Safe Foods and Not-so-Safe Foods

There are some things that I love that I have come to accept as not safe tummy trouble foods for me; spinach, cole slaw, popcorn, nuts being the primary ones.

There are some that I have my doubts about being good for me...like peanut butter and cream cheese. (both manageably ok in just smear on bread or a dab or so elsewhere), lettuce-a leaf on a sandwich ok-more than that not good.

Then there are other foods that should be on the list but I keep thinking I can do in small amounts or maybe that wasn't a problem caused by the food but by the infection I had or some such. These foods, seem innocuous, very unproblematic and for goodness sake, non-replaceable diet components. (though spinach is hard...especially for a mostly vegetarian-next time you go out-look for a vegetarian-friendly dish without it-primary reason I eat more meat than I did 5 years ago)

The primary problem seems to be tomato-involved. 2 tomato slices on a sandwich-again ok, mostly. Puree those tomato slices and mix them with a nice friendly carb like say- noodles or pizza crust-arg. Not good.

My realization about this has been slow coming. (probably precisely because I eat a good number of tomato slices in a week-ok well maybe 5)

I have noticed the tomato sauce-bleack tummy effect before. I have put off pizza. I have even used this as an excuse not to eat "my specialty." (not that my specialty is anywhere near the top 10 list of foods, but the rest of the family seems to rank it highly) No biggy. I have never been a tomato sauce fan, but now I have a problem.

You see, once upon a time, there was a pizza place I loved. It closed when I was no older than 10. I burned my mouth on their pizza. I loved their pizza. Then other places nearby made pizza with similar crust, foldy, slippy, bubbly yummy crust. In fact, I thought this was how all pizza crust was created with the exception of the slightly odd and more expensive "deep dish" crust. I grew up with the bubbly, foldy crust.

Then I grew up and got married and moved away from home, not far at first so I didn't realize I was giving up good crust for good. Then we moved to the upper midwest where pizza crust in non-chain places was some sort of crackery thing. Hated it. Really hated it. Searched vainly off and on for good pizza but ok, it was the midwest. Things could get better. Then we moved to the west coast. The pacific northwest. Interesting pizzas, my first regular visits to 'gourmet' pizzas. I learned to love white pizzas of all sorts. We moved here. On our pre-move trip, we happened upon a great place, pizza nirvana. (with fab cannolis too) I think that decided the move for me. It closed a month after we got here. (with all the gossip that happens when busy, popular, really good Italian places vanish)

So, tonight we ordered pizza for the first time in months. Domino's special. I had seen the ad on the internet. Brooklyn Pizza. Ok, so it is Dominos but the ad looked promising. The pizza delivered (and was delivered) and it was wonderful (ok, other than the sauce, the toppings and the cheese, which retained the Domino's taste which I don't object to really-because well Domino's has often been as close as I can get to my version of perfect pizza in my adult life.) I was in love. I was going to budget for more pizza in our life without hurting our pizza restaurant working boy's feelings and without feeling guilty for supporting those Domino's people who have some views I don't like to pay for.

But, then.....sigh...the bathroom. Pizza-definitely on that list because I have actually done ok this week (well, bathroom-wise that way) GRRRRRRRRRRR. Finally, I can get decent crust for however many weeks until Domino's decides it is a bust and well, it isn't really worth the bathroom trips. Crohn's rots.