Sam Broadbent, 18, ditched meat last October and follows a strict vegan diet with the addition of insects and scorpions

A weightlifting teenager who swapped out meat for insects and scorpions claims the radical diet has seen him get fitter and stronger in the gym.

Sam Broadbent, 18, describes himself as an 'entovegan' and follows a vegan diet with the addition of creepy crawlies such as grasshoppers, crickets and ants.

He ditched meat last October and cut out all traditional animal products in January and now drinks protein shakes infused with crushed up crickets. 

The high-school student, from Lewiston, Maine, ditched his favourite dinner - pork chops and sweet potatoes - in favour of crunchy grasshopper burritos.    

His staple lunchtime chicken and cheese sandwiches have been replaced by bowls of crickets swimming in lentils. 

For breakfast, Mr Broadbent scoffs on porridge and fruit mixed with with cricket powder, which he says has a pleasant nutty flavour, or cere