It’s upon us…swimsuit season! A time that children look forward to with glee but adults see with trepidation. Examining every body flaw in the mirror as you try on that tight fitting bathing attire is a common practice among most adults before some play in sun and surf. But it doesn’t have to be this terrible! Losing a few extra pounds before the heat wave rolls in will give you a boost of confidence to help you strut your stuff at the pool. One method of weight loss many Americans revert to time and time again is calorie counting. Did you know adding in handfuls of insects can add a punch of protein to your diet? It may sound crazy, but sprinkling insects into your diet can give you a nutritional energy source you’re looking for. Here are some weight loss tips to get you started:

Start a food journal

Sometimes we absent mindedly shovel food in without thinking just how much we eat. Ten potato chips can easily turn into 30 if we aren’t actively thinking about what goes into our bodies. This can mean the difference of several hundred calories. By writing down what you eat, you become aware of each bite, where your bad snacking habits are, and where you can trim the calories off your daily intake. And why not substitute those potato chips for some fried crickets instead? Packed with protein, they are a healthier, nutty tasting alternative!

There’s an app for that

Using calorie counting apps like My Fitness Pal are a good way to see visually what’s in your food. By entering each item of food and logging your exercise, apps like this show you a graph of your protein, fat and carb intake as well as give you an idea of how many calories you have left to eat during the day. It takes all the guess work out and has been proven to help many people shed some unwanted poundage. You can even log in your snack of roasted mealworms. 25 grams has only 110 calories with a whopping 13 grams of protein. With an open mind, your can find protein in a wide variety of places.

Eat natural

The more foods you consume in their natural state, the better. This doesn’t mean a natural Twinkie or bag of M&Ms. Natural foods are defined as fruits, veggies, and unprocessed items. Vegetables specifically are a great filler to help you feel full, yet they have a smaller caloric impact on your daily allotment. Adding in some sautéed termites with a little butter is another natural additive to your diet. Mmm mm good!

Getting slimmer for summer doesn’t have to be difficult and Green Pest Control is a big supporter of a healthy home and a healthy heart. So while you’re putting time on that treadmill, let us eliminate your pest control stress so you can focus on more important things in your life and enjoy your summer! Kick off your healthy habits with these tasty, buggy treats below and give Green Pest Control a call today to kick off a pest free summer!

Cricket-friedrice
Photograph: Liz Mcburney

Cricket Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups cricket flour (yes, there really is cricket flour)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 12-ounce pkg. chocolate chips
½ cup dry-roasted chopped crickets

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 deg F. In saucepan heat 1 12-ounce pkg. chocolate chips until melted. Or melt in small bowl in microwave. Dip dry-roasted crickets into mixture and lay flat on drying pan or plate. In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla; beat until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add cricket flour mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate covered crickets. Drop by rounded measuring teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Banana Worm Bread

Ingredients:

½ cup shortening
¾ cup sugar
2 bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped nuts
2 eggs
¼ cup dry-roasted mealworms

Directions: Mix together all ingredients. Bake in greased loaf pan at 350 degrees for about one hour.

Enjoy!