Pomagranade, olives, sumac?

[sasi]

OK, I'm Mediterrenean, although I live in the US now. I'm trying to learn how to live and cook without tomatoes-it's a huge challenge. There are a few other foods that I couldn't find on the list.

I love pomegranade syrup as a dressing on salad (you can find them at any Middle Eastern store). I also normally eat olives at breakfast and I love sumac. The pomegranade syrup is sweet and sour, if you find a good brand (some brands will be just sour, that's not good). I had a friend, and she could not eat anything sour (I think she has IC, too), but I gave her pomegranade syrup and she can handle it pretty well. Sumac is a sour spice, too. Right now, I'm on a very strict IC diet-I'm trying to figure out my trigger foods, so I don't want to experiment with them yet, but I was wondering if anybody tried these.

Also, is pectin bad? I'm planning to make my own pear and blueberry jam with pectin.

Does cooking fruits help decrease their acidity?

How about fresh figs, are they as bad as dried figs?

I know plums are bad, but how about prunes?

Did anyone try linden tea? It's my favorite herbal tea and it's one of the most common teas in Europe. Again, you can find it in international food stores.

Finally, are dried tomatoes better than fresh tomatoes or tomato sauces for most people?

THANK YOU! This site is amazing :)

[windwalker]

pectin can be a bother
I can eat figs no problem
black olives dont bother me
I found green olives w/no vinegar and had no prob
tomatoes in any form are a no no for me
can't tell ya about cooking fruits
Hope that helps.

[sasi]

Thanks, that helps a lot.

[windwalker]

I really should make one point, what bothers me may not bother you and vice versa. I would like to suggest you try just one thing at a time, give it a cpl days then try something else. Don't wanna try it all and not know which is bothering you (if you are having a problem). Good luck :)

[Golden Girl]

Sasi I am not mediterranean but love the products you mentioned. I have also found cooking without tomatoes a problem. One substitute is mushrooms, particularly the dehydrated ones. Sun dried tomatoes are ok in very limited amounts in a recipe. They are also easier for me to pick out of a dish. Fresh figs are ok with me but also in limited amounts. There are many varieties available so that might make a difference. Dried figs seem to flare me slightly. I would be very careful with pomagranate juice since it seems so acidic. And yes, I find baking or stewing fruit makes it much easier on my bladder. I made a clauafiti (French baked custard) with frozen cherries since I had a major cherry craving and it caused no bladder problems for me at all. Baked fruit compote is another idea for you.

[sasi]

Golden girl, thank you so much for the tips! They'll be very helpful. I know I need to try and find what works for me, but right now I'm on such a restricted diet and I expand my diet so slowly that it'll take months before I can even try the foods outside the "usually OK list". I want to be on the safe side. But you gave me hope. I would have never thought about using mushrooms instead of tomatoes. I think you should give pomegranade syrup (not juice) a try. As I said, a friend of mine who is very allergic to all acidic food can still use that as a salad dressing if it is a semi-sweet brand. I love fruit compote. I'll definitely give it a try! Thanks!

[Katief1976]

I have been able to eat prunes, apricots, & raisins, so dried fruit seems to be ok for me.
I have not had an opportunity to try olives, but its on my list because I love them!
I was able tolerate a fresh yellow tomatoe recently, so that made me happy. I understand how you feel, I'm Italian and its very hard for me not to eat red tomatoes and tomato sauce on my food.