People Are Eating Chips Made of Dead Bugs, and We’re So NOT Here for It

You should probably grab a barf bag before you continue reading. No, for real. We’ll wait.

Got one? Good.

After seeing a product on Shark Tank, PEOPLE ARE EATING BUGS … ON PURPOSE! Chirps is a new brand of chips made from crushed up CRICKETS. Like … WHY?!?!?!

Chirps have made it to Hawaii, which begs the question, why haven't the cofounders??

A post shared by Chirps Cricket Chips (@chirpschips) on May 1, 2017 at 7:44pm PDT

According to the Chirps website, the company is killing bugs and crushing crickets up into snacks such as chips because it’s more environmentally sustainable than killing cows for meat and contains more protein than beef. This may be true—51 percent or more of global greenhouse gasses are caused by animal agriculture—but do you know what else is true? YOU DON’T HAVE TO EAT BUGS TO SAVE THE PLANET AND GET PROTEIN. It’s great that people are thinking about ways to help the environment, but you really, really don’t need to eat bugs to do it. All you have to do is go vegan. Trust us.

Here are just a few things you can eat to save the planet and get a bunch of protein instead of dead bugs:

Tempeh Tacos

Protein: 31 g

IT'S TACO TUESDAY YA'LL! I cooked up some tempeh tacos that be tastin' so right. Go check out my blog on my bio for the recipe n rambling. Turnip!

A post shared by TURNIP WITH MEG (@turnipwithmeg) on May 9, 2017 at 4:36pm PDT

Soy Beans

Protein: 29 g

Snack time! Frozen edemame is the simplest snack you can get! Add some sea salt (and thaw of course) ??? #healthysnacks #protein #edamame #motivation #preworkoutsnack #postworkoutsnack #veganprotein

A post shared by Greg ?????????? (@gregthefitman) on May 22, 2017 at 10:21am PDT

Field Roast Sausages

Protein: 26 g

#Bringfieldroastalong this weekend as summer is winding down! —————————————————- #vegangrilling #vegansausage #fieldroast #fieldroastsausage #vegandinner #veggiesausage #veganism #vegancamping #govegan #whatveganseat #plantbased #plantbasedprotein #veganprotein #grainmeat #meatfree #vegan #veganfood #vegetarian #easyvegan #veganfoodshare #veganiseasy #veganbbq #vegansofig #vegansofinstagram #vegancommunity ?: @lili_goesvegan

A post shared by Field Roast (@fieldroast) on Sep 16, 2016 at 12:12pm PDT

Beyond Burgers

Protein: 20 g

It's springtime and we've got a floral fixation

A post shared by Veggie Grill (@veggiegrill) on Apr 14, 2017 at 1:10pm PDT

Garbanzo Beans

Protein: 15 g

Cookie Dough that's healthy?? It's true…these little guys make up 65% of our Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter flavors, making our Cookie Dough actually GOOD FOR YOU! #chickpeas #garbanzobeans #legumes

A post shared by P.S. Snacks Co. (@ps.snacks) on Apr 25, 2017 at 4:58pm PDT

Tofu Scramble

Protein: 10 g

One of my favourite go to speedy #vegan dinners tonight ? turmeric tofu scramble with avocado rye toast, some tomatoes, zucchini and arugula ? hope you've all had a lovely weekend ? #dinner #vegandinner #healthydinner #homemade #avocadotoast #avocado #scramble #tofu #tofuscramble #turmeric zoodles #zucchini #noodles #arugula #salad #foodie #foodporn

A post shared by Hannah (@theplantpoweredprincess) on May 21, 2017 at 11:46am PDT

Spaghetti

Protein: 8 g

Olive Garden last night for an early Mother's Day dinner with the fam! Currently eating the leftovers this morning ? meatless spaghetti with steamed broccoli. ?? . . . . . . . . #vegan #veganolivegarden #allofgarden #veganspaghetti #steamedbroccoli #breadsticks #veganized #veganversion #vegansofig #vegansofinsta #vegansofinstagram #veganfood #veganfoodie #veganfoodporn #veganfoodshare #whatveganseat #govegan #goveg #plantbased #plantbaseddiet #veganaf #veganeats #vegannoms #veganlifestyle #veganism #meatless #dairyfree

A post shared by Lupita ? (@la_vegan_de_guadalupe) on May 14, 2017 at 10:20am PDT

Chirps also claims that its products are high in vitamin B₁₂. Yes, vegans and vegetarians should be making sure they get enough of this essential vitamin (as EVERYONE should), but nobody needs to eat bugs to get it. That’s just disgusting.

Here’s where you can get B₁₂ other than dead bugs:

Nutritional Yeast

Bragg nutritional yeast back on stock! Bagi yang belum pernah mencoba, nutritional yeast ini rasanya hampir mirip seperti keju, sering dipakai untuk mpasi (karena bisa membuat gurih makanan bayi walaupun tanpa kandungan gula dan garam) ataupun untuk pengganti rasa keju bagi yang alergi atau tidak mengkonsumsi dairy product.. Nutritional yeast mengandung asam folat dan amino, protein, dan vitamin B kompleks. . Nutritional yeast bisa juga loh di sprinkle di baked vegetable atau untuk membuat mac and cheese vegan.. rasanya? Yumm.. gurih seperti keju! ? #nooch #nutritionalyeast #braggs #tokoorganicbandung #macandnocheese #ideas #ramadan #puasa #vegan #glutenfree #saltfree #sugarfree

A post shared by Toko Organic Bandung (@toko_organic) on Jun 5, 2017 at 4:48pm PDT

Fortified Nondairy Milks

@Pantone’s 2017 color of the year is greenery, and it's particularly meaningful for us: plants are our inspiration, our roots + our future. Here's to building our plant-based future together.

A post shared by Califia Farms (@califiafarms) on Jan 3, 2017 at 9:02am PST

B₁₂ Vitamin Supplements

Not only is it gross to eat bugs, it’s also really mean. Just because crickets are tiny doesn’t mean that they deserve to die. Like all animals, crickets have feelings, and they suffer when they’re killed. They definitely don’t want to be ground up and turned into chips.

Just because a company was on Shark Tank and has a “cute” name doesn’t mean that you should eat bugs because it tells you to. Vegan foods do a lot more good for your body and the planet than eating crushed-up crickets ever could.

To learn about more ways that going vegan saves the environment, click here!

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