I woke up the other day covered in a rash and splotches. This caused me to head into the chemist looking like a leper, where they told me I have been over-exposed to wheat and need to go gluten-free.

On the way home I thought how I should grow my hair long and wild, wear long flowing skirts and go barefoot to match my new found image.
Instead, I was shocked to realise how expensive it is to cut pasta, flour and everything good tasting in the world out of my diet.
Fortunately in Wellington there is a whole warehouse dedicated to the gluten free people of New Zealand, where my free-spirited-vegan-organic-save-the-planet friends all hang out.
Looking around, I quickly realised there were some free-spirited people making serious money out of this business.
I bought my little box of cookies for $9 and my small packet of gluten-free pasta for $8, knowing these two items would have to last me the week. And this, before I had purchased vegetables. For a country known for its ‘greenness', we have certainly over-priced our greens.
The green gang charges so much for fresh food it's no wonder students develop gangrene while at university. Maybe there is a lesson in all this. If we want our country to get healthy, join the free-spirited and fight the increasing obesity problem we should re-evaluate the price of healthy food. It's easier said than done, I know.
In the meantime I shall attempt to grow tomatoes, lettuces and gluten-free wheat on my balcony, amidst the car fumes of Wellington city. I wonder what kind of leprosy I'll come out with after eating this experiment.