"I Don't Know What the (heck) a Cleanse Is!"
If My Husband Doesn't Know What a Cleanse Is...Maybe You Don't Either.
Pull up a chair. Grab a cup of herbal tea—or hot chocolate if that's more your style. I don't judge. Let's visit for a minute.
A few weeks ago, I asked my husband to help me come up with a title for this blog post.
Without missing a beat, he smiled and proudly announced, "Itchy Butt."
I stared at him.
"I'm writing a wellness blog," I reminded him. "Seriously?"
He looked at me like he couldn't understand why I wasn't impressed.
After a moment of deep thought, he tried again.
"Dirty Butt?"
Still no.
By this point, I was giving him "the look" that every husband recognizes immediately. You know the one. The look that says, You still have time to recover from this.
Finally, he laughed, threw his hands in the air, and confessed, "I don't even know what the (heck) a cleanse is!"
And just like that, I realized he had accidentally given me the perfect introduction.
If my own husband—who has lived through years of gluten-free cooking, supplement bottles covering half the kitchen counter, essential oils in every room of the house, and more conversations about gut health than any man should ever have to endure—didn't really know what a cleanse was...
Maybe a lot of people don't.
A few days later, I invited two of my closest friends to do a cleanse with me.
Their answer?
"We've never done one before."
I couldn't believe it.
Never?
Not once?
Then I caught myself laughing.
Of course they hadn't.
Most people have never been taught what a cleanse actually is. We've heard the word. We've seen advertisements. We've watched celebrities drinking mysterious green concoctions on social media.
Some people think cleansing means surviving on lemon water and cayenne pepper.
Others picture drinking grass-flavored smoothies while pretending kale tastes like brownies.
Neither one sounds particularly appealing.
The truth is much simpler.
To me, cleansing isn't about punishing your body.
It's about giving it a chance to catch its breath.
Think about your house for a minute.
Every spring, many of us clean out closets, organize the garage, wash windows, and haul bags of junk to the donation center. Not because we hate our homes—but because we love living in a clean one.
Our bodies deserve that same kind of care.
Sometimes we've been running so hard, eating whatever is convenient, surviving on too little sleep, and carrying far more stress than we were ever designed to carry. A cleanse, at least the way I think about it, is simply pressing the reset button. It's choosing to nourish instead of merely survive.
I didn't always think this way.
In fact, there was a time in my life when I would have thought this entire conversation sounded a little crazy.
Many of you know parts of my story, but if you're new here, let me tell you why gut health has become so personal to me.
There was a season when I couldn't speak English.
Imagine knowing exactly what you want to say but being unable to find the words.
I couldn't sign my own name.
I couldn't walk without help.
I looked healthy on the outside, but inside my body was fighting a battle I didn't yet understand.
Doctor after doctor searched for answers. Some helped. Some didn't. Some looked at my lab work and gently suggested that maybe stress was the problem.
But I knew something wasn't right.
Eventually, I found a doctor who looked at me a little differently.
Instead of focusing only on my symptoms, he kept coming back to one thing.
My gut.
He would gently remind me, "If we can support your gut, we'll give the rest of your body the best opportunity to do what it was designed to do."
I'll admit it.
I thought he was nuts.
How could my digestive system possibly have anything to do with how I was feeling overall?
As it turns out...
Quite a bit, at least in my case.
A hernia had damaged my stomach and digestive system so badly that I wasn't absorbing the nutrients my body needed. I required surgery before my healing journey could really begin.
It wasn't overnight.
Healing almost never is.
But little by little, my body began responding.
My thoughts became clearer.
My strength slowly returned.
I started feeling like myself again.
More importantly...
Hope returned.
That experience changed me forever.
Today, whenever someone tells me they're exhausted, struggling with brain fog, feeling anxious, living with a chronic condition, or simply wondering why they don't feel like themselves anymore, one of the first things I encourage them to do is talk with a knowledgeable healthcare professional—and part of that bigger-picture conversation can include the health of their gut.
Because our bodies are wonderfully designed.
When one system struggles, others often struggle too.
One of the greatest lessons I've learned over the years is that our bodies are constantly communicating with us.
The problem isn't that our bodies are silent.
The problem is that we've forgotten how to listen.
Sometimes they whisper.
Maybe it's fatigue that another cup of coffee can't fix.
Maybe it's bloating after every meal.
Maybe your skin changes.
Maybe your hair begins thinning.
Maybe your thoughts feel foggy, or your mood doesn't seem like you anymore.
Sometimes our bodies quietly wave little white flags long before they ever scream for help.
I've learned that paying attention to those whispers—and bringing them to a professional who can help me understand them—can make all the difference.
So what does cleansing actually look like?
Honestly...
Probably much less dramatic than you're imagining.
For me, it starts with removing the things that aren't serving my body well and replacing them with things that do.
More water.
More whole foods.
More vegetables.
More healthy fats.
More sleep.
More movement.
More prayer.
Less sugar.
Less processed food.
Less rushing.
Less noise.
Less living on autopilot.
It's amazing how often we start feeling better when we simply stop overwhelming our bodies.
People often ask me what I personally do when life gets especially difficult or when I feel like my body is asking for help.
One of the tools I've returned to over the years is fasting.
Not because I think everyone should do it.
Not because it's trendy.
Because it has become deeply personal.
I want to be clear that this is my own experience and not advice for anyone else. Fasting isn't right for everyone, and it can be genuinely risky for some people—so please don't take anything here as a recommendation. Anyone considering fasting, and especially anything beyond a very short fast, should talk with a qualified healthcare professional first, and longer fasts really belong under medical supervision. It's not appropriate for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, who are underweight, who have a history of disordered eating, or who have certain health conditions.
With all of that said honestly: for me, fasting has been less about my body and more about my spirit. My health coach has shared that he only undertakes a longer fast when he feels the Lord has specifically asked him to. He doesn't rely on his own strength.
He relies on God's.
That resonates deeply with me.
Because while fasting gives my body an opportunity to rest, it gives my spirit something even greater.
It creates quiet.
In a world that constantly competes for our attention, fasting has become one of the ways I intentionally step away from the noise.
No endless scrolling.
No constant distractions.
Just time.
Time to pray.
Time to listen.
Time to remember what matters most.
Some of the sweetest moments of my life haven't happened when everything was going perfectly.
They've happened in those quiet moments when I finally stopped trying to control everything and simply turned my heart toward heaven.
There have been times when I have felt the Savior's love so personally that words almost fail me.
One impression has returned to me again and again.
Simple.
Gentle.
Powerful.
"Keep your eyes on Me."
Those five words have carried me through seasons I never thought I would survive.
So when I think about cleansing, I realize it's about much more than food.
It's about clearing away whatever is distracting me from becoming who God created me to be.
Sometimes that's sugar.
Sometimes it's fear.
Sometimes it's pride.
Sometimes it's busyness.
Sometimes it's simply forgetting to slow down long enough to hear His voice.
Healing has taught me something I hope I never forget.
Our bodies are remarkably resilient.
They were created by a loving Heavenly Father who understands exactly how they work.
Will every illness disappear?
No.
Has every prayer I've prayed been answered the way I wanted?
Also no.
But I have learned that every healthy choice matters.
Every nourishing meal matters.
Every walk matters.
Every hour of sleep matters.
Every prayer matters.
Every time we choose hope instead of despair...
It matters.
If you're reading this today because you're tired...
Because you're discouraged...
Because you've been searching for answers for months—or maybe years—I want you to know you're not alone.
I've sat where you're sitting.
I've wondered if I'd ever feel normal again.
I've cried.
I've prayed.
I've questioned.
I've hoped.
And somewhere along the way, I realized healing rarely comes all at once.
It usually arrives one faithful step at a time.
One meal.
One walk.
One prayer.
One glass of water.
One good night's sleep.
One decision to keep moving forward.
So wherever you are today, start there.
Don't worry about being perfect.
Don't compare your journey to someone else's.
Just take the next step.
Drink the water.
Eat the vegetables.
Go for the walk.
Say the prayer.
Laugh with your husband when he suggests naming your wellness blog something ridiculous...
And above all else...
Keep your eyes on Him.
With much love,
Steffanie
Welcome to Celiac Shack... where hope and healing meet.
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This blog shares general wellness and lifestyle reflections based on my personal experience and faith. It isn't medical advice and isn't intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition. Please talk with a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, starting a cleanse or fast, or if you have any health concerns.
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