When I was growing up, it was “eat your veggies.” But these days, everyone wants “superfoods.” What’s that, you ask? The Oxford Dictionary defines “superfood” as a ‘nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being.’
So, you’ve probably seen marketing for foods such as: kale, salmon, blueberries, hempseed, chia seeds, and wheatgrass. But the newest superfood takes the cake. What is this rage of tomorrow? Cockroach milk! Mmm…yum.
“Gag,” “Yuck,” “Ugh,” “No, thank you.” All these reactions seem appropriate. But, according to a team of scientists at India’s Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, you might want to put that bug spray down for a moment.
It turns out that the Pacific beetle cockroach feeds it’s babies by lactating protein-dense crystals that are more than four times the nutrition of cow’s milk! Researcher Subramanian Ramaswamy calls this roach milk a “fantastic protein supplement.” So, while it doesn’t sound attractive, cockroach milk might be hitting a grocery near you!
Of course, “drink your milk and get your protein” isn’t a new message.
In fact, the Bible has always maintained that God’s milk is the only way to get our spiritual nutrients. In 1 Peter 2:1-3, Peter reminds Christians, “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”
Now, I’m pretty sure that Peter didn’t have roach milk in mind. But he used the universal idea of the purity of mother’s milk to remind us that we need nutrients in our spiritual diets. If we fail to do so, we will grow weak in our faith and in our spiritual life.
I have no idea what roach milk tastes like. But I know that the kindness of the Lord is the sweetest thing ever. As we grow in our salvation, we must continue to dine on the protein packed meal of the good news of Jesus.
