Crienglish.com reported Sunday that while the insect-based dishes are traditional in certain parts of China, female white-collar workers have recently taken an increased interest in the unusual culinary fare.

"I've tried all kinds of worm dishes, and I've fallen in love with them," one unidentified young woman said recently.

"Why do we eat worms? Because they are good for our health, especially our skin," she added.

Research by the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science at Kunming Medical College research found that the insect dishes do contain nutritional components.

The Web site said that among those components are plentiful amounts of protein and vitamins, along with both amino and fatty acids.