Ok, this is hilarious…..

http://www.takepart.com/video/2015/03/16/gluten-intolerant

I’m not laughing anymore. Why? Because it’s not funny. Last month, when I saw this clip, I did laugh and felt a little silly. Hey, that’s a really good spin on my situation. 

To be, or not to be? 

You see, that is my question. Should I join the hottest eating trend and go “gluten-intolerant”? Note, I don’t want to be GF. How I would love to leave one of the 10 million bakeries here with a pretzel in hand! Or not have to squirm at the dinner table when there is homemade Spätzle being served. Also, it is physically impossible to be gluten-free in Germany. Okay, not really, but I am pretty frustrated. Maybe I could CTFD and just eat what everyone else is eating. Seriously- this gluten-free idea is so high maintenance and inconvenient.

CTFD. That is the answer! Pass the bread basket, what’s the big deal? My health? Maybe….but maybe it’s just me. After all, I do yoga and my parents were hippies.

Since we arrived in Germany, both of my children (2 year old and 5 year old) have developed eczema. Bad. We’ve tried several lotions and creams, corticosteriods, anti-histamines, antibiotic creams when it turned into impetigo, different doctors, anti-allergenic soaps and detergents, and natural fiber clothing.

At my wits end, last week, I stopped feeding my children gluten and the eczema has cleared almost entirely. Well, until my daughter was fed a cake-pop at school. I’m sorry, I can’t CTFD about this. This is not some psychosomatic, spiritual new-age, non evidence-based, hysterical issue. My children are sensitive to gluten! For real. They have red, inflamed, itchy patches all over their body when they eat bread, pretzels, crackers, cereal, pastries, noodles…..pretty much everything out there in the Deutschland breadbasket.

And I’m pretty confident they didn’t learn this at yoga class.