When Faith and Food Intolerances Collide
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When living with Celiac Disease, food allergies or other food intolerances, social situations can be difficult. This includes worship. When our faith and food allergies collide, what can church leaders do to help?
Sanctuary & Belonging
When you have Celiac Disease or a food allergy, navigating life can be stressful. We’re always second guessing, asking questions, and the day to day can feel like a burden. We are grateful when we find a place of refuge.
Sanctuary.
But sometimes church feels less like a sanctuary when your faith and food allergies collide. Sometimes our local church sanctuary feels nothing like a place of rest for those who are weary. It has been said that food unites us, brings our communities together. But when you have a food allergy or intolerance, more often it makes you feel like an outsider.
Sometimes it makes me feel like an outsider.
Deep down we know it’s often unintentional. When you don’t live with food sensitivities, you don’t see the way it can become a stumbling block to someone’s faith walk. Below are four key areas that are a hindrance with faith and food allergies . Maybe they impact you as well. Hopefully with a little conversation, we can open the eyes and ears of others and make it possible for all to come to the table.
Communion
To this day, I am still moved by a friend’s story. She was newly diagnosed with Celiac Disease, learning how to navigate life. Upon going to church, she realized that her disease kept her from communion. She recounted how she sat in the pew and wept deeply. An illness, not of her own doing, kept her from participating with others with whom she identified.
It makes me think of the lepers in the Old Testament, separated from their community, unable to worship God with others because of their disease. When communion is no longer available to me or those I care about because of food allergies, I want to stand and shout, “We are not lepers!” Please don’t exclude us.
I’m very blessed that my church offers gluten-free and allergen-friendly communion for all believers. When we first started attending our church, I would bring my own cracker and partake it on my own. But I still felt like an outsider, as I wasn’t really partaking with everyone else. Once I sat down with my pastor and explained how my faith and food allergies were causing a disconnect, we were able to create a solution together.
There are many ways churches can help others to worship safely through communion. Some may offer allergen-friendly communion stations. While the Catholic Church believe the host must contain wheat, they offer a low-gluten host, made from pre-gelatinized wheat starch that tests below 20 ppm of gluten. No matter our denomination, we can arrange for food-allergy safe communion practices.
Children’s Ministry
“Let the little children come unto me,” Jesus says. It is so vital that churches offer a safe place for children with food allergies. If they don’t, it harms not just the child, but the whole family.
My friend’s son has Celiac Disease and is allergic to nuts. Her family had been active in their church for a long time. She took her child to Vacation Bible School, assured that they would be attentive of his food allergy needs. Imagine the mother’s horrific shock to see snack time involved Honey Nut Cheerios, peanut butter M&M’s and trail mix.
The mother was so shaken, she and her children left the venue immediately. The church didn’t handle the follow-up well, and the family didn’t attend church for months. If this can happen to someone who has been attending a church for years, my concerns are raised for food-allergy families attending a place of worship for the first time.
FARE, the Food allergy and Research and Education network, states that 8% of children have a food allergy. That breaks down to 1 in 13 children. Peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish and fish are allergens that most commonly cause anaphylaxis, which can cause a person to stop breathing and lead to death.
Because of this, it might be wise to simply not serve snacks that contain these allergens. Craft supplies must also be evaluated, especially as very young children tend to put things in their mouth. I’ve been told by church groups that they’ll worry about food allergies when they finally have a food-allergic child come to their class. By then, it may be too late.
Community Outreach
I live in a poverty stricken community. Our congregation has seen this need and started to offer community meals through our after-school program called Intersection. It is such a joy to work with these kids, to feel their joy when an adult cares about them. By offering family meals, we’re now connecting with their parents and building relationships.
But sometimes it’s hard for me to do that. Most weeks the meal is not safe for someone with Celiac Disease to eat. I again feel like an outsider. Sometimes it’s mentioned “At least there’s salad.” Once I had a community member try to joke with me, asking if the church food wasn’t good enough for me, because I brought my own meal. It stung. I should have been able to shrug it off. I’m an adult, but these issues are sometimes still hard to handle.
While it is impossible to anticipate every food allergy, steps can be taken to make the practice of faith and food allergies a little easier. The first is education. Learn about which food allergies are common and learn how to substitute ingredients. Having ingredient lists next to prepared foods alleviates the anxiety of asking someone how something was prepared. Making simple dishes with minimal ingredients may allow more to eat a dish. While simple chicken, potatoes and green beans may not be fancy, it will go a long way towards feeding those who are are hungry.
Potlucks
Faith and food allergies collide most notably at potlucks. If you have a food-allergy, going to a potluck can be enough to induce a panic attack. Truth be told, most people I know with allergies avoid them all together. I will usually attend, but I will bring a main dish that I can eat and usually a side as well. We bring our own serving utensils and label our spoons and dishes gluten-free.
My husband is usually great in insisting that I get towards the front of the line, not because I’m “special” but because there is less chance of crumb-dropping or spoon-swapping. I am also blessed with a friend and fellow worshiper who takes my Celiac Disease to heart and makes gluten-free dishes that I can eat. To me, that is the greatest example of what being Christ-like is all about.
Inevitably, there’s always a dish that “looks safe” to me, but without knowing for sure I will pass. A simple solution for this would be to ask all people to bring a copy of their recipe and lay it next to their dish. This allows those with allergies to verify a dish is free of allergens. It can also help to build relationship, as people ask for copies of recipes and cooking practices.
Discussing Our Concerns Allows Others to Come to the Table
Life is more than food and drink, and there are times when we train ourselves to enjoy those who are present instead of focusing on the food in front of us. For me personally, it can feel like I’m being a bit of a nag if I bring up my food allergies. After all, I’m only one person, and why should others go to the trouble to meet my needs? My anxieties of how others will react also play a role. Maybe they think I’m being to picky or asking too much.
Then my heart breaks to think that other food allergy families feel the same anxiety. I’ve come to realize that by voicing my concerns about the difficulties between faith and food allergies, I may be straightening the path for those who are to come. Maybe through bringing about awareness, I’ll be safeguarding a child from anaphylaxis or a visitor from feeling alienated. After all, aren’t we to be like our Heavenly Father, who defends those without representation, loves the foreigner, and supplies for their needs? With a little intentional planning, we can make our communal table welcoming and open to all with food allergies and intolerances.
**Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease, and not an allergy, but the food safety practices are the same for those withfood allergies. To show the universal issues involving us, the word food allergy is used throughout this article. **
What have been your experiences with worship and church? Does your church accommodate your needs? Have you felt the need to leave a church due to their lack of understanding? Please feel free to share your experiences, below.
I spend half the year in MI and half in CA. The MI churches I attend all offer gluten free hosts. I understand the feeling about potlucks, etc. Unless I’m visiting a friend who knows I cannot eat gluten, I eat something at home before I go to any social function involving a meal.
I’m glad the Michigan churches accommodate your needs!
This speaks the words of my heart exactly. The isolation, the fear, the feeling like an outsider. I had to stop reading after only only 2 paragraphs because I was crying so hard I couldn’t see. For my 8y old son, it is all things containing dairy. Not only do we carry an epi pen at all times, but he also gets hives on contact….I have left so so so many churches and play areas due to gold fish or pizza. After trying yet again to find a church for our family (7 years of trying), we were hit with yet another blow today. More goldfish. In every room. For every age kid. My heart is broken and I am so isolated and discouraged. Thank you for posting this even though it was written a few years ago. It gave me hope today and was like a “hug” for my weary soul.
Oh my dear friend, how my heart aches for you. I wish I could come into your church and “fight” on your behalf. We and our children should never be made to feel alone or like outsiders. If there’s anything I can do to be of service, please let me know. In addition, is it ok if I share this comment on my social media channels? I feel others don’t realize the gravity of the situation.
Oh, yes, that is totally fine. Though, I’m afraid my sentences were terribly written due to my eyes overflowing 🙂
I’m not a regular church-goer now, mostly because we moved a lot and I never felt like I found a church that felt in the last few years, but back when I was diagnosed in 03, celiac and gluten were barely heard of. I had to figure out a lot of things on my own, and when attending church, I didn’t even think of there being gluten in the communion wafer until I had accepted it and it was in my mouth. Sat in my pew, crying, and swallowed it because i knew it was wrong to throw it away or discard it, plus it had already started dissolving and would already do damage.when attending church since then, I accept the blessing instead of taking communion or drinking any wine for possible cross contamination. Honestly I never even thought that there would be a gluten free communion wafer option, but I’m glad to know it is out there. Thanks for sharing this!
Dear Anna,
We’re no longer attending our former church, either. Partly due to COVID, partly due to other concerns. I’m glad that there is a low gluten host for those in the Catholic tradition, and gluten free wafers for those in other traditions which do not require wheat. I hope you’re able to find a church where you (and your dietary restrictions) feel welcome. <3
Our church has gf wafers but you never know who is putting them out and if the have handled wheat before setting out the gf wafers. My church will let me bring a gluten free cracker and the pastor will bless it at the communion table. We live in Mexico in the winter sometimes. I went to the priest on a regular day. I introduced my self and told him about the situation. His comment, ”oh, so you want to be SPECIAL!” We never went back.
I am so sorry that you were treated that way. It’s heartbreaking that those who are called to be God’s caretakers of His “flock” are not always compassionate.
In our church (Catholic), ONE Eucharistic minister is in charge of the low gluten hosts and their distribution and cross contamination is taken very seriously. They are trained. To further prevent contamination they don’t actually physically handle them with their bare hands. They tilt them into a small glass saucer – one for each host required and they line the little saucers up on a plate that an altar server holds next to them. When you come up for communion, they tilt the little sauce or into your hand, rather than placing it on your tongue.
I did not know that this is it was available and suggested it, only to find out that it was but you had to request it before mass. I advocated to get an announcement placed in the church bulletin when people were coming up for a low gluten host without letting someone know ahead of time, and someone who asked for one didn’t get one.
Now there are more people requesting them because they know that it’s available.
Hi, I found your post so useful thank you. I’m just starting my Faith journey and going to church for the first time this weekend, but already I’m nervous because I have Coeliac’s and realised I won’t be able to take communion. I’m worried they’ll straight away think negatively of me and of course I don’t want to have to explain I have Coeliacs on my first time. I’m not sure how to handle it and its making me very anxious.
Dear Emma, I so glad my post was helpful to you. I defintely understand how you feel. We recently started going to a new-to-us church, and felt some of the same feelings. Please know that you’re not alone. <3
This is such an emotional topic for me also. I am Catholic and grew up in the church (and by that I mean my Mom worked at the church so we were there constantly) The church was my sanctuary. I loved the days where no one was there and I could just sit and pray.
I was diagnosed 20 years ago and tried for years for options to receive communion but was told that it must contain wheat (citing Leviticus). That never made sense to me in todays day and age (for many reasons such as wheat is not pure as it was back in biblical times) but also because we aren’t following the majority of Leviticus.
I left the church after a few years. It was just too painful to sit through mass and cry every time. To be told this is the most sacred ….and you are not worthy.
My son does go to catholic school and it’s been a journey for me. It’s so hard to leave the faith behind that was that of my ancestors. But I do miss community and having a sanctuary to find peace.
I’m so sorry that you have been denied Communion. I completely agree with you, that we seem to demand adherence to some parts of the Bible, but not others. I think about the awesome power of God, that s/he was able to speak the world into being; that Jesus was able to rise from the dead. Surely Jesus is powerful enough to transubstantiate into any grain we have on this planet. Surely Jesus’ power and might isn’t limited to wheat proteins.
I myself and not Catholic, and in Protestant churches the “wheat” requirement doesn’t exist. I make gluten free bread for communion, which we have the first Sunday of each month, and we all share in it. No one is left out, and all are welcome at the table. Because none of us should be made to feel like outsiders, unworthy of God’s presence and sacrifice.
I used to think of my Celiac Disease like leprosy. Both a physical illness that has little or nothing to do with our behavior or self worth. And how Jesus was willing to reach those the “world” deemed unholy. We should not be kept from Communion simply because of our Celiac Disease. God loves us, and will show His power through us, regardless of our autoimmune disease.
“His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9:2-3
Thank you for elevating this challenge. Just the simple providing of ingredients is a huge help. I never know what ‘other’ concerns people may in foods they consume.
My church is becoming more aware of food allergies because of me. I sponsor individual GF host and recently organized food for gathering and several people were amazed that I could eat most of it.
I’m so glad that your church is becoming more aware, with your education and intervention. Accommodating dietary restrictions really is a something don’t often think about, unless they have to live through it.
I realize this is an older article but I thank you for it. As someone with Non Celian Gluten Sensitivity and now Alpha Gal allergy it’s discouraging not to be able to take part in Communion. Churches should have things clearly listed in the bulletin or on screens and clearly announced as to allergy options for communion (I HATE the individual cup things) and your suggestions for potlucks and meals are good
I’m glad that my post helped you not feel alone in your struggle. I’m sure with the many events at places of worship during the holidays, that it becomes even more problematic.