Can I eat garlic with ulcerative colitis?
During a flare: Usually avoidIn remission: Caution
Like onion, garlic is particularly rich in fructans, a fermentable FODMAP that Monash FODMAP research links to gas, bloating, and cramping. Because fructans are water-soluble rather than fat-soluble, they leach out of whole cloves into soups, sauces, and stocks even when the garlic itself is removed before serving.
During a flare
Garlic (raw or cooked, including garlic powder in sauces) is commonly avoided during a flare.
In remission
Tolerance is individual and dose-dependent; some people manage small amounts, others prefer to avoid it.
Ways to make it gentler
- use Monash-certified low-FODMAP garlic-infused oil instead, since fructans don't dissolve into fat
Safer swaps
garlic-infused olive oil
Sources
- FODMAP food list — Monash FODMAP
- All about onion, garlic and infused oils on the Low FODMAP Diet — Monash FODMAP
Last checked 2026-08-12
