Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is the most commonly diagnosed gastrointestinal disorder and can result in many unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms, including bloating, abdominal pain, cramps, flatulence, diarrhea, constipation or alternating diarrhea and constipation. Many foods can trigger the symptoms of IBS and the trigger foods can vary from one person to another. Garlic is one of the foods that can be problematic for many IBS sufferers and may be the reason why you suffer from diarrhea.
Garlic and Fructans
Garlic contains a special type of carbohyrates called fructan. Fructan is made of a chain of a bunch of fructose linked to one another with a molecule of glucose at the end of the chain. Fructans are classified as a short-chain carbohydrates that can be problematic for people with IBS. If you experience gastrointestinal distress, such as diarrhea, when eating garlic, it is very likely that you react the same way when eating other fructan-rich foods, such as wheat, rye, onions, artichoke, Jerusalem artichoke, chicory root, inulin and pistachios.
Mechanism
The reason why short-chain carbohydrates, such as the fructans found in garlic, can cause diarrhea is because they are poorly absorbed in humans. Depending on your intestinal flora, the bacteria in your gut can start feeding on the fructan of garlic and the fermentation process can cause gas and bloating. Moreover, the presence of the compounds resulting from the digestion of the fructans by the bacteria in your intestines can attract a lot of water, which is the cause for what is called osmotic diarrhea.
Garlic in Foods
If you have diarrhea when eating garlic, you may react even to foods containing very small amounts of fructans, such as garlic salt and garlic powder. Garlic-based seasonings are used in many foods found at the grocery store or served at restaurants, such as tomato sauce, crackers, soups and frozen entrees. Read the ingredient list to ensure that the food you eat do not contain any traces of garlic to prevent diarrhea. When eating out, ask that no garlic or garlic-containing seasonings be used to prepare your food.
Seasoning Without Garlic
Garlic adds a lot of flavor, but you can make your food tasty without using garlic if you want to avoid experiencing diarrhea. If you react to the fructans in garlic, you probably can't tolerate onion, onion powder and onion salt either. Instead, season your dishes with salt, freshly ground pepper, spices, such as chili powder, curry, cumin, turmeric and cinnamon, as well as herbs, such as chives, basil, parsley, thyme and oregano. You can also use balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar to enhance the flavor of your dishes.
References
- "Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology"; Evidence-Based Dietary Management of Functional Gastrointestinal Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach; Peter R Gibson and Susan J Shepherd; 2010
- MayoClinic.com; Irritable Bowel Syndrome; June 2011
- "The Low FODMAP Diet - Reducing Poorly Absorbed Sugars to Control Gastrointestinal Symptoms"; Eastern Health Clinical School - Monash University; 2010
