Insects
Animal ProteinsInsects

Insects, tarantulas, scorpions, and grubs occupy a distinct category in Aajonus's dietary framework, they are legitimate flesh foods, valid sources of protein and fat, and in certain cultural and survival contexts, they are primary staples. Aajonus was unambiguous that any kind of flesh food qualifies as meat, and that this category extends to insects and arachnids. He stated directly: "Meat, that doesn't mean red meat. That means any kind of flesh food, even if it's an insect."

RegeneratingEnzyme-Rich
CategoryAnimal Proteins
Primary ActionDense chitin-protein; high bioavailability; extreme cases only
Frequency{Frequency}
Best Pairing{Best Pairing}
Overview

Overview

Insects, tarantulas, scorpions, and grubs occupy a distinct category in Aajonus's dietary framework, they are legitimate flesh foods, valid sources of protein and fat, and in certain cultural and survival contexts, they are primary staples. Aajonus was unambiguous that any kind of flesh food qualifies as meat, and that this category extends to insects and arachnids. He stated directly: "Meat, that doesn't mean red meat. That means any kind of flesh food, even if it's an insect."

His personal relationship with these foods was characterized by candid ambivalence. He acknowledged eating tarantulas, scorpions, raw grasshoppers, grubs, and having indirectly consumed roach-derived products. He ate these foods when starving in the desert during his healing journey, and he observed many cultures, particularly across Asia and South America, for whom insects are not a survival fallback but a prized, everyday food. He consistently framed Western squeamishness about insects as a cultural conditioning problem, not a biological or nutritional one, and he was critical of himself for not being able to fully overcome that squeamishness.

His core position was that insects are whole foods, real protein, real fat, real minerals, and that populations who eat them raw and regularly appear to thrive. He never excluded them from the Primal Diet framework. Rather, he repeatedly said he would eat them if he had no other option, and he admired those for whom insects were a natural and enjoyable part of daily eating.

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Properties and Effects

Properties and Effects

Fat Content Aajonus noted that despite the external appearance of insects, their internal composition is predominantly fat. He used the ant as the central example: "If you want strength, look to the people who are strong. You never see a skinny person as very strong. Except in the ant community. They're very strong and very skinny. But, if you break them open, what is their entire fluid system? It's all fat. They're skinny, but it's all fat." He applied this same observation to roaches: "Roaches are the same way. It's all liquid fat inside."

This internal fat content is what makes insects nutritionally dense despite their small size and external skeletal structure. The fat is not visible from the outside, insects carry their skeletal structure on the outside (their exoskeleton), so the entire internal cavity is available for soft tissue, fat, and fluid. He saw this as a design that concentrates nutrition.

Protein Insects function as a complete protein source in the same category as any animal flesh. Aajonus stated that populations in South America and Asia who have limited access to conventional animal protein, because of overhunting, poverty, or geography, sustain themselves on insects and do "very well and healthfully." He described jungle-dwelling Peruvians who live primarily on large grubs, caterpillars, and worms as thriving on this protein source. He treated this as direct evidence that insect flesh is a biologically valid protein for humans.
Mineral Content When asked what the attraction to insects is for Asian cultures, Aajonus listed mineral content as one component, then deferred to the cultural familiarity argument. He noted that grasshoppers eaten raw taste like what they eat, grass, meaning they carry the nutritional profile of their diet into the person consuming them. A grasshopper that feeds on grass carries grass minerals. Worms in corn taste like corn. Palm grubs taste like palms. This flavor-as-nutritional-signature principle means that the quality of the insect food tracks with the quality of what the insect itself ate.
Skeletal Structure and Digestion Aajonus explained that insects do not have an internal skeletal system. Their skin functions as their skeletal system, the exoskeleton. This means there is no bone content to manage when eating insects (except for the crunch of the outer shell). Compared to eating small birds or chipmunks, where the animal is mostly bone and the nutritional density is very low for the effort, insects provide more usable nutrition per unit consumed. He described his experience eating chipmunks in the desert: "By the time you skin them, you know, you have to eat the bones to get anything, any nutrients." Insects do not present this problem in the same way.
Scorpion and Tarantula Venom, Handling and Neutralization Aajonus gave extensive detail about the biological handling of venom from scorpions and tarantulas. His core claim is that the body, when healthy, routes venoms into the stomach where hydrochloric acid neutralizes them. He stated: "If you get an insect bite, a venom, the body can take it to the stomach and dump it in there and hydrochloric acid will actually neutralize venom."

He extended this to scorpion stings received accidentally, describing three separate stings he received during the construction and move-in of his Thailand house. In each case, he observed that his body's response time shortened dramatically with each exposure, from 24 hours of symptoms to one hour, to 20-30 minutes, to 10 minutes, to nearly no sensation at all. He attributed this to his body developing an "appendix memory" for the venom. He described it: "My body either has grown back the appendix or it has devised a type of appendix memory somewhere else in my body."

He connected this to his lack of an appendix, noting that the appendix is the body's library of foreign substances, and without it, the first-time response to a venom or poison takes up to 36 hours to develop. But repeated exposures train the body to respond in minutes regardless of whether the appendix is present.

He confirmed: "Before, when I'd get a bee sting like 20 years ago, having no appendix, I knew it would last for a week, something like that. Having the scorpions, all three of them, the highest concentration of venom and deadly, by the third day, I'll get a few bites, the first took a long time, because that's the first time I'd been stung by a scorpion in my life. Sure, it took 24 hours to really take care of and get it under a harness. But the next time, an hour, two hours. Next time, 20, 30 minutes."

He also described Chinese practices of eating scorpions without removing the poison gland at all, and noted that they don't get sick from it, though he never determined why.

Tarantula Fluid Aajonus specifically described the internal fluid of the tarantula as white in color and described it as "pretty delicious" and "not a bad taste. Odd." He described it as a milky white substance that fills the body cavity. He contrasted the taste experience with the textural challenge: "The fluid in the tarantula, white, it's pretty delicious... because it was so hairy. But they're big, you know, there's a lot to eat."

He said: "The milky white stuff inside. Not a bad taste. Odd. But because it was so hairy. But they're big, you know, there's a lot to eat."

Scorpion Flavor He was less enthusiastic about scorpion. He stated plainly: "The scorpion, I could take that or leave that. When you're that hungry, it's okay." And in another passage: "Scorpions didn't taste so good." He confirmed eating them raw after removing the poison gland.

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Form and State

Form and State

Raw vs. Cooked Aajonus consistently emphasized raw consumption of insects as optimal within his framework, while acknowledging that most Asian culinary traditions involve frying. He noted the taste difference directly: raw grasshoppers taste like grass (what they eat), while fried insects in coconut cream taste like coconut-flavored chips. The raw form preserves enzymes and nutritional content.

He also noted that some Asian communities eat beetles raw directly from the manure as they pick them: "They eat them while they're picking them. Live beetles. They'll just pop them in the mouth. You hear crunch, crack, crunch, crunch, crunch. It sounds like you're eating potato chips."

He described the Thai method of eating raw beetles harvested from buffalo dung: "I've got patience there. We'll go and pick them out in the morning, put them in a little container, and eat them like candy all day long as they're going around doing their chores."

He described frying methods too: stir-fried in water, or fried in coconut cream, noting the resulting crispy texture. He described cockroaches in Thailand fried in water until crispy, and grasshoppers fried in coconut cream. While he documented these methods observed in Asian cultures, his preference within the Primal Diet framework would be raw.

He mentioned that some Thai people stir-fry beetles in water, eating them "for the last 3 [minutes]" implying a very brief cooking time rather than prolonged heat exposure.

Grubs, Palm Grubs Specifically Palm grubs were called out as a specialty. He said: "Those palm grubs, the ones that grow in the palm trees. Yeah, those are delicious. They taste like the palms." This confirms flavor tracks with diet, the grub absorbs the character of the palm tree tissue it feeds on, making it genuinely flavorful rather than just nutritious.

He described large grubs in the Amazon, "worms this long and that big around", that were considered specialty foods among jungle-dwelling Peruvians. These were eaten raw by popping them directly into the mouth.

Beetle Larvae from Manure He described in detail a specific Thai beetle that lays eggs in buffalo dung. Several beetles lay approximately 300-400 eggs each, producing roughly 1,000 insects per dung pile over five days. The community harvests them just before they are ready to fly, on day five. This is the optimal window, the larvae are fully developed but have not yet dispersed. Some are eaten raw on the spot while harvesting; others are taken home and stir-fried in water.

He also mentioned a version of this from a different beetle he observed near rose bushes and manure, noting the same five-day lifecycle.

Maggots He referenced an Australian aboriginal tribe that deliberately cultivates maggots as a food source. They cut meat into thin strips, lay it on thatched boards, allow flies to lay eggs on it, let the larvae hatch and feed for five days, then eat the maggots "right before they're ready to become flies." He described the result as "big, fat, juicy maggots" and the people who eat them as able to "run as fast as horses" and "catch a horse in a run" without needing to drink water. He said: "Hell, I want that. Give me maggots. I'm not home long enough to hatch them. Otherwise, I would."

He described the textural quality of maggots when asked: "Maggots are soft. There's no crunch to a maggot. Yeah, white mushy thing."

Corn Worms Aajonus expressed genuine enthusiasm for the worms found on corn cobs. He described a Peruvian friend who, when shopping at a health food store, would specifically select only corn cobs that had a worm on them: "I won't even pick a corn that hasn't been eaten by a worm, if it doesn't have a worm in it. Because I know that if the worm is eating it, it's not a toxic, you know, or a GMO. Or it would be dead." He added: "I love the worms in corn. Just tastes like corn. Tastes like raw corn. Sweet."

The worm as a quality indicator for the corn itself is a significant point, the presence of a living, eating worm signals the absence of pesticides and GMO traits, because those things would kill or deter the worm. The worm also carries the flavor of what it eats, making it a corn-flavored food.

Caterpillars His Peruvian friend from the Amazon would "take the caterpillars off of the corn" and eat them directly. He described large Amazon worms "this long and that big around" as specialty items, popped raw into the mouth. He acknowledged being unable to do this himself.
Red Ants with Dates He described eating red ants mixed with dates accidentally: "I've eaten red ants with dates, and that's all that I could do. And I didn't do that purposely. The ants got into my dates at a very hot time in the desert, and I was sitting there chewing, and I said, these taste like caramel." He ate them because they had already infiltrated his food supply and discovered they improved the flavor.
Crickets He stated: "Crickets just taste like the grass that they eat." He classified them alongside earthworms and other insects as valid foods that carry the nutritional and flavor signature of their diet.
Earthworms He acknowledged earthworms taste like dirt, "Not such a great appetite, but still, they're good and healthy." He included them in the category of foods that are "supposed to be taboo and unclean" but are "the very things we need."
Centipedes He referenced South American populations eating centipedes with "the poisonous area disconnected." This parallels his own method with scorpions and tarantulas, removing the venom-producing anatomy before consumption.

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Sourcing and Preparation

Sourcing and Preparation

Removing the Poison Gland, Tarantulas and Scorpions The primary preparation step Aajonus described for tarantulas and scorpions is physical removal of the poison gland before eating. He described this process multiple times across different accounts:
  • "I ate scorpions and tarantulas, just popped off their poison gland and would eat them."
  • "I'd rip off their poisonous gland and I would eat them."
  • "Break off the poison gland", used for both scorpions and tarantulas.
  • "Pop the poison gland off of it", tarantula specifically.
  • "I'd break the poison gland off of it", in the context of desert survival.

He noted the contrast with Chinese practice, where scorpions are eaten without removing the poison gland and people reportedly do not get sick, though he never resolved why: "In China, they eat all kinds of scorpions. They don't even pop off the poison gland. I never figured out that one, but they don't get sick."

Wild-Caught Beetles from Manure The Thai method he described involves no special preparation, harvesting from fresh buffalo dung, picking the beetles out before they fly on day five, and eating them raw on the spot or taking them home for brief water-frying.
Grasshoppers Raw grasshoppers require no preparation in his descriptions, simply caught and eaten. When fried, they are done in coconut cream.
Market Selection in Asia He described his own sourcing preference in Asian markets as favoring meat with insects on it: "When I go to Asia, I only buy the meat out in the market. If I see insects on it, that's the meat I want. I won't go in a grocery store because I know they put formaldehyde, they put ammonia, they put bleach in that food. I shop where there's bugs, there's rats, there's everything." This principle, that insect presence signals absence of chemical preservation, extends naturally to the insects themselves as clean, uncontaminated food.
Palm Grubs He did not describe specific preparation for palm grubs beyond eating them directly. They are harvested from inside palm trees.

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Required Pairing

Required Pairing

Aajonus did not specify a mandatory fat buffer pairing for insect consumption in the same explicit way he did for some other foods. However, his general framework, that all protein should be consumed with fat, applies here. He described Thai frying of insects in coconut cream, which provides the fat component in cooked preparations. In his accounts of raw insect consumption in survival contexts, the fat was provided by the insect's own internal fat content, which he described as significant (noting that ants and roaches are "all liquid fat inside").

For venomous bites and stings from these creatures, however, he specified fat-based dairy as part of the neutralization protocol. See Therapeutic Protocols below.

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Contraindications

Contraindications

  • i

    He expressed the belief that if he had been raised eating insects as part of his normal diet, as Thai people on the Primal Diet have been, he would have no issue: "I've got one Thai on the diet who goes around collecting jum[bos]... If I had been raised like they are with them, as a natural part of their diet, yeah, I'd probably be okay."

  • ii

    He described the progression of overcoming squeamishness with other difficult foods as a process: "I used to always be paranoid of creepy, crawly things. But if you've been to Asia, man, they eat cockroaches this big... Now I look at a worm or a centipede and I can put it right in my mouth without worrying about it anymore. But I used to always be paranoid."

  • iii

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Therapeutic Protocols

Therapeutic Protocols

ProtocolFor Scorpion Stings, Tarantula Bites, and Snake Bites

Hydrochloric Acid Method: Aajonus described neutralizing venoms using hydrochloric acid, which the healthy stomach naturally produces. He stated: "Hydrochloric acid, like if you get bit by a snake or a scorpion, your body can take hydrochloric, you can vomit. Take the hydrochloric acid and put it on that spot and that'll neutralize that venom."

He also described an experimental self-injection of hydrochloric acid into his own leg after a venom exposure (from a different creature), with the result that "within minutes, my body used that hydrochloric acid to neutralize the venom" and the venom was "gone instantly."

Vomit Applied Topically: He described a wild-context protocol: "Let's say you know somebody who's been bitten by a rattlesnake or stung by a scorpion or bitten by a tarantula, you can vomit and put that vomit on that whole arm or wherever it is, and that body will absorb the hydrochloric acid from that vomit and neutralize that poison."

He described this as something he had done, getting someone to vomit after a rattlesnake bite and applying the vomit to the affected area.

Milk Method: He referenced the American Indian practice of seeking out a lactating animal after a venom bite and drinking milk to draw the poison to the stomach for neutralization. He stated: "When the American Indians ever got bit by something that gave them venom, they would seek out a lactating animal and they would drink the milk and then it would draw the poisons to the stomach and then the hydrochloric acid could neutralize it."

He confirmed: "Milk does it pretty quickly too. Or you can just vomit it once the milk goes in there. You can feel it, you get a little nauseous. You can vomit the poisons out."

Clay Method: He used clay (dirt) when in the desert after eating venomous creatures: "When I was in the desert, I ate clay, dirt, to pull it to my stomach and neutralize the poison." This draws the venom to the stomach for hydrochloric acid neutralization.

Cheese: He mentioned cheese alongside milk as a dairy-based absorber: "You can take milk and cheese and eat that and draw those poisons to the stomach, and then hydrochloric acid will neutralize it. The dairy will absorb it with the minerals and pass it out of your body."

Saliva: He mentioned saliva as a locally available neutralizing agent: "Saliva can also help neutralize venoms. That's why you suck and lick, keep putting your spit on that wound, a bite, you know, you will break it down."

Combined Protocol Summary for Venom Exposure: - Seek dairy (milk or cheese) immediately to draw venom to stomach - Hydrochloric acid in the stomach will neutralize the venom - Clay or dirt can be eaten to pull venom to the stomach if dairy unavailable - Vomit can be applied topically to the bite/sting site if the swelling is external - Saliva applied continuously to the wound can help break down venom locally - In the wild without other options, eating the clay and waiting for the stomach response is sufficient

His Personal Scorpion Sting Experiences, Documented Timeline:

First sting (Thailand, during house move-in): , Tiny scorpion, about one inch long, found in pillow , Sting to wrist , "My arm just ached all the way up for about one day, 24 hours. Very little swelling, a little rash in this area" , No treatment beyond observation , The little scorpions described as "the deadliest, because their venom is not diluted... one sting from those can kill you within two hours" , He applied lime juice to the area because "lime helps to neutralize bacteria"

Second sting (three days later): , Found in glove during work , Another tiny scorpion, same wrist , "Had no sensation, no burning, except for that very spot. And that lasted maybe an hour, just on that spot" , No treatment

Third sting (about ten days later): , Scorpion "fell from a doorway" and landed on his arm , "Again, nothing. Again, nothing." , No sensation

Fourth sting (same summer, from shoe): , Small scorpion in shoe , Sting to same arm , "Ten minutes, sensation was gone"

He summarized: "My body had learned another way to develop that kind of sensory analysis and direction to handle those poisons, even though I don't have an appendix."

He also described the physiological understanding of the venom concentration gradient in scorpions: "As they get larger, each stage they get larger, like a centimeter larger, their venom dilutes by half. So by the time they're adult, their venom is five times less concentrated than it is at the smallest." And: "There's no danger of getting stung by adult scorpions because as they get older, their venom becomes less and less concentrated. It's the little ones you have to worry about."

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Topical Applications

Topical Applications

For Insect Bites Aajonus documented several external topical protocols for insect bites:

Lime Juice: Apply raw fresh raw lime juice directly to the bite site. He stated this "helps dissolve and neutralize insect's saliva."

Clay-Water-Olive Oil Mixture: Formula: ½ teaspoon powdered sun-dried clay + 1½ tablespoons of water + 1 drop of stone-pressed olive oil Application: Mix and apply to the bitten area. This "attracts and absorbs poisons and soothes the area."

Raw Corn Poultice: If fresh raw corn on the cob is available, chew some and apply it to the bitten area directly.

Corn Starch Poultice (for continued swelling): Formula: 1 tablespoon corn starch + 2 teaspoons good mineral water + 1 pinch of powdered mustard + 2 drops stone-pressed olive oil + ½ pinch of fresh self-grated nutmeg Use if the bitten area continues to swell after initial treatment.

Beet-Lime-Clay Poultice (for poisonous bites): Formula: 1 teaspoon fresh shredded and minced beet + 1½ teaspoon fresh raw lime juice + ½ teaspoon powdered sun-dried clay Application: Apply as a poultice to the area of a poisonous bite.

Scorpion Sting, Lime Juice He applied lime juice to his first scorpion sting site, framing it as a bacterial neutralizer in addition to venom support.
Vomit Application (Wild Context) As described in the therapeutic protocols section, vomiting and applying the stomach acid-containing vomit to a bite or sting site to neutralize venom externally and locally.

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Dosage and Safety

Dosage and Safety

Scorpion Venom, Size-Based Concentration The key safety information Aajonus provided concerns scorpion size and venom concentration: - Smallest scorpions = most concentrated, most dangerous venom - Each centimeter of growth = venom concentration halved - Adult scorpions = venom is five times less concentrated than the smallest - All three of his summer stings were from small scorpions, yet none killed him
Insects as Food, No Upper Limit Stated He did not specify any upper limit or maximum dose for insect consumption as food. Thai people on his diet eat beetles raw every day, and he described this as desirable and healthy.
Insect Protein as Primary Protein, Validated He validated insects as capable of serving as primary protein for populations. He did not characterize this as a minimum or supplemental role, populations in Peru and Asia rely on insects as their main protein source and "do very well and healthfully."

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Culinary Applications

Culinary Applications

Raw Grasshoppers Eaten whole and raw. Taste: "like grass", they taste like what they eat.
Grasshoppers Fried in Coconut Cream Fried in coconut cream until crispy. Result: "that coconut taste with the brittle, you know, crispy taste of the legs and the body and everything becomes crispy. So it's probably like a chip, you know, to them."
Beetles, Raw from Manure Harvested on day five before flight. Eaten raw on the spot during harvest. Texture: crunchy, like potato chips. "You hear crunch, crack, crunch, crunch, crunch."
Beetles, Water Stir-Fried Taken home and stir-fried in water briefly. Also stir-fried in water for a brief final period before eating.
Cockroaches, Thai Street Food Style "Fry them in water" until crispy, eaten off the street in Thailand. Also: grown specifically on farms to large size for eating.
Scorpions, Chinese Method Eaten without removing the poison gland. He did not describe preparation beyond that. Also sold on sticks and fried in China (referenced in passing).
Tarantulas, Aajonus's Desert Survival Method Pop off poison gland. Eat raw. The milky white internal fluid is the most flavorful component.
Palm Grubs, Raw Harvested from inside palm trees, eaten raw. Taste: the palms, flavor mirrors the tree tissue they consume.
Corn Worms, Raw Taken directly from corn cobs and eaten raw. Taste: "like corn. Tastes like raw corn. Sweet."
Caterpillars, Raw Taken from corn plants or jungle vegetation and eaten raw. His Peruvian friend demonstrated removing them from corn and eating immediately.
Large Amazon Grubs, Raw Described as specialty food, very large worms eaten by popping directly into the mouth raw.
Maggots, Raw (Australian Aboriginal Method) Meat strips placed on thatched boards, flies allowed to lay eggs, larvae allowed to develop five days, then eaten raw as "big, fat, juicy maggots" before they become flies.
Red Ants with Dates Accidental combination. Ants infiltrated dates in desert heat. Result tasted like caramel. He ate them. No deliberate preparation.
Beetles (Japanese Beetle Type), Raw During Harvest Similar to the Thai method, picked from manure, eaten raw during collection, remainder taken home for brief cooking.

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Primary Derivative

Primary Derivative

Roach-Derived Lipstick (Historical Industrial Use) Aajonus documented in detail that lipstick was made exclusively from roach guts for approximately 60 years, until approximately 10-12 years before the time of his lectures. This is the most extensively documented insect-derived product in his teachings.

He described the production method: "They throw them on miles of these trays of roaches, and they squeeze the white guts out of it, and that's how they made lipstick for 60 years." He explained the reason: roach gut was "the only thing they'd get to stick to the lips that wouldn't cause contamination" and was "non-toxic." He stated that the roach guts provided the adhesive, skin-compatible, non-toxic base that no other known substance could replicate for lip application.

He stated: "All women have been eating roaches for a very long time. Roach guts. Every one of you." And specifically: "Most of you women have been eating roaches, most of you. Lipstick was made exclusively with roach guts up to ten years ago."

He disclosed the source of his information: a patient who was a chemist with the lipstick division of Estée Lauder. He described the scale: "Miles, miles. They had hundreds of miles of roach farms. Literally hundreds of miles of roach farms... all over the world. Here, in America. They had one plant near the Hershey's chocolate factory in California. But hundreds of miles to supply the roach, the lipstick all over the world."

He noted the Latin naming convention used on ingredient lists: "They put the Latin name on the ingredients. Nobody knew what it was unless they looked up the Latin. Oh, that's a roach!"

He contrasted the old formula with the current one: "Now you women are using completely chemical lipstick, and guess what, it's all poisonous. So when you're eating the lipstick that was made from roach guts, you were much better off."

When the industry stopped using roach guts, the farms were shut down and converted to other uses. He described the transition as a move toward more toxic, all-chemical formulations.

The internal composition of roaches that made them suitable for this: "Roaches are the same way [as ants]. It's all liquid fat inside." The liquid fat content is what provided the adhesive, lubricating, skin-compatible property.

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Historical Context

Historical Context

Insects as Primary Protein in Non-Industrial Cultures Aajonus presented insect eating as a nutritionally valid, historically continuous practice across multiple cultures, not a poverty-driven degradation. He described:
  • Thailand: Large cockroaches fried on streets; beetles harvested from buffalo manure and eaten raw or stir-fried; scorpions eaten with and without poison glands; tarantulas eaten; bats eaten; a Thai patient on the Primal Diet who collects and eats large beetles as part of daily diet and "dreams about eating the beetles every day raw"
  • China: Scorpions eaten without removing the poison gland, in lower-income markets; sold on sticks; he observed this and found it notable that no illness resulted
  • Peru/Amazon: Jungle-dwelling tribes who ate insects as primary protein because animals were overhunted; large grubs eaten raw as specialty foods; caterpillars taken directly from corn; worms eaten
  • Australia: Aboriginal tribe that deliberately cultivates maggots from meat strips, eating them as primary food, resulting in exceptional physical capability, running as fast as horses, not needing water
  • Asia broadly: "There are also tribes that thrive on the bugs grown in fecal matter." He documented this as a sustainable, healthful food system
Western Pharmaceutical and Media Framing Aajonus directly challenged the framing of insect eating as dangerous or sub-human: "Gosh, if it were that bad, the way the pharmaceutical media are telling you that it's bad for you, we'd all be dead. They'd all be dead. It's an absurdity. It's absolute craziness."

He positioned Western squeamishness as culturally manufactured: "You should be squeamish about all the soaps and all the antibacterials and all the chemicals in your [environment]" rather than about natural foods.

Diatomaceous Earth and Insect Killing He described diatomaceous earth's mechanism of killing insects, it is glass that "cuts all the insect's guts apart. Shaves it and rips them to pieces. Rips their eyes apart" when they inhale it. He criticized using diatomaceous earth on grains as dangerous to humans as well: "It's a very ugly thing when you see it under a microscope. But it just cuts them to pieces." He stated it is "not a good thing to use diatomaceous earth" to treat grains, and if grains have been treated with it, "you better rinse it off very well."
Insect Presence as a Quality Indicator He explicitly used insect activity as a positive quality marker for food. On meat in Asian markets: "If I see insects on it, that's the meat I want." On corn: "I won't even pick a corn that hasn't been eaten by a worm, if it doesn't have a worm in it. Because I know that if the worm is eating it, it's not a toxic, you know, or a GMO. Or it would be dead." The presence of living insects signals the absence of chemical preservation, pesticides, and genetic modification.
Mosquitoes and Disease, Refuting the Malaria and Disease Transmission Narrative While not about eating insects, Aajonus gave extensive teaching about mosquitoes that is relevant to the overall insect framework. He argued that mosquitoes are pollinators (male mosquitoes pollinate tiny flowers that bees cannot reach), and that the disease transmission narrative is false and serves political purposes, specifically to justify destruction of jungle environments by making people afraid of mosquitoes.

His core argument: the female mosquito collects blood to feed her larvae, not for her own nutrition. If the blood were infected with malaria or other pathogens, it would kill the larvae. Therefore the mosquito cannot function as a disease carrier. He stated: "If she infected that larva, if she infected that blood, what would happen? The larva would die." He also argued that humans transmit malaria to mosquitoes (the mosquito picks it up from infected blood), not the reverse.

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Cross-References

How this food connects to the rest of the platform