How to Read a Food Label for Hidden Onion & Garlic
Dehydrated onion, onion extract, natural flavours — every sneaky way onion and garlic hide on ingredient labels.
Label reading is the most important skill for anyone on a NONG diet.
The obvious ones (always avoid): - Onion / Pyaaz - Garlic / Lahsun - Onion powder / Garlic powder
The sneaky ones (watch out): - Dehydrated onion / dehydrated garlic - Onion extract / garlic extract - Onion extractive / garlic extractive - Allium cepa (scientific name for onion) - Allium sativum (scientific name for garlic)
The uncertain ones (need verification): - "Natural flavours" — can legally include allium extracts - "Spices" — a catch-all that can include onion/garlic - "Seasoning" — same issue
Safe certifications to look for: - Jain certification symbol - "Suitable for Jains" text - Products listed on verified NONG directories