During a vacation in Tokyo, Takumi Yamamoto decided to treat himself to a special lunch: cricket curry, silkworm sashimi, and a water bug cider. “Everything was tasty,” he told CNN. “In particular, the water bug cider was quite refreshing and delicious, like a green apple.” The idea of eating insects might gross you out, but Yamamoto is one of 2 billion people worldwide—particularly in Central and South America, Africa, and Asia—who regularly consume them. In fact, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization encourages people to eat bugs—many of which are high in protein, healthy fats, and other nutrients—as a way to tackle food insecurity and curb the environmental toll from raising farm animals for food. Meals made of insects aren’t common in the U.S., but some people are working to change that—including Joseph Yoon, a New York City-based chef who promotes edible insects through his business, Brooklyn Bugs. “I like to think of cicadas as just another ingredient,” he says, “like lobster or shrimp.”