Is Garlic Powder Low FODMAP?
Video Transcript:
As someone who suffers with digestive issues, I do know the challenge of finding foods that are actually compatible with my sensitive gut.
One popular diet that's out there is called the low FODMAP diet that can help to reduce many of the symptoms, people with sensitive guts experience.
What is the Low FODMAP Diet?
Now, the low FODMAP diet actually takes out foods that are fermentable carbohydrates that tend to give people with digestive issues, symptoms like bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation.
And so by avoiding these foods, a lot of these symptoms do diminish.
But today I'm going to talk about one specific food in particular, which is garlic powder.
I get this question a lot because garlic is a high FODMAP food, but
Is garlic powder low FODMAP?
So before we dig into that, I just want to introduce myself.
I'm Marcie Vaske. I'm a functional medicine nutritionist specializing in gut health.
And if you have gut issues, know somebody you love that has gut issues, I'm going to link our website here where you can make an initial appointment.
Or if you want to do some reading and a little bit more research on gut health, I'll link our free guide, which is 5 Ways to Improve Your Gut.
So before I dig into the question of is garlic powder low FODMAP, I just want to run through again what low FODMAP really means.
What is low FODMAP?
And what happens is that in these foods, which are things like wheat, some dairy products, some fruit, some vegetables, onion and garlic, they can ferment in the colon and cause a lot of bloating for people, gas and really discomfort in your abdominal.
And so when you reduce or avoid these FODMAPs, these fermentable carbohydrates, many of these symptoms do reduce.
Now the low FODMAP diet is something that, as I said, is helpful, but at the same time, it's only really supposed to be used as a tool, not a long-term type of diet because it is very restrictive.
And so the idea of doing a low FODMAP diet is to eliminate those fermentable carbohydrates for maybe six to eight weeks and then very methodically start to add them back in.
Is Garlic Low FODMAP?
Now, one in particular FODMAP is garlic.
And garlic. As you know, if you're listening, it's used in many recipes, many dishes. It gives a lot of flavor and aroma to our food.
Garlic Side Effects - Garlic Bloating
And so sometimes for people it's really difficult to eliminate garlic.
And garlic is actually a fructan, and that's the type of carbohydrate that's in it that creates this fermentable or this in the colon.
And so as I'm working with people who are doing the low FODMAP diet or we've decided to implement it to reduce their symptoms, finding ways to kind of get rid of garlic but still have flavor feels a little bit overwhelming and daunting.
And so one question that does come up is, well, can I use garlic powder?
Garlic Powder IBS
So using garlic powder would sort of seem like, well, it's not fresh garlic, it should be okay.
But what we find is that garlic powder is obviously a dehydrated garlic and it's ground up.
And so it does contain those fructans at quite a high amount.
And it's not exactly straightforward.
For some people, they definitely have a reaction to garlic powder and some people can get by with it.
But when you're embarking on the low FODMAP diet, it's best to eliminate things very rigidly at first because you want to take every possibility out so that you can have a clear understanding of what your body tolerates when you start to reintroduce foods.
Now, there have been some studies that have been conducted on garlic powder and measuring the amount of fructans that are in the actual garlic powder.
And in some they say that it's at a high amount.
Some says that it's at a moderate amount.
And again, as I said, if you're going to do the low FODMAP diet, just do it.
Do it the right way so that you know what's going on.
And as you take out these foods at the garlic specifically like we're talking about today, I would do it rigidly for the first definitely four weeks.
Garlic Powder IBS: Can Garlic Cause Gas?
And if you're feeling like, well, I just am dying without my garlic and you want to try the garlic powder, it might be an option because of course there's controversy over using garlic powder in the FODMAP community, meaning that some people have a tolerance for it and they don't have symptoms.
But I think, and then obviously some people have a little bit of garlic powder and it's, it ruins their whole digestive system for a few days.
And so, like I said, keeping it pretty strict and rigid for the first piece of that elimination of the FODMAPs is going to be your best bet.
But there are some tips on in different ways that you can substitute for garlic and to get more flavor in your foods.
Low FODMAP Garlic Infused Oil
So if you are doing the FODMAP diet and you're missing your garlic, one of the things that you can try is garlic infused olive oil.
And what happens with that is that the cloves are marinated within the oil and then the solids are taken out.
And so what's left over is the garlic taste in the olive oil, which contains no fructans.
Many times my clients will do stuff like that and cook with the garlic infused oil, which doesn't give them any problems and also gives them that flavor that they're looking for.
Another option, and it's not exactly garlic flavored, more a little bit onion flavored, would be to use the green stems of a chive.
And those don't contain any high FODMAPs, but they do give off a lot of flavor, like I said, a little bit more onion flavor, but pretty mild and muted.
Garlic Side Effects - What Are Other low FODMAP Options?
And if again, you're looking for more taste in your food because you're sick as just salt and pepper, trying that a little bit of chive in, there might be a way for you to enjoy your food a little bit more.
Now, there are other herbs that you can use when you're taking out these low FODMAPs such as garlic, onion, the wheat, all the things we mentioned chives, but there's also going to be basil.
And basil is kind of that aromatic herb that gives a little bit of a sweet flavor.
Another herb is going to be oregano.
And oregano is kind of a little bit of a bitter tasting herb, a strong herb, but it can be used in so many different dishes.
There's also paprika, which is going to give you more of that slightly smoky flavor and add a lot of spice to your dish.
And then of course, there's cumin too, which is more of that earthy, nutty flavor that's going to be seen in tacos.
So if you're missing tacos, you can really beef it up with that and not miss that garlic taste as much. So when you're doing the low FODMAP diet and you're looking for different herbs to use, it can feel challenging because sometimes when we're just used to a certain way of eating, we just kind of eat the same foods, we eat the same flavors.
But this kind of diet, because you have to take out these big garlic and onion, these big flavor aromatic foods can stretch your limit and give you some more time to experiment with other herbs that maybe you don't usually use.
And you might find that you really enjoy them. And pretty soon you don't really even miss the onion or the garlic.
Garlic Side Effects - In Summary
So if you're doing the FODMAP diet or thinking about doing the low FODMAP diet, know that by taking garlic out, there are other substitutes you can try, the garlic infused oil, you can try various herbs, chives to give more flavor, maybe basil or oregano, or you can even try putting a clove of or a bulb of garlic in tinfoil and just wrap it up and put it in the oven next to the food. And that aroma just kind of gets into your food, which would contain no fructans either.
And so again, there's a lot of ways to kind of get through it because remember, the low FODMAP diet isn't something you're going to do forever, but it is a way for you to reduce your symptoms and find what foods are really triggers for you.
Oftentimes, it's not every single FODMAP, and it's important for you to know which ones are not working so that you can lead your best life and your best gut.
Thanks for watching.
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