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Communion


HowToBeCrunchy

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So I went to church this morning (like a usually do on Sundays - and I'm sure others around here do as well) and it was a communion day. Some churches do this every week, some only periodically - the church I've been going is the later and I'm new there so I don't know their schedule yet.

Communion generally involves bread of some sort and grape juice or wine - all prohibited on the Whole 30.

So, since communion is an important ritual of my faith, and I haven't had it in over a month, of course I participated and had my little plastic shot glass of grape juice and my little piece of matza . . .

Does this mean I have to start my Whole 30 all over again? Or do religious observances get to be an exception (esp. given the minute portions)?

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Participating in communion services is okay during a Whole30. It is kind of like taking prescribed medication. The Whole30 does not want to stand between you and your doctor or you and your God.

I took communion myself this morning. I thought about calling over the minister who was serving gluten free bread, but didn't want to make the effort. My church started offering a gluten free choice when we hired a minister with celiac disease.

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I'm protestant, by in large we don't believe in transubstantiation, that is a Catholic theological doctrine. We believe the bread and wine/grape juice are merely symbolic.

Nevertheless, I'm glad to know I can have it and perhaps I will even get them to offer a gluten free option after I've been going there for a while. :)

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 months later...

Thanks for this question. I'm Jewish and wine & challah are standard on Friday night Shabbat dinner.

anniem - My mom is Jewish (by conversion), and I understand the significance here carries over. However, I just want to make sure I communicate clearly that a piece of challah bread will have more of an impact on your results than a communion wafer will. Gluten is one of the big three that can really impact your results, and while I would NEVER suggest you go against religious tradition because of a rule, I want to make sure that's something you understand. :)

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I asked this in another forum as well. It was definitely an "oh crap" moment but, like you, I decided to take it. I was going to feel guilty either way but I would rather feel guilty to the Whole30 than to God. :) As others have said, one tiny oyster cracker and a teaspoon of juice hopefully will not affect us too much.

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I am new to Whole30 but have been gluten-free for 8 months. I have a gluten-free host that I take during communion. Even that small amount of gluten in the host messes me up because I have a severe sensitivity. You could ask your church if they have it or buy it online and bring yourself.

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I was looking for another "Can I eat..." when I stumbled upon this topic. I was wondering this last Sunday when our first Sunday of the month communion caught me by surprise, since I had just started the Whole 30 on January 3. My adult daughter and I had a feverish but very quiet brief discussion about what should be done. In the end, I palmed my "bread" (a gluten free corn chex, we're so hip at our Methodist church...) and just didn't drink the juice. Now that I have read this post, next month I will not have to do any feint of hand tricks...I will eat the corn chex and drink the juice and know it is okay for the Whole 30 and I will be glad I can take communion!

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  • 1 month later...

This is so INTERESTING!!

I am jewish and our challah bread is a sacred ritual on Friday night which I have never skipped.

I've been taking a minuscule amount of matza (plain flour and water) but never dreamed I was allowed to do so...

I feel so much better reading abt all you guys with a similar predicament.

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  • 1 year later...

I had this same thing happen to me. I wasn't even thinking of it until I already had eaten it. It was a tiny square the size of about an altoid. I know whole30 is not more important then beliefs, but does it technically me a restart? Or is that small amount not even enough to be a big deal? Plus what about the grape juice it probably has sugar and maybe sulfites.

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I had this same thing happen to me. I wasn't even thinking of it until I already had eaten it. It was a tiny square the size of about an altoid. I know whole30 is not more important then beliefs, but does it technically me a restart? Or is that small amount not even enough to be a big deal? Plus what about the grape juice it probably has sugar and maybe sulfites.

Religious practices trump Whole30. No restart necessary.

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  • 1 year later...

anniem - My mom is Jewish (by conversion), and I understand the significance here carries over. However, I just want to make sure I communicate clearly that a piece of challah bread will have more of an impact on your results than a communion wafer will. Gluten is one of the big three that can really impact your results, and while I would NEVER suggest you go against religious tradition because of a rule, I want to make sure that's something you understand. :)

I am so glad you touched on this bc I almost started a new thread about this... I am not Jewish but I do honor shabbat and I have found a few pretty great grain free/gluten free challah recipes that are completely Whole30 approved EXCEPT that they all need some sort of sweetener (the best recipe I have found calls for honey) what would you say about this? I wouldn't even be eating it in a great portion it would mainly be on a communion type level of "just for the prayers" but I am hoping to get my whole family involved and we all honor shabbat together so finding an alternative would really make it a lot easier for us all to participate in the Whole30 without having to feel like we are giving up another really important part of our lives but still staying as committed as possible to the Whole30 perimeters and not just using religion as an excuse either... I know this is an older post but I really hope that someone can help me with this

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I am so glad you touched on this bc I almost started a new thread about this... I am not Jewish but I do honor shabbat and I have found a few pretty great grain free/gluten free challah recipes that are completely Whole30 approved EXCEPT that they all need some sort of sweetener (the best recipe I have found calls for honey) what would you say about this? I wouldn't even be eating it in a great portion it would mainly be on a communion type level of "just for the prayers" but I am hoping to get my whole family involved and we all honor shabbat together so finding an alternative would really make it a lot easier for us all to participate in the Whole30 without having to feel like we are giving up another really important part of our lives but still staying as committed as possible to the Whole30 perimeters and not just using religion as an excuse either... I know this is an older post but I really hope that someone can help me with this

You are free to follow whatever religious beliefs/desires you have and no one here is going to come to your house and make you prove that you are Jewish/Catholic/Christian/Whatever.  You get to do what is right in your heart as it surrounds how you choose to practice your religion.

 

That said, is the honey/sweetener in the recipe completely necessary or could you make the item and just leave off the sweetener? Or sub applesauce/dates for the sweetness?

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  • 2 years later...
On 8/11/2012 at 8:31 PM, LindaLee said:

As far as I'm concerned, it's not bread or wine once it's consecrated...it's the Sacred Body and Blood of our Savior.

I'm new here. Stumbling upon this as my first post read makes me really happy. :)

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  • 8 months later...

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