Goop, a wellness and lifestyle brand, was founded by Gwyneth Paltrow in 2008. The company has over a dozen different cleanses and detoxes, from DIY programs and recipes to pre-prepared packages. They also have a seven-year ‘reset kit’ that was created by Paltrow’s brand.

Recently, Elise Loehnen, the former chief content officer at Goop, has spoken out about how toxic the wellness culture can be. She stepped down from her role suddenly in October 2020, claiming it was due to writing a book. However, she recently posted an Instagram video that brought more clarity in the real reason why, and just how damaging strict wellness cleanses were for her.

In a video, she explained that she spent years “punishing” her body with the cleanses, like the ones by Goop. “To me, it had become synonymous with dieting and restriction, and I felt like I was not in a healthy relationship with my body where I was always trying to punish it, bring it under control.”

Her caption gave even more clarity into her thoughts. She explained how cleanses can give an unrealistic depiction of what the body should look like. And after two kids and being in her 40s, she’s realizing that her body is completely fine to look the way it does.

“When I left Goop, I vowed to never do another cleanse again and went into full rebellion, which has been kind of fun, and definitely healthy in terms of letting go of ideas of what my body should look like as a 42-year-old who has had two kids,” she wrote. “’I needed to break a tendency to be critical and punishing. To chastise myself. All of it. I stopped weighing myself completely.”

But there’s also a fine line—at some point Loehman found herself feeling rather blah after eating anything she wanted. She still wanted to be healthy—but didn’t want to go over the top with it either. Now, she’s focusing on just having the healthiest relationship with her body as possible. “I refuse to punish myself with food, or hold myself under the weight my body seems to want to be anymore,” she said. ”I don’t have the energy or the interest, thankfully. (And more importantly, I’ve come to realize that I really like my body and am grateful it is mine.) Hopefully I’ve broken that cycle for good.”

To hear all of what she has to say, check out the video below!

What are your thoughts on obtaining the ideal wellness?