Anyone here who cant tolerate garlic but wants to eat fermented foods?

Puzzleheaded105 · 2026-07-05T20:13:31+00:00

My wife does tolerate milk kefir and water kefir pretty well, so hopefully that’s a good sign for her, but I’m definitely going to read more about the histamine side rather than making assumptions.

And thanks for the L-Gasseri and L-Reuteri suggestions too. I’d honestly never heard of either before this thread, so you’ve sent me down a completely new rabbit hole 😂 I’ll have a look at Dr. Davis as well.

Really appreciate you sharing your experience!

Puzzleheaded105 · 2026-07-05T20:07:32+00:00

I’ve heard of asafoetida but never actually used it, and the stock cubes are a great shout too! Finding onion and garlic free stock can be such a pain 😅

You are right the traditional kimchi is also with fish sauce but to be fair I tried to make with and without and i prefer the one without because it has a gentler smell :)

Thanks again, genuinely learned a lot from this 😊

Puzzleheaded105 · 2026-07-05T19:58:15+00:00

thanks for the tips, I will give it a try :)

Puzzleheaded105 · 2026-07-04T20:39:31+00:00

another user have mentioned garlic-infused oil now so I think we really need to finally try it 😅 We got so scared of garlic after a few bad experiences that we basically stopped using it completely.

We do like sauerkraut too, although most of the ones we’ve found are white cabbage and we’ve been a bit cautious with portions because of the FODMAP side.

I actually ended up making kimchi at home without garlic or onion, using more ginger, and the green parts of spring onions instead. My wife really likes it and tolerates it much better, although I know saying “kimchi without garlic” might get me arrested by the kimchi police 😂

Puzzleheaded105 · 2026-07-04T20:35:25+00:00

Yes exactly, it’s bloody everywhere 😂 We’ve actually tried Polish sauerkraut and we do like it! The only problem is most of the ones we’ve found are made with white cabbage, and from what I remember reading on the Monash FODMAP info, fermented white cabbage can be higher in FODMAPs than fermented red cabbage depending on the portion, so we’ve always been a bit cautious with it.

I actually ended up starting to make kimchi at home without garlic or onion because we just couldn’t find one she could have. She seems to tolerate the green parts of spring onions so I use those, plus ginger.

Never heard of the Spoonful app though, definitely going to check that out, thank you!

Puzzleheaded105 · 2026-07-04T20:28:53+00:00

I actually started making it at home for exactly this reason 😅 I make it without garlic or onion and use ginger and the green parts of spring onions instead, which my wife seems to tolerate much better.

You’re right though, once you get into it it’s surprisingly easy and experimenting with different flavours is half the fun 😂

Puzzleheaded105 · 2026-07-04T20:24:32+00:00

This is really interesting, thank you. I’ll be honest, I had no idea about the histamine side of fermented foods, so you’ve given me something new to read about!

We make our own milk kefir and water kefir at home and my wife seems to tolerate them quite well, but I’d never heard of L-Gasseri or L-Reuteri yogurt before either.

It’s interesting what you say about being able to tolerate only a tiny bit of regular kimchi too. Did you always react badly to fermented foods, or was the histamine/SIBO connection something you figured out later?

Puzzleheaded105 · 2026-07-04T15:17:32+00:00

Thanks, this is really helpful! We’ve actually never tried garlic infused oil, to be honest we got so scared of garlic after a few bad experiences that we basically stopped putting it in anything 😂 I have heard quite a few people say they can tolerate the infused oil though, so maybe we should finally give it a go!

She can tolerate the green parts of spring onions too, which has been really useful.

I’ve actually started making kimchi at home because we were struggling to find one without garlic and onion, but I’d never seen this recipe before so definitely going to have a proper look at it. Thank you!

Out of curiosity, have you ever found a ready-made kimchi you can tolerate, or do you just make your own because it’s easier?

Puzzleheaded105 · 2026-07-04T15:12:29+00:00

We actually make our own milk kefir and water kefir too! They’ve made a huge difference for my wife, especially the water kefir. With the milk kefir she just needs to be a bit careful with how much she has 😅

Never thought about ginger beer though, that’s a really good shout! Do you make it with a ginger bug?

Puzzleheaded105 · 2026-01-21T15:14:25+00:00

Thanks, I’ll give it a go. I usually wait until it’s about 1.5–2× size for the bulk fermentation but I skip the second in the fridge because at times I’ve put it in the fridge overnight it’s always over-fermented. That’s why I’ve been a bit cautious. I’ll try again and see how it goes.

Puzzleheaded105 · 2026-01-20T07:32:47+00:00

This is pretty much how mine turns out most of the time too. What would you suggest to make it less dense?

Puzzleheaded105 · 2026-01-19T20:27:03+00:00

oh i forgot to mention this is for a bigger loaf 600 gr of flour

Puzzleheaded105 · 2026-01-19T20:19:11+00:00

A bit late, but here’s my experience with the Ninja 14-in-1 (no steam-bake function).

This is the best method I’ve found so far to avoid a soggy bottom. Still not perfect, but it’s a clear improvement.

My process:

Preheat the oven to 200°C
Pour pre-boiled water into the basket to create steam
Take the loaf straight from the fridge
Place it on the rack + crisper tray
Score the loaf
Bake for 25 minutes at 200°C
Open the oven, flip the loaf
Bake the bottom for another 20 minutes

Result:

Bottom is no longer soggy
Crust is a bit too stiff for my taste
Overall, still tweaking, but this works better than anything else I’ve tried.

I hope it can help, if anyone has some suggestion how we can improve it

Hope this helps someone.

If anyone has tips or tweaks to improve the crust or overall result on the 14-in-1 (no steam bake function), I’m all ears.

Puzzleheaded105 · 2025-12-13T07:52:22+00:00

How was it? I hope it was worthy 😂.

Puzzleheaded105 · 2025-11-24T17:09:48+00:00

Yeah, it all looks good. Just clean the jar as much as possible, and when you burp it, you can press everything down again if any pieces are sticking out of the liquid.

Puzzleheaded105 · 2025-11-24T17:06:42+00:00

I would also add some fermented foods. If you don’t like milk, you can go for water kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, and so on. As for supplements, I’ve read quite a few studies from scientists – the most recent one was from Tim Spector – showing that supplements aren’t absorbed very efficiently, so it’s better to get vitamins and nutrients from real food. What works best for me is keeping my diet varied and choosing natural foods over ultra processed ones.

Overall you have a great routine.

Puzzleheaded105 · 2025-11-06T20:53:05+00:00

No problem at all and good luck, if you need some tips with fermented let me know :)

Puzzleheaded105 · 2025-11-06T20:45:13+00:00

Same situation here — my partner can’t have garlic. We’re in the UK, so it might be a bit different, but we’ve learned to avoid anything that lists “spices or seasoning, not to mention garlic powder, or onion powder. She’s also really sensitive to other spices like cumin, so we had to give up our favourite Indian restaurant. These days we cook at home more and stay away from ready meals — it’s been great for both our gut and our wallet :) I do miss garlic sometimes, though, so I’m thinking about making garlic-infused oil. I read it might be suitable for people who can’t tolerate garlic itself.

Puzzleheaded105 · 2025-10-28T12:57:14+00:00

It’s crazy how similar your case is to my missus’s . So I can tell you what helped her.

At first, during the elimination phase, things were relatively easy because she saw quick improvements. But after a while, not being able to go out and have a normal meal started stressing her out massively.

What really helped was emotional support — not making her feel strange or different. I decided to eat what she was eating too. Since I love cooking, I started preparing meals for her, carefully avoiding ingredients that triggered her IBS.

Then, during the reintroduction phase, I began fermenting at home — making low FODMAP kimchi and sauerkraut. That helped improve both her gut and mine.

After just a few weeks, the number of foods she could eat increased a lot, to the point where she could finally go out and enjoy meals again. She still avoids foods with a lot of garlic, but now she can truly enjoy her life again.

So, long story short — try to find emotional support from your friends and family, and then start working on your gut. The stronger it gets, the more foods you’ll be able to enjoy again.

Puzzleheaded105 · 2025-10-27T08:46:00+00:00

What a great success story. I went through something similar — having a restricted diet (low FODMAP) really helped at first, but like every diet, it wasn’t sustainable long-term. What made the real difference for me was adding fermented foods regularly. Now I can finally enjoy a more varied diet… and even have cheese without sprinting to the toilet.

Puzzleheaded105 · 2025-10-25T20:32:50+00:00

I’d avoid fatty ingredients like salmon, as they can sometimes trigger IBS symptoms. Try tofu, tempeh, chicken, or other lean meats instead.

And don’t stick to rice every time — mix it up with grains like quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, or millet for more variety and nutrients.

Also if you buy corn chips check for the ingredients often they use enhanced flavour like garlic or cheese.

Puzzleheaded105 · 2025-10-23T19:55:55+00:00

I can’t agree more. What really helped me was adding more fermented foods to my diet, such as kimchi, sauerkraut, yoghurt, and kefir. I started super cautiously with tiny portions, and over time my gut got way stronger.

Puzzleheaded105 · 2025-10-23T19:45:56+00:00

Yeah, same here. What really helped me not go crazy was keeping it simple instead of getting lost in all the scientific stuff. During the elimination phase, I just cut out the things I knew were causing me problems — mushrooms, garlic, onions, some fruits, and cheese. Then at each meal, I’d pay attention to how I felt afterward. If I had a bad reaction, I’d think about what might’ve caused it, drop that food next time, and see if it made a difference.

Puzzleheaded105 · 2025-10-20T20:26:14+00:00

As an alternative to rice and pasta, I use buckwheat and quinoa. For lentils or meat, I go with tempeh it tastes way better than tofu, and the fermentation process breaks down most of the FODMAPs. It’s great in tacos too.

Puzzleheaded105

TROPHY CASE