Eat More Gluten!
I can't wait for the day when the “health” magazines start advocating more of a Paleo approach, with real food and eating of fat encouraged. But it seems like we still have a long way to go.
I came across the snippet below in the March edition of “Weight Watchers” magazine. Just in case any of their readers had been considering avoiding carbs, they warn that
“carbohydrates provide the body and brain with their primary source of fuel and are essential for energy levels”
Interesting. I tend to have fewer than 50g of carbs a day, so presumably I must have no energy? Yet, bizarrely, I find I have more energy than ever before. Just yesterday I had so much energy I felt compelled to break out into a sprint on my way home. But I must be mistaken! It says so in a magazine after all.
Without eating enough carbohydrates you might get
“fatigue, lightheadedness, headaches, sugar cravings and irritability”
and they advise that you choose carbohydrates like
“wholegrain bread and cereals, grainy crackers, oats, fresh fruit and low-fat dairy”
Well, I've somehow managed to avoid any of those symptoms. I'm not sure that avoiding sugar cravings, by eating foods that break down into sugar, really counts either. And as for low-fat dairy being a good source of carbohydrates?
The other article I read was from the March/ April 2012 edition of “Australian Diabetic Living”. They ran a piece on Celiac disease. The question was
“Should I avoid gluten products, just in case I might have Celiac disease?”
My answer would be that since gluten has detrimental effects on so many people, even those who don’t test positive for Celiac disease, it certainly should be avoided by everyone. Given how long gluten stays in the body for, I think a strictly gluten-free diet is the right approach, for everyone. Did they come up with a similar answer?
“No. You can actually make it harder for your body to digest gluten if you cut most of it from your diet without good reason”.
Unfortunately there were no references for this startling revelation, which I’d have been very interested to check out. So basically the diabetic magazine wants its diabetic readers to make sure they eat lots of gluten – which often come hand in hand with the not so diabetic friendly refined carbs?
What do you think? Do you struggle to find the energy to function without bread and cereals? Do you make sure you eat lots of gluten, to, er, help your body digest the gluten that you eat?
Debunking the Carbohydrate and Gluten Myths
It’s no secret that conventional health advice often clashes with ancestral wisdom. While mainstream media continues to push outdated recommendations like “eat more wholegrains” and “choose low-fat dairy for energy,” those following a Paleo lifestyle know there’s a different path to sustainable energy and optimal health. Unfortunately, these myths persist—largely due to the influence of decades-old nutrition dogma and a failure to acknowledge emerging research on the role of real food in human health.
The Real Role of Carbohydrates in Energy
One of the most persistent claims is that carbohydrates are the body’s only source of energy. This simply isn’t true. While it’s accurate to say that glucose is a quick source of fuel, it’s far from essential in the quantities we’re often told to consume. In fact, the body is perfectly capable of converting fats into ketones—a clean, efficient, and long-lasting energy source that powers not just muscles but the brain as well.
Plenty of people thrive on lower carbohydrate intakes—especially those following a Paleo or ketogenic approach. Fatigue and brain fog are more likely to be caused by unstable blood sugar levels from refined carbohydrates than by a lack of them altogether. When your body is adapted to fat as its primary fuel, energy becomes steady, cravings disappear, and that post-lunch slump becomes a distant memory.
Is Wholegrain Bread Really the Gold Standard?
Let’s break down some of the foods so often recommended as ideal carbohydrate sources:
- Wholegrain bread: Often loaded with anti-nutrients like phytic acid and gluten, which interfere with nutrient absorption and can irritate the gut lining.
- Grainy crackers and cereals: Usually highly processed and quickly converted into sugar during digestion, even when labelled as “wholegrain.”
- Low-fat dairy: Stripped of its natural fat, low-fat dairy often has added sugars to improve taste and texture.
In contrast, Paleo-approved carbs—like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, berries, and other fruits—provide slow-burning energy along with fibre, antioxidants, and micronutrients. These foods don’t just fuel the body—they nourish it.
But Don’t You Need Gluten to Help Digest Gluten?
This one’s a head-scratcher. The idea that you must regularly eat gluten so your body can “remember” how to digest it is biologically unconvincing and unsupported by scientific literature. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley that can trigger an immune response in many people—not just those with diagnosed coeliac disease.
Non-coeliac gluten sensitivity is a well-recognised condition, where individuals experience symptoms like bloating, fatigue, brain fog, and joint pain when consuming gluten, but test negative for coeliac markers. Even in the absence of symptoms, gluten is known to increase intestinal permeability (aka “leaky gut”), potentially allowing toxins and undigested food particles into the bloodstream. That’s hardly a compelling case for keeping it in your diet.
Why You Won’t Find Paleo Advocates Low on Energy
Despite the fear mongering around carb reduction, many people on a Paleo or low-carb diet report higher energy levels, better sleep, improved mood, and enhanced mental clarity. Why? Because their bodies are no longer caught in the rollercoaster of glucose spikes and crashes.
With stabilised insulin levels, a better omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, and a diet focused on nutrient density, Paleo eaters often experience a newfound vibrancy that runs completely counter to the grain-focused advice handed out in popular diet magazines.
The Media’s Inconsistent Messaging
One of the biggest problems with health media is inconsistency. One article urges readers to eat low-fat yoghurt and cereal to lose weight. The next warns about rising diabetes rates. One page suggests fruit juice is a healthy snack; the next, that sugar is a national health crisis. These contradictions don’t just confuse—they erode trust in health advice altogether.
Meanwhile, thousands of people quietly improve their health by ditching processed carbs and grains, increasing their intake of healthy fats, prioritising sleep, and getting outside. Yet these approaches rarely get a column in mainstream health magazines, likely because they challenge industry norms and don’t sell snack bars.
Reclaiming Health Through Ancestral Nutrition
The Paleo diet is based on the premise that our modern bodies are best nourished by foods we've evolved to eat: meat, seafood, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and natural fats. It excludes recent agricultural products that our digestive systems are less adapted to handle, like grains, legumes, dairy, and refined sugars.
By removing these modern foods and focusing on nutrient-dense alternatives, many people see dramatic improvements in everything from digestive health to autoimmune conditions. Energy, the very thing magazines claim you’ll lose without bread, often becomes more abundant than ever.
So, Should You Eat More Gluten?
Unless you're trying to win a prize for inflammation, probably not. While not everyone is sensitive to gluten, there is little evidence that it offers any unique health benefit—and plenty of data suggesting it can be problematic, even in small amounts. Removing gluten is not about restriction; it's about giving your body a break from an inflammatory trigger that adds little nutritional value.
Even if you’re not ready to go fully Paleo, you can still benefit by simply removing gluten-containing grains and replacing them with whole-food carbohydrates like root vegetables and seasonal fruit. You may be surprised at how much more energy, clarity, and vitality you gain.
What’s your experience with ditching gluten? Have you noticed a difference in how you feel, think, or perform? Leave a comment below and share your story—we’d love to hear how real food is working for you.