Know What’s In Your Garlic Oil

All Garlic Oil is Not Created Equal

In our extended communication with Monash University during the development of our own recipe for Low FODMAP Garlic-Infused Oil, we learned how they make decisions about what garlic-infused oils are considered appropriate for the low FODMAP diet and which are not. We have used that information to inform this article.

Ultimately, if a product is not certified as low FODMAP by either FODMAP Friendly or Monash University, we invite you to use the knowledge presented here to make your own best decision as an informed consumer.

And also remember, being low FODMAP, and a product that will or will not trigger irritable bowel symptoms are all separate issues.

Can You Have Garlic, Or Not?

For a great majority of people new to the low FODMAP diet, the most devastating news that they hear from their Registered Dietitian (RD) is that garlic, which contains the FODMAP fructans, is off-limits or greatly reduced during the Elimination Phase of the diet. Eventually, during a structured Challenge Phase, one might discover that garlic is a major irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) trigger, which it is for many.

I was that person, too. Food without garlic? What about my favorite Mexican food or weekly roast chicken? What about my Mom’s marinara sauce – heck, what about jarred tomato sauce when I’m in a pinch? It was a dizzying and depressing thought.

BUT, don’t fret. You CAN still enjoy garlic flavor.

As Kate Scarlata RDN and I began to work on our book, we discussed the fact that the offending fructans in garlic are water-soluble, but not oil soluble. This means that you can consume Garlic-Infused Oil, even during the Elimination Phase.

But what is garlic-infused oil and is all oil labeled as “garlic-infused” suitable for us to consume when following the low FODMAP diet?

(After reading this article you should also check out our Recommendations for Commercial Garlic-Infused Oils).

What Does “Garlic-Infused” Mean?

There is a lot of confusion with the word “infused”. In the English language we might say something is “infused” with a particular flavor to denote that the flavor is present in that food. But how the flavor got there could be through myriad ways.

For instance, you could chop up garlic and put it in a recipe, like a pot roast or spaghetti sauce, and say that the dish is “infused with garlic flavor” and from a grammatical standpoint, you would be right – yet this would be high FODMAP because the garlic solids remain present – and even if the garlic solids were removed at any point – the water-soluble fructans inherent in the garlic would have become inextricably intertwined with the ingredients in your pot, having combined with any of the ingredients that contain water, such as meat, tomatoes, vegetables, broth, wine, etc.

We have to get technical, specific and scientific.

• The Merriam-Webster scientific definition of “infusion” relates to something, often a solid, steeped in liquid (often water) without boiling so as to extract the soluble constituents or principles.
• In cooking, there is a preparation technique called “infusion” where a flavoring agent soaks in a liquid for a period of time and then the solid is removed.

You can see how the two definitions are similar, and both, if referencing garlic as the solid, and oil as the liquid, with the solids removed, would result in a low FODMAP “garlic-infused” oil.

However, as stated before, in the English language, we use the terms “infused” and “infusion” in much broader terms and unfortunately, this could be misleading if we are specifically reading labels to detect FODMAPs.

Infused? Confused?

To complicate matters further, some commercial labels state “garlic-infused” when the actual manufacturing process is not a true garlic infusion technique and the resulting product is potentially not low FODMAP.

You can see in the image below that the front labels say “infused”, but the ingredients clearly state that garlic flavoring was used. These are not true garlic-infused oils.

Possibly the most frustrating thing we learned during our investigation is that several products researched online do not provide any ingredient information whatsoever on the producer’s websites.

Flavorings Are Made By Flavoring Companies

Flavorings, such as “garlic flavor”, or “natural flavors”, are made by a separate company. Let’s call the flavoring company, company B. Company A buys flavorings from company B. Company B specialize in flavorings, and those formulas are proprietary information not shared with company A. This is why when you call company A, who made the garlic flavored oil you bought, they typically do not have exacting, detailed information about the flavorings. Even if you called company B, if you could somehow determine who they are, the formula would not be divulged.

Confusing? Very.

What Is Natural Flavor?

According to the FDA “natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional,” which means that if a product contains “natural flavors”, we cannot support it as low FODMAP before doing additional research.

Why? Because you could have a garlic oil product that contains a “natural flavor” and we wouldn’t actually know what the original foodstuff was that provided the “garlic flavor”. Believe it or not, it doesn’t necessarily mean it was garlic used for the “flavoring” and it could very well be another high FODMAP food source.

You can read an entire article on natural flavors here. It explains about the meaning of flavoring on labels in the U.S., Canada, Europe, as well as Australia.

Read: How To Decipher “Natural Flavors” & “Spices” on Food Labels for the Low FODMAP Diet

In fact, 100% of the companies that I spoke to for our oil articles who use a flavoring had no idea what was actually in the flavoring or how it was produced. They just know they want a garlic flavor, they find a company who offers such a product and that’s what they use.

And, while a “natural flavor” will have derived originally from a natural source, it is so highly processed that most dietitians will tell you that there is little difference from artificial flavors. In other words, “natural flavors” are not necessarily “healthier” than artificial flavors. When it comes to artificial flavors, those are never a FODMAP issue.

And Then There Are Essential Oils

Essential oils are all the rage with aromatherapy fans and they sound pure and good. Oil from garlic, which might be called “garlic oil”, “essential garlic oil” or “garlic essential oil” can be found on many garlic flavored oil labels.

Clinical experience tells is that digestive upset can occur when ingesting products containing these ingredients. It might be an extreme FODMAP intolerance, or a different digestive intolerance.

Garlic essential oil might be good for acne or ear infections (not that we are recommending this but these are uses you will find mentioned elsewhere) but without being a certified low FODMAP product, we take the conservative approach and do not recommend these oils across the board, per Monash researcher’s recommendations.

We Became Garlic Oil Detectives!

So, how do you know if you cannot discern from the front of the label, or the ingredient list on the back, which oil is appropriate for consumption during the Eliminatiopn Phase of the low FODMAP diet?

Let’s define what we are looking for and what we are looking to steer clear of.

Garlic-Infused Oils Defined

Low FODMAP Garlic-Infused Oils: What They Are

These oils, whether they are made with some sort of vegetable oil, olive oil or a blend of oils are made by letting the garlic cloves marinate for a period of time in the oil, which is also usually heated. It is important that no other food ingredient is present. Once the garlic has lent its flavor to the oil (and brands do vary in strength), all the garlic solids must be removed. This results in a true garlic-infused oil, which is low FODMAP.

Commercially prepared products sometimes include a preservative, such as citric acid and that is okay from a FODMAP perspective. This may or may not be listed on the label.

We think that these oils, using a true infusion process with fresh garlic, have the best flavor.

There are also some low FODMAP oils made with roasted garlic and in some cases the preparation technique is low FODMAP – but not always.

High FODMAP Garlic Oils: What To Look Out For

An obvious “tell” is any oil that has garlic pieces or solids, whether fresh, dried or roasted, floating in the bottle. Leave those on the shelf.

Any oil that is flavored with garlic through the use of “garlic oil”, “garlic essential oil”, “garlic essence”, “garlic flavoring”, “natural roasted garlic flavor”, natural flavor” or anything similar has the potential of triggering symptoms. This is not specifically a FODMAP content comment; it is an “IBS trigger” comment.

You can use the FDA label to help you. If the Carbohydrate amount is 0%, then there are no FODMAPs in the serving size recommended, as FODMAPs are carbohydrates.

Please read our article on reading and understanding an FDA Nutrition Facts Label for more info.

In our clinical experience, this does NOT guarantee that you might not react to the product. We hear from folks all the time that they have used a garlic oil product, that it has 0% carbohydrates, and yet they still experience digestive upset. Again, this is not necessarily a FODMAP issue, but it is reported frequently enough that we think it is important to address.

Everyone has a unique digestive tract and the key is getting to know what works for you. Consider this article a guideline to helping you figure out your best choices.

We have heard repeatedly from many following the diet that they can experience IBS triggers with commercially prepared garlic “infused” products, but they do just fine with homemade. Don’t give up! Try our recipe.

BTW we have an Onion-Infused Oil recipe, too. Onions also contain water-soluble fructans and our oil is a great item to have around.

Four Important Caveats

Firstly, as we discuss in our article on natural flavoring, if an ingredient is less than 2% (sometimes indicated on a label, sometimes not) it is unlikely to trigger symptoms. This does not mean that it is impossible to trigger symptoms. YOUR reactions to a food is what is important.

Secondly, as stated above, if the FDA panel says there are 0% carbohydrates, the product is low FODMAP by definition.

Thirdly, we know that some folks still experience reactions when using products that have 0% carbohydrates. These reactions are not FODMAP based, but the reactions are consistent enough that we believe it is worth discussing.

And Fourthly, in specific conversations about garlic flavored oil with Monash University, they have repeatedly stated that if a product has not been lab tested and certified low FODMAP, then it cannot be guaranteed to be low FODMAP.

Do some of these facts appear to contradict one another? Yes. What’s the saying? Don’t kill the messenger? That’s us, the messenger. We are just bringing you all the information that we have at our disposal.

Remember, the right low FODMAP serving size for you is the amount of a food or product that does not trigger symptoms for YOU. We have an article on What Is A Low FODMAP Serving Size? that you might find helpful.

Our Takeaway

Be prudent. There are garlic-infused oils that are appropriate to use, even during the Elimination Phase, based on the available information from current FODMAP research and the oil manufacturers themselves.

Oils made in the true infusion manner, such as our homemade recipes, are appropriate for consumption while following the low FODMAP diet.

Oils (and any products) that have been through a low FODMAP certification process, via lab testing, are guaranteed low FODMAP. Currently, FODMAP Friendly and Monash University both  have certification programs and products will have their certification logos on the label.

Look for one of these logos below.

Many garlic-flavored oil products have 0% carbohydrates, which means, by definition, they are low FODMAP.

Researchers at Monash University directed us that their stance is that if a garlic oil product has not been lab tested, then there is no guarantee that it is low FODMAP.

If you have a bottle of garlic oil that your digestive system has been happy with, regardless of what is on the label, then by all means, keep using it.

And conversely, if you are reacting to a product, whether it is certified or not, then cease using it.

As always, we recommend that you make dietary decisions in conjunction with your medical team.

Go here for our list of Recommended Brands of Garlic Infused Oils.

If you want to be able to have garlic flavor without oil, there are many options. Did you know that there are low FODMAP garlic powders? There are! Read more in our article, Low FODMAP Garlic & Onion Substitutes.

Now you can get your garlic fix!