The journey to my allium allergy discovery took way longer than it should have. You can read more about it in our About Us page, but basically I never knew there was a thing as a garlic and onion allergy until I consulted an expert. Mark and I are by no means an expert, so if you think you have something going on, then please find a dietitian or allergist to consult with. I was sick for years and took it upon myself to figure it out (unsuccessfully). I look back and want to kick myself for wasting so many years feeling gross, bloated, itchy, unexplained cystic acne all over my face and head, and the list goes on.

I encourage you to take action. Maybe you’re just Googling symptoms right now, not having a clue what’s “off” in your body, but you know something isn’t right.

This is the first step!

As far as thinking you might have an allium allergy, here’s some jumping off points to think about:

Are you struggling with, or randomly experiencing, the following…

• Digestive discomfort such as bloating, gas, cramps, or diarrhea after eating certain foods.

• Skin reactions like rashes, hives, cysts or eczema that appear soon after eating certain foods.

• Respiratory symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing, coughing up phlegm or difficulty breathing after ingesting or just being exposed to cooking fumes from garlic or onions.

• For some women, spotting between periods or several days before the end of your cycle may be the cause of an allium allergy causing inflamation. This was a surprise - I didn’t think of allium being the source of this, but I can confirm first hand that when I fully eliminated allium from my diet, this stopped immediately. The cysts were gone. No more inflammation anywhere.

If you suspect you have an allium allergy (or any type of allergy), consult with a healthcare provider for proper diagnosis and guidance on managing your condition.