Josephine and I were recently out for dinner in Sydney and heard from a food expert that there are over 40 different varieties of onions….who knew!

What we do know however is that onions are typically off the table for many people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

In this month’s blog we cover all things allium, including onions, garlic and leeks.

We look at why they can be a problem in terms of FODMAPS, what you should avoid and what you can have instead…including some new testing results from Monash that will please garlic lovers.

Watch out for..

Watch out for sauces or even processed meats that may have garlic and onion. On ingredient lists these can be hidden as “herb and spice powder”, “vegetable powder” or “seasonings”… this can be tricky.

Other ways to add flavour

Onion and garlic are used to add powerful flavour to food across many different cultures. Here are some alternative approaches (there is more on this in our blog on flavour).

• Herbs (such as basil, coriander, oregano, parsley, rosemary and thyme)

• Spices (such as cumin, coriander, cumin, turmeric – avoid blends that may have garlic powder)

• Asafoetida powder (use a small pinch only for flavour similar to onion)

• Ginger

• Lemon and lime juice add a real zing to steamed veggies or fish

• Salt and pepper

• Stock (made without onions/garlic) or try San Elk low FODMAP vegetable stock powder

• Chilli (contains capsaicin which may trigger gut symptoms in some people)

Very low quantities may also be ok. Monash also recommend testing garlic and onion in rice-based dishes, such as fried rice, rather than wheat-based dishes to lower the overall FODMAP load of the dish.

Dietitians also recommend re-testing a few months or years later to see if tolerance has changed.

Written by: Dr Mary Webberley, Chief Scientific Officer at Noisy Guts. Mary has a background in biology, with two degrees from the University of Cambridge and post-doctoral research experience. She spent several years undertaking research into the diagnosis of IBS and IBD. She was the winner of the 2018 CSIRO Breakout Female Scientist Award.