We eat as we speak,' here's why meat is at the center of evolution

RBut. "Meat is the food that has contributed more than any other to human evolution, both physically and socially, but today more than ever, its production and consumption are at the center of a debate regarding health, the environment, and ethics. But if humans have been omnivores for millions of years, why is this certainty now being called into question?"

This is the question addressed by Professor Pietro Paganini, socioeconomic and (geo)political analyst and communicator, founder and Curiosity Officer of Competere.eu, and editor of the book "Walking with Lucy. Why We Eat the Way We Talk. The Virtue and Value of Animal Protein," written in collaboration with Dr. Carola Macagno, project manager at Competere – Policies Sustainable Development.

The volume (published by Guerini e Associati), presented in preview today at Roma During a press conference, it's a journey through human evolution to discover "the importance of animal proteins in human history" and to demonstrate that "if we are what we are, it's also thanks to meat." Our exceptional companion on this journey is Lucy, "our paleo-ancestor" who lived more than 3 million years ago.

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Today, meanwhile, the debate surrounding meat takes on new complexities, from nutritional implications (is eating meat good or bad for you?) to environmental ones (does producing meat pollute too much?), and even ethical ones (what does animal welfare mean?), almost suggesting a "sort of incompatibility" between an innate human characteristic—being omnivorous—and the production and consumption of animal proteins.

"Lucy is our traveling companion, the voice of our critical sense. She accompanies us in challenging a debate on nutrition that too often abandons reason for refuge in ideology," explained Professor Paganini. "Meat is not an enemy of health, the environment, or ethics, as is fashionable to claim today.

It's part of our history, our evolution. Many living beings have evolved thanks to animal proteins, and humans more than any other. If today we can count on a brain capable of language, creativity, empathy, and progress, we owe it precisely to animal proteins: an irreplaceable nutritional asset, for the quality and completeness of its nutrients. We want to respond to this "non-debate" with solid, critical arguments, based on science and not emotion, to help consumers truly understand, and therefore make informed choices. Lucy is here to...

But why do we talk the way we eat? The similarity between language and nutrition is the great metaphor that guides Lucy's journey through the evolutionary function of food. "Talking and eating are the two great tools through which humanity was built," explained Professor Giuseppe Pulina, Professor of Ethics and Sustainability of Livestock at the University of Sassari and president of Carni Sostenibili.

If, in fact, it is true that all animals have language, only humans have succeeded in this feat. This is certainly not a coincidence, according to him. It is all thanks to evolution, he emphasized, of the motivation to share that is typical of human beings, which over the centuries has invested equally in the ability to speak and to feed oneself, a propensity for sharing that culminates in the perfection of our Mediterranean diet.

Also taking up the baton of the Mediterranean Diet is Dr. Bernardi, a nutritional biologist, specialist in food sciences, and professor of Nutritional Biology at the University of Milan. While it is true that the Mediterranean diet is a hymn to balance and variety, it is also a reminder to eat everything without excluding any food—she emphasized—and in this context, especially meat and animal proteins play a fundamental role in our health.

He then continued: "Precious because of their bioavailability (i.e., the speed with which they are absorbed, transported, and utilized), proteins are the best allies of our metabolic health, but they must necessarily be integrated with our diet because our body does not store them. If we need them and they are not consumed sufficiently with our diet, we risk triggering protein catabolism, the degradation of muscle proteins by the body, a harmful process that leads to a reduction in muscle mass, compromising strength, physical function, and basal metabolism."

The roundtable discussion also addressed the environmental impact of meat production and the debate it has sparked. Today, in Italy, the event revealed, agriculture as a whole accounts for "8,4% of total climate-altering emissions, and two-thirds of these are attributable to livestock farming."

Furthermore, since 1990, emissions from the agricultural sector in our country have "dropped by 15,6%." It is therefore "clear that the sector has demonstrated an awareness of sustainability issues, not to mention the scientific advances and digitalization that have also impacted the livestock sector, reducing emissions and facilitating the reuse of waste in a circular and regenerative economy," Pulina explained.

The introduction of new metrics that take into account the permanence of gases in the atmosphere, the downward revision of water use estimates by distinguishing between sources of origin, and the reconsideration of the environmental impacts of food based on its nutritional value, are contributing to repositioning livestock farming activities within a framework of sustainability.

Also speaking at the meeting were Senator Giorgio Salvitti, political advisor to the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida; the Hon. Paola De Micheli, member of the Committee on Productive Activities, Trade and Tourism; the Hon. Isabella De Monte, member of the Committee on European Union Policies; Senator Giorgio Maria Bergesio, vice-president of the Committee on Industry, Trade, Tourism, Agriculture and Agri-food Production; and Senator Luca De Carlo, chair of the Committee on Industry, Trade, Tourism, Agriculture and Agri-food Production.

A. Pug

Longtime contributor to Cronache della Campania
Always a careful observer of society and events.
He covers crime news and has collaborated with various newsrooms.