Dough]

11. You're right

What is gross and harmful is you beating me in fantasy football and baseball!

[milestogo]

13. ...

[IcyPeas]

12. I went completely off broccoli after finding a good sized green thing... a caterpillar or a worm...

curled up between the stalks as I was chopping it... alive. It grossed me out so bad. I get kind of queasy with things like that.

I've tossed boxes of pasta for finding teensy weeny bugs in it. A friend said you're boiling it anyway .... as if that made it any better.

I know I've probably eaten my share of bugs....

[Floyd R. Turbo]

14. 🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️

[Orrex]

15. I worry that I haven't eaten *enough* bug/rodent poop.

[True Dough]

16. I think I may know what's been hindering you

"Orrex" kind of sounds like the name of a pest control company. For that reason, insects may be actively avoiding you.

[Orrex]

17. Doh!

I've been using this name for 30 years! It all makes sense now!