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“How and why did man evolve over thousands of years?”

With this question opens the TG5 report dedicated to “A spasso con Lucy. Perché mangiamo come parliamo. Virtù e valore delle proteine animali,” the new book edited by Pietro Paganini, in collaboration with Carola Macagno, published by Guerini e Associati.

A volume that is making people talk – in the media and beyond – for a message as clear as it is counter-current: animal proteins are not the problem, but a fundamental resource of our evolution.

WATCH THE REPORT IN ITALIAN BELOW OR DIRECTLY ON THE MEDIASET INFINITY PORTAL, TG5

A JOURNEY THROUGH EVOLUTION AND NUTRITION

With accessible yet rigorous language, the book takes us on a journey to the origins of humanity, guided by Lucy, our distant ancestor who lived over 3 million years ago. Lucy becomes the symbol of human intelligence that also develops thanks to an omnivorous diet.

The thesis is as simple as it is provocative: meat made us human. Animal proteins provided the key nutrients essential for brain development, physical structure, and societal growth, contributing to the emergence of civilizations.

FROM THE SAVANNAH TO THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET

The evolutionary path told in “A spasso con Lucy” finds its fulfilment in the Mediterranean diet, not as a simple food regimen, but as a synthesis of millennia of adaptation, culture, and survival.

A balanced food pyramid that combines cereals, vegetables, and animal proteins, which are essential for the development and well-being of the human being.

Not by chance, the Mediterranean diet is today universally recognized as one of the most effective and balanced nutritional models in the world.

FALSE MYTHS AND SCIENTIFIC TRUTHS

In recent years, meat consumption has often been the object of unfounded criticisms, more ideological than scientific. “A spasso con Lucy” overturns the narrative and brings data back to the centre of the debate, dismantling fake news and simplifications.

Excluding animal proteins is a mistake, as they are an integral part of our biological and cultural identity.

Today, moreover, Italian animal husbandry is a cutting-edge sector, thanks to innovative technologies and sustainable practices. The latest ISPRA data confirms: the environmental impact is in balance, with a budget between emissions and absorptions that makes the entire sector a concrete example of applied sustainability.