I heard a woman talking about the rising price of rice on the news recently, and she said she’d just have to find other ways to get protein in her family’s diet. So, I Googled “protein foods” and here are some suggestions: peanut butter, soy beans, black beans, pinto beans, lentils, split peas, chicken, beef, cheese, tree nuts and eggs.

And here’s another idea. President Bush says we may need to change our eating habits until the food prices come down a little. So, what about crickets? They can be an excellent source of protein and a good alternative to meat. According to www.bbc.co.uk/dna, 100 grams of crickets contain 12 grams of protein and only 5.5 grams of fat. The same amount of beef has more protein — 18 percent — but also has 18 percent fat.

And the price is right. You can get 50 crickets at Union Fork Bait and Tackle on Old Dayton Pike for about $1.85.