Question: in the news recently a man i think was lost and he survived by eating flies do they really provide that much nutrients and would that cause him to be ill becvause they carry lots of bacteria and hang around types of poo

Kevin Arbuckle answered on 11 Mar 2014:

It is perfectly possible for short periods (although I doubt it was only flies he was eating). Insects are actually a very nutritious foodstuff and are often quite tasty too! The main nutritional problem is that many insects are low in calcium, so for longer periods you’d want to eat something else that has more calcium. In terms of disease, you obviously would have to be a little careful, but insects generally probably carry fewer diseases that can infect us than other mammals. Of course, dung flies are a little different, but they are probably an exception to that rule.