A Rant About Garlic

 

Most of this blog has focused on the top 9 allergens; after all, they are the most likely to cause life threatening reactions. Plus, my kid is allergic to three of them. I even did a whole ranking on which of the top ones are the worst to be allergic to. (It’s milk. It’s definitely milk.) However, garlic may be her most inconvenient allergy to have. Just ask a vampire. I mean, sure, they have to avoid lots of things... Holy water. Sunlight. Crucifixes. But garlic? That stuff is everywhere.

Why is a garlic allergy so bad? For one thing, trying to scan the ingredient list is so much harder for anything that is not a top 9 allergen. Remember how the top 9 have to be clearly labeled? Yeah, garlic isn’t included in that list. In the US, whole or ground garlic must be declared on the food label BUT garlic powder can be hidden under “natural flavors” or “flavoring”. So, every time I read an ingredient label and see “natural flavors” (and does anything not have “natural flavors” in it?), I have to wonder, is there secret, hidden, deadly garlic powder in here?

We love ketchup in this household and trying to find out if any ketchup was safe to eat led me to the great Heinz Ketchup garlic flavoring debate. Apparently, Heinz refuses to disclose if garlic is one of their “spices”, even when asked directly by people with physician verified garlic allergies. This has gone on so long that there is a change.org petition. I 100% love the enthusiasm. What I don’t actually love is Heinz ketchup. Despite having the largest market share in the world, I can tell you, blind taste tested, it is not the best ketchup. The best ketchup? Hunts. And, while Hunts has the black box of “natural flavors” in the ingredient list, it also clearly lists “onion powder.” I feel pretty good that if they listed onion powder, they would list garlic powder, too. We've gambled and hoped for the best. So far, it's worked out and we are a Hunts only family now.

Not only is being allergic to garlic hard because it’s difficult to decipher if it’s actually in an ingredient list or not, but it’s also hard because garlic is in almost every savory thing in the entire grocery store. Off the top of my head, here are a list of things that almost always have garlic in them:

• Salsa (of any kind)
• Pasta sauce (of any kind)
• Almost all premade sauces in the international section
• Potato chips with any flavoring other than plain
• Condiments of any kind (mustards, mayo, BBQ sauce, ranch, ketchup….)
• Spice mixes (chili powder, curry powder, everything bagel…)

It’s also in the breading on a lot of chicken nuggets. I’ve seen it in plant-based meat alternatives. Any premade frozen meal. It can be in anything. Really. Anything.

I recently found this website- gogarlicfree.com that has some products that are garlic free. (I don’t know how much I trust it though, because under their survival kit for garlic allergies they listed Benadryl, charcoal pills, tea… AND NO EPINEPHRINE which is ACTUALLY the only thing you need to SURVIVE a REAL FOOD ALLERGY. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: FOOD INTOLERANCES ARE NOT ALLERGIES. STOP SAYING YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO THINGS WHEN YOU HAVE AN UPSET STOMACH. YES, IT CAN BE UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT FOOD ALLERGIES CAN BE LIFE THREATENING.) Anyways, it has some suggestions for store bought salsas and tomato sauces without garlic which I have never seen in my grocery store. Instead? I spend my time making everything from scratch. Garlic free chili powder? Yep, mixed up a bottle and keep in the pantry. Curry paste? Yep, made a batch and it’s in the freezer. Pasta sauce? Yep, made some with roasted tomatoes. Made some in my instant pot. Made some from canned tomatoes. Living garlic free has meant making almost everything entirely from scratch.

The real kicker for my kid’s garlic allergy, though? We aren’t even sure if she’s actually allergic. With the positive skin test, she really only has a 50% chance of being actually allergic. All of her other allergies she has a positive skin test and a positive reaction when she's eaten it. What if she can actually have garlic and I’ve been making my own sauce/salsa/paste/powder for a year? I really want her to have her garlic food challenge… but only if she’s not allergic. Until then, goodbye Heinz ketchup. Hello homemade sauces. Salsas. Dips. Hummus. Curry paste. Spice mixes….. And, goodbye free time.