When you first start livin’ la vida low-carb, it’s almost impossible to think about all the ways your life will change overnight. Sure, you know you’re not allowed to eat bread, pasta, sugar, candy, juice, rice, and just about anything sweet and starchy. You do it willingly because you realize that changing your lifestyle is about making healthier choices for your body so you can honor the temple that God has entrusted you with.
As a Christian low-carb dieter, it never occurred to me when I began this new way of eating in 2004 that it would make me choose between honoring God with one of the most important sacraments that Christians participate in or honoring my commitment to low-carb living. I’m referring to the act of communion where you consume a small cracker or unleavened bread wafer representing the body of Jesus and a small cup of grape juice or wine symbolizing Christ’s blood sacrifice for our sins on the cross.
So what does a low-carb dieter who is a believer in Jesus Christ do when it comes to celebrating and participating in this holy act of remembrance? That’s what one of my Christian readers wanted to know in an e-mail to me:
Hi Jimmy,
This might seem like a silly question but I’m guessing that since you are a Christian and are active in church that this issue has come up for you.
Do you take communion? Bread and grape juice do not fare well for my low-carb lifestyle but when I pass, I feel very odd because I want to participate for the spiritual meaning.
Let me know how you deal with this.
You know, it was funny the first time I was in church on a day when communion was taking place and I felt so awkward. Do I take part in it and glorify the memory of the greatest act of love and sacrifice the world has ever seen or do I refuse since I can’t have that many carbohydrates as part of my new commitment to livin’ la vida low-carb? It wasn’t such an easy decision for me and I had a tough time at first.
But then I thought about it more and came to the conclusion that the amount of carbs in that little piece of bread and tiny glass of grape juice probably doesn’t amount to more than 8-10g carbs maximum. It’s not like this is an entire high-carb meal or anything. In the end, I believe God will honor your dietary commitment because you partook in communion.
So I proudly take communion at church the four or so times a year we celebrate it now and have no qualms whatsoever with it. It’s a personal decision that each individual must make for themselves. Do what you feel the Lord would have you do. 
