# Any way to eat garlic again?



## NHow (Mar 10, 2003)

I never had a problem with garlic until past few years (have had ibs-D for about 7-8 years. It's very frustrating not being able to tolerate garlic (cooked or raw) as it makes food taste wonderful and is very hard to avoid. The day after I've had any I get wicked cramps and D.My question is: has anyone found a way to make it more tolerable? I've tried elephant garlic and that doesn't seem to go down well either. Thanks for suggestions. (unless selling something)Nhow


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## TanaG (Jul 11, 2009)

Garlic normally makes me sick too...it used to even when I had no IBS and it got worse after. I have a problem only with row garlic though...if it is cooked in any way I do not.Have you tried garlic pouder? I know it's not the same but it gives some taste to the food


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## Yukie (Feb 13, 2009)

Unfortunately once your body rejects a certain type of food because of IBS changes are that you'll have trouble with it forever, at least it's like that for me.Can't eat sea food anymore except low fat fish.


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## Gmonkey (Dec 4, 2009)

Garlic is a natural antibiotic.Probably upsets the already messed up flora that you have inside.


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## Diana63 (Oct 20, 2009)

If Garlic is causing you so much pain and misery i would avoid it at all costs.IBS is bad enough without eating something that you know will cause bad symptoms.


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## NHow (Mar 10, 2003)

I am trying something that others suggested for garlic intolerence. I purposefully ordered a dish that I knew had garlic in it at a local restaurant. Before it arrived I took 3 charcoal caps (to prevent gas). As I started to eat the meal I took 3 Beano tablets (which supposedly help digest garlic). After eating I took 3 more charcoal caps. Made sure to drink plenty of water with all of this. The outcome was really good. Instead of lots of abdominal cramping and killer gas almost immediately after the meal I just felt very full. Had a bit of gas around bedtime but nothing painful and not the usual belly bloat. In the morning I had a very small bit of gas but no bloat or urgency to run to the loo. Around 10:30 am, a couple hours after breakfast, I had one slightly loose stool but no diarrhea. And that was all. I was able to be out and about without worrying where the nearest toilet was. The following day I had two morning BM's that were a bit loose but nothing else. No cramps, urgency, gas bloat or diarrhea.

I should also mention that I take one Questran sachet in the morning before breakfast and one Imodium tablet before dinner. It's very early days but I'm hopeful this will help. It's so hard to avoid garlic. It's in everything and even if you ask for dishes without it at restaurants the chances are there will be some anyway in one of the ingredients that the chef doesn't know about. I'm going to be on the road in France and Spain in a few weeks so it would be great if this prevents having to make pit stops every few hours along the way.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Garlic has a FODMAP in it so often is a gas producer for people with IBS. You might look at the low fodmap diet. Fodmaps add up, so you may tolerate garlic better if you reduce the rest of the fermentable.

Probiotic supplements may be helpful (but more of a long term thing rather than just with a meal thing) as they produce no gas when digesting fodmaps.


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## NHow (Mar 10, 2003)

Well maybe back to square one...sigh. Had a bad day after an Indian restaurant meal which had garlic (at my request as a continuing test). Had bad gas and bloat all night followed by cramps and 5 trips to the loo the next day. Didn't really have diarrhea, just pain and urgency. Don't know why the alpha galactosidase (the ingredient in Beano and other enzyme tablets that supposedly helps to digest garlic) didn't work this time. I've tried both Beano and Jarrow-Zymes Plus. They worked on the earlier occasions. Not this time. And the charcoal caps (3 before meal and 3 afterwards) didn't do anything to prevent or lessen the killer gas.


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## jstezelecki (Sep 23, 2013)

It's my understanding that Hing spice is relatively IBS safe. It's my understanding that it has a combination of garlic and onion flavor. Smells quite strong until cooked. It's quite often used in Indian cuisine.


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## HumanistRuth (Sep 19, 2013)

One source advised people to saute large chunks of garlic, then remove them, leaving the garlic flavor in the oil. Using this oil was supposed to provide flavor without the fructans.


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## NHow (Mar 10, 2003)

Does this work?


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## legbuh (Jan 9, 2005)

I tend to agree with the fact that garlic or other foods either irritate or feed bad bacreria. ever notice how most fodmap foods are also prebiotics?


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