I’m always on the look out for new foods to try that will fit my low-starch, gluten-free lifestyle. I never thought I’d be trying Chapul Cricket Bars, made with cricket flour. Turns out they are quite gourmet and delicious as long as you are not bothered by the insect “ick” factor.

The cricket bars seemed like a perfect snacking choice for someone like me who cannot eat regular flours or even gluten-free varieties because of starch malabsorption problems. I also lived in Thailand for awhile and discovered how people in other parts of the world eat insects as a mainstay of their diets.

I don’t have to avoid crickets for any reason but those who have a crustacean or shellfish allergy shouldn’t eat them. Crickets are arthropods, just like shrimp, crabs and lobsters.

I decided to try these bars after seeing them featured on the ABC television show, Shark Tank. They are similar to Larabars in taste and texture. I ordered a sampler pack of three bars, including the Chaco (peanut butter and chocolate), Aztec (dates and chocolate) and Thai (coconut, ginger and lime). These bars all contain cricket flour and sell for $2.99 to $3.25 each.

Some other facts about cricket flour:

•It’s a rich source of protein and other nutrients. A 2-tablespoon serving of cricket flour contains 55.3 calories, 7.6 grams of protein, 4.4 percent DVA of iodine, 3.6 percent DVA of magnesium, 23.5 percent DVA of riboflavin, 16.7 percent DVA of Vitamin B12 and 14 percent DVA of zinc.

•Crickets are more environmentally friendly to produce than cows or pigs that require a large amount of feed and water to produce. Crickets use little water and mostly eat agricultural byproducts, such as broccoli stalks.

My review will focus on the Aztec bar as that is the only one I sampled. The others contained ingredients I need to avoid. Other friends and family members were guinea pigs for the Chaco and Thai bars and found them delicious too.

The Aztec bar is a delectable combination of dark chocolate, dates, coffee and cayenne powder. It was dense, not overly sweet and definitely gourmet. The heat from the cayenne lingers just a bit.

The bar has 150 calories, 36 grams of carbohydrates (7 grams of fiber), 5 grams of protein and 17 percent DVA of iron.

Chapul Cricket Bars are pricey but worth giving them a try, especially as Chapul invests 10 percent of all profits in water conservation in the regions that inspired their bars.