Yes. In many areas of Central and South America, armadillo meat is often used as part of an average diet. I have heard that some peoples of South America keep small varieties of armadillos as edible housepets. During the Depression, armadillos were often eaten by hungry people. They were called "Hoover hogs" by people angry with then-President Herbert Hoover's broken promise of a chicken in every pot. The meat is said to taste like fine-grained, high-quality pork.

While buffalo have always been the most important source of meat and other products, ancient peoples ate many different kinds of food. Animals such as elk, deer, and antelope were regularly hunted for food. Dogs were sometimes also eaten. Fish and shellfish were important in the diets of peoples in eastern South Dakota and along the Missouri River. Waterfowl were also occasionally hunted. Rabbits, turtles, prairie dogs, and just about any animal could be and was eaten at various times.

This unfortunate rumor comes from the armadillo's inclination to dig where the dirt is soft, such as a freshly-filled grave. They aren't after anything more than the insects in the dirt. They dig there for the same reasons that birds follow a plow as it turns the soil – that's where the bugs are the easiest to find. People sometimes call armadillos "gravediggers" as a result of this myth.

Some people have accused them of doing so, but it probably isn't a very likely scenario. Game hunters have suggested that the decline in population of ground-nesting birds is related to armadillo predation. The rise in the cat population in the US is probably much more to blame; feral cats and housecats alike are wreaking havoc on the small animal populations worldwide. Although armadillos will eat carrion, such as dead birds, they don't appear to actively hunt for eggs or chicks.

Yes and no. The nine-banded armadillo nearly always gives birth to four identical young, just as humans nearly always give birth to one child at a time. However, just as people sometimes give birth to twins, armadillos will occasionally bear litters of three or five young. Despite the number, the young are always identical. They form from the same egg, share the same placenta during development, and are all the same sex.

Sure... usually crazy people... and I don't mean the "good" crazy. Most sane folks throw away something that has been in the freezer for more than a few months. Can you imagine busting out a bag of tater tots that have been in your freezer for 12 months to celebrate a special occasion (I've done it, it's not as cool as it sounds).

Your dog’s digestive system was designed to handle raw meat. After all, wild or zoo animals don’t eat cooked meat. We’ve been using raw meat for close to 20 years with fantastic results. Buy healthy selections of meat, always refrigerate or freeze, and follow recommended safe handling instructions on meat packaging. If you are still concerned, you can rinse meat in a solution of grapefruit seed extract or human-grade hydrogen peroxide mixed with water.

People in several countries collect locusts using large nets and by other means. Locusts are usually stir-fried, roasted or boiled and eaten immediately or dried and eaten later (see some recipes below). Locusts are rich in protein. During periods of increased locust activity, piles of dead locusts can be found in the market places of many locust affected countries.

African religions do not practice cannabalism and never have. We also have no rituals to symbolize this practice of "drinking the blood of our god, nor the eating of their bodies" as in Christianity.

Not really. They are wild animals, and any wild animal should be treated with caution and respect, but the average armadillo is not a dangerous creature. They are capable of harming people with their strong claws if they are handled incorrectly, but in most cases they will run away when they feel that they are in danger. Most people who have had encounters with the animals have reported that the armadillo pretty much ignored them unless they did anything overtly threatening.

Lots of vegetables, some fruit, low-fat protein (e.g., lean beef, turkey or chicken, fish, low-fat dairy, soy and egg whites, etc.) and good fats (e.g. nuts, avocados and olive oil). Just control your total Calorie intake. It can be this simple! See the Meal Plans section of this site for suggestions. In addition, various books by Roy Walford and Barry Sears have excellent, low-Calorie suggestions – see this Books page.

overweight person may eat the same amount as a normal size person. However, he/she might be eating the wrong things. Further, if you were overweight as a child it may be that you have a large amount of small fat cells in your body that are very hard to get rid of by diet.

There have been many research studies done which confirm the need to augment our diets with nutritional supplements. Unless you are truly optimally healthy you'll probably find benefit from taking supplements which are of high quality and suited to your particular health needs. Supplements are not a "one size fits all" proposition. Your program should be tailored for you individually. At HealthNOW we design nutritional programs which address the root cause of your problem.

Cultures that eat a lot of soy typically have lower incidences of heart disease and many cancers than Americans. However, the problem with these types of comparisons, is that there are a lot of other differences in diet and lifestyle that could effect health risks. Soy foods, including tofu, are high in protein. Soy foods don't contain cholesterol and are low in saturated fat, although they can contain quite a bit of unsaturated fat.

Yes, termites actually eat wood. Using bacteria, protozoa and microbes that live inside their stomachs, they are able to digest cellulose, the main constituent of wood.

Surprisingly, no. Anatolians tend to be "easy keepers", and an adult Anatolian will eat between 40 to 60 pounds of premium quality dog chow a month. As a puppy, an Anatolian should be fed a premium puppy food for the first year. Some breeders will use puppy food for the first 18 months, and then switch to a good adult food.