Would you like to try a fried scorpion

Would you like to try a fried scorpion on a stick? Take a moment and explore your initial gut reaction? Did you say to yourself, "Hum sounds interesting," or "No way!"Show more

I recently went to China to celebrate a friend's 40th birthday, the amazing, adventurous Dr. Eric. For one week, Dr. Eric lead a group of eight Americans out of their comfort zone to mindfully experience an array of the unfamiliar (come back to read my upcoming series of articles about this trip to China!).

The group headed to what is known as a night market in Beijing, China. On first glance, the market appeared to be a crowded, lively bizarre lined with rows and rows of food stands. Step a little closer and you find an array of items that aren't traditionally labeled as food such as scorpions, snakes, silk worm cocoons, star fish, and sea horses. Yes. People eat this. It's safe to say that the items for sale were creatures that make most Americans on first blush say, "Ick!"

Our mission: to find scorpions, a delicacy in China. Scorpions can be cooked in many different ways -- roasted, fried, grilled or even consumed live. Fried scorpions have generally only popped up in the U.S. as shock value items at state fairs (scorpions have been voted Travel & Leisure's Strangest State Fair Snacks). Scorpions have stingers that aren't removed but are not poisonous when exposed to heat (double yickes!). Who knew their legs would be still moving even when skewered on a stick? It's pretty safe to say that Americans generally do not like to see their food move a second or two before they eat it.

Out of eight Americans, how many were willing to try the scorpion? Four. Watch the video showing four of our brave participants and see their candid responses. You'll notice uncomfortable giggles, grimacing, a little bit of trepidation and a whole lot of surprise. Can you guess what a scorpion would taste like? They answer this question hands down.

How willing are you to try a new food? Are you the first to say, "yes" to a new and exotic meal -- one from a different culture, a new fruit, or an unfamiliar spice. Even buying a different brand of your favorite cereal can feel wild and crazy sometimes. Maybe you stick close to your tried and true favorites, no deviation.

Most people are unlikely to try new things. In fact, we generally eat a limited scope of foods on a daily basis. Research indicates that we often tend to choose foods based on habits to minimize the cognitive effort we have to put into it. In our own antidotal discussion, everyone admitted to some repetitive food habits -- a brown sugar Pop Tart every morning, drinking out of a favorite coffee mug, snacking on Cliff bars daily at work, or grocery shopping every Thursday morning at Costco. Let's face it, we are creatures of habit. The new sounds exciting but it is actually more difficult than one would imagine to do something different.

Okay, so maybe eating a scorpion might be a little too much to ask of you. This is completely understandable. Why do we need to take a shot at novel foods? It's easy to get stuck in a habit or rut. When trying to change your eating, doing the same thing over and over again can make you spin your wheels. Also, diversity in your food palate exposes you to more vitamins and minerals that you may be missing if you only stick to a few of your favorite foods. For example, if you don't normally eat dairy, you might unknowingly be missing a healthy dose of vitamin D, which helps your bones. Also, vitamin D deficits have been linked to depression. Finally, it's just fun. There are some mindful tips that can help you to start eating new foods, whatever they maybe.