Clean Eating Nearly Broke Me

The Wellness Trap That Wrecks More Guts Than It Heals

Nourishment isn’t always picture-perfect. Healing starts when we stop chasing “clean” and start listening—really listening—to what our body is asking for.

You can only eat so many almond flour muffins, coconut milk smoothies, and cassava tortillas before your gut goes from grateful to mutinous.

Ask me how I know.

I’ve been in the wellness world for over two decades, and I still fell face-first into the clean eating trap. I knew better, but I was exhausted, overwhelmed, and trying to heal — and like so many women who’ve come through my programs, I ended up chasing the "clean" ideal so hard I lost touch with what my gut was actually trying to tell me.

Clean eating nearly broke me, and it’s breaking a lot of my clients too.

Let’s talk about why.

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The Clean Eating Trap: When Health Becomes Harm

Clean eating sounds noble. And in theory, it can be. But when clean eating turns into compulsive food control, it starts to erode more than your joy. It can mess with your:

• Gut lining

• Nutrient absorption

• Hormone balance

• Nervous system regulation

• And even your relationship with food

Here’s the kicker:

Most "clean swaps" aren’t gentle on the gut — especially when used constantly.

Let’s break it down.

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The Science Behind the Gut Wreckage

1. Oxalates & Phytates – Almonds, spinach, and beets are often over-consumed in “clean” diets. Almond flour, in particular, is rich in oxalates and phytic acid, which can bind to essential minerals like magnesium, calcium, and iron—preventing their absorption and contributing to bloating, fatigue, and skin issues.¹

2. Inflammation & Food Repetition – Eating the same “safe” foods over and over can trigger immune responses. The gut lining doesn’t get variety. The microbiome diversity declines. Research shows a diverse diet is key to a healthy, resilient microbiome that regulates inflammation.²³

3. Low Digestive Fire – Many people have weakened digestion (low HCl, sluggish bile), making it harder to break down dense foods like nut flours and coconut products. This can lead to fermentation in the gut, gas, bloating, and constipation.⁴

4. Blood Sugar Rollercoasters – Clean swaps can still spike blood sugar (hello, cassava and rice flour), which causes cortisol dysregulation, disrupts digestion, and affects gut permeability.⁵

And let’s not forget the mental load:

When food becomes a math equation or morality test, your nervous system stays in a state of threat—and that state alone is enough to stop digestion in its tracks.

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Caitlin’s Story: From Homesteader Hunger to Gut Healing

Caitlin came into the Gut Health Rejuvenate completely overwhelmed. As a new homesteader, she was knee-deep in trying to feed herself from scratch while navigating a food desert common to rural life—where access to staples was limited, the garden hadn’t matured, and local stores offered little in the way of variety.

Like so many wellness-minded women, she defaulted to “clean” swaps: almond everything, coconut milk on tap, gluten-free baking, and wellness bars she thought were helping. But instead of healing, her gut grew louder: bloating, irregular digestion, brain fog, easily distracted, and a sense of deep fatigue she couldn’t shake.

She didn’t have a soy issue. She didn’t have a dairy allergy. She had a body screaming for nourishment and variety—and a nervous system under siege.

We started slow:

• Removed the pressure to “eat clean” and focused instead on fueling her body with what it actually needed, including seasonal shifts she wasn’t aware of.

• We tracked digestion, moods, sleep, bowel movements, and how her nervous system responded to each meal.

• We layered in nervous system support alongside gut healing tools.

Caitlin’s turning point wasn’t discovering a food to eliminate. It was realizing how deeply disconnected she’d become from what her body actually needed to thrive. That clarity gave her permission to shift from fear to trust—and from fatigue to fuel.

Now? She’s eating more, stressing less, and thriving through each season of the homestead with a body that works with her lifestyle instead of against it.

“I thought I was doing everything right, but I was so disconnected from what my body actually needed. Bonni helped me get back to basics—without fear, without judgment—and I feel more energized and in tune than I have in years.”

Want to know the 5 most common “clean eating” habits that actually keep you inflamed, constipated, and stuck in food fear? I’m breaking them down below—plus the exact steps to retrain your gut (and brain) to trust food again.