Garlic and the Low FODMAP Diet

There seems to be some confusion about garlic and the low FODMAP diet. So this article will discuss why garlic is high FODMAP and give you tips on how to bring low FODMAP garlic flavour into your meals without causing tummy troubles.

Why is garlic a problem on the low FODMAP diet?

Garlic contains fructo-oligosaccharides, which are commonly referred to as fructans (1 2). Fructans are short-chain carbohydrates and are found in foods like onions, garlic, wheat, rye, barley, and artichokes (1 3).

Humans do not have enzymes to break down either of the oligosaccharide sugar groups (fructans or GOS), which means they are malabsorbed in the small intestine. Next, the FODMAPs move to the large intestine, where they are broken down and fermented by the gut bacteria. This fermentation process can lead to unpleasant gut symptoms like excess wind, bloating, abdominal pain and altered bowel movements (1 3). This is why when you eat garlic, you might end up with gut symptoms.

During the first phase of the low FODMAP diet, it is recommended that you remove all forms of garlic (fresh, crushed, pureed and powdered) from your diet to see if this helps settle your symptoms (2). After a few weeks of eating low FODMAP foods, you can then test your tolerance to garlic in the reintroduction phase to see if you can add small amounts back in.

How do you replace the garlic flavour while eating low FODMAP?

Our favourite way to replace garlic is by using garlic infused oil in our cooking. This is a tasty and tummy-friendly option that has all of the flavour and none of the FODMAPs. The fructans present in garlic are only water-soluble and not oil soluble (4). This means the garlic flavour transfers into the oil while the fructans stay trapped in the garlic cloves (4). According to Monash University, garlic infused oil should be well tolerated by most people on the low FODMAP diet (2).

You can also use asafoetida powder, garlic chives, garlic scapes/shoots and low FODMAP certified garlic replacements like Smoke n Sanity Essence of Garlic Salt or FreeFod Low FODMAP Garlic Replacer.

Where do you find garlic infused oil?

There are two ways you can get garlic infused oil. First you can buy it from the grocery store. It is normally found in the oil section and will last several months. Garlic infused oil is relatively strong, so you don’t need to add much to the recipe to get the flavour.

The second way to get garlic infused oil is to make your own – here’s how you do that: peel and cut the garlic into large pieces, then fry the garlic in the oil for 1 to 2 minutes over low to medium heat to transfer the flavour. Next, remove all of the garlic (including any small fragments) from the pan before cooking the rest of your meal. Discard the fried garlic or feed it to other family members. Then cook the rest of your meal in the flavoured oil.

Can making your own garlic infused oil be dangerous?

A word of warning if you are going to make and store your own garlic infused oil. Garlic can contain a microorganism (bacterium) called Clostridium botulinum (C. bot), which can cause botulism (5 6). Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin that is produced by the bacterium (5 6). This bacterial strain is found in soil and thrives in low oxygen environments, which means homemade oil can become contaminated with the bacteria (5 6).

Commercially made garlic infused oils are acidified to prevent bacterial growth during the production process (6). This means that commercially made oils can be stored at room temperature (6).

So if you do decide to make a batch of homemade garlic infused oil there are some steps you need to take to keep yourself safe:

• Wash and dry the garlic thoroughly before cooking – dry using clean paper towels so you don’t transfer any additional bacteria.
• Store the oil in a sterilised jar or bottle. Preheat your oven to 110ºC (230ºF). Wash the jar and jar lids in hot soapy water. Transfer them to a baking tray lined with clean a tea towel, placing the jar open side up. Place in the oven for 25 minutes before removing.
• Once cooked, fill your sterilised jar with garlic infused oil and refrigerate immediately. Put a label on it with the date. Keep the oil in the fridge. You must use it within 7 days.

(5,6)

Why can’t you just take out the garlic before you eat the meal?

Unfortunately, when you cook with garlic, the fructans can leach from the garlic into other parts of meal, as they will dissolve in any water that is present in the other ingredients you are cooking. While not eating the garlic pieces will reduce your overall FODMAP load, it may not reduce it enough, as the fructans will have become infused in other parts of the meal. This means during the first low FODMAP phase you need to either avoid garlic, or use low FODMAP garlic alternative. After the reintroduction period, you might find you can tolerate leaving the garlic pieces in whole and then remove them before eating, but you need to test garlic in the reintroduction phase first.

Watch out for sneaky garlic!

Garlic is often added to processed foods like dips, spice mixes, chips, and gravy. This means it is important to check food labels and avoid any products that contain garlic-based ingredients until after the reintroduction phase.

I use a lot of garlic infused oil in my cooking and highly recommend it to help achieve garlic flavour. However, if you are worried about making it yourself, stick to the store-bought garlic infused oils.

Happy cooking!

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