It is hard to imagine a world with no internet, phones or social media. But what about one with no toilet paper, showering or shaving?
That was the norm for Lizzie Ens, who grew up in one of the strictest Amish communities across the globe.
But according to Ens, who ultimately fled the conservative community at age 19, the lack of what many view as basic necessities was not the hardest part. It was the severe rules that they were forced to follow.
And while she thought escaping would bring immense freedom and a chance to finally live her life to the fullest, being thrown into the real world after growing up so secluded posed its own set of challenges.
She has now laid bare her rollercoaster-ride journey exclusively with the Daily Mail, lifting the lid on what life was like in the stringent community and revealing what ultimately gave her the push to leave – as well as the harrowing realities she had to face afterwards.
Ens – now 40, who works as a health practitioner and runs her own successful nutrition business – explained that she grew up on the ultra-strict 80-acre farm of Swartzentruber Amish in Ohio with her parents and 18 siblings.
Her days were spent farming, gardening, sewing, cooking, baking, canning and cleaning.
They were forced to dress in ‘plain’ and modest clothing, which included a head covering and long-sleeved dresses. Bras were not allowed: Instead, women wore undergarments.
Lizzie Ens grew up in one of the most strict Amish communities across the globe. She left at age 19 and has gone on to become a successful health practitioner and social media star, where she often shares nutritional tips
Ens during her years in the Amish community. She said there was no electricity or indoor plumbing, which means she could not shower or shave, and used newspaper for toilet paper
Self-expression or personal preference was unheard of.
‘There were a lot of strict rules. Nearly every part of daily life was governed by them – how you dressed, how you wore your hair, how you spoke, what work you did and how you interacted with the outside world,’ she explained.
‘The rules weren’t just guidelines – they were expectations, and they were enforced through the community.
‘Standing out in any way was discouraged. Choices that most people make without thinking, like what to wear, how to live and what path to take, were already decided for you.’
Ens told the Daily Mail that there was no electricity, running water or indoor plumbing. That meant they could not shower, and instead of toilet paper, they used ‘crumpled up newspaper.’
They traveled by horse and buggy and lived completely ‘separated from the modern world.’
‘There was no television, no music, no phones and we also didn’t have many of the everyday conveniences Americans are used to,’ she said.
‘Simple things – like toilet paper – that the modern world may take for granted or clear the supermarket shelves for in case of an emergency was not a luxury we had.
Ens left the community because all women were expected to ‘get married and have lots of babies,’ which is not something she wanted for herself
After spending years in her ‘sheltered’ community, adjusting to modern society was a shock, to say the least. But she went on to launch a successful career and business
‘Instead we used crumpled-up newspapers and our “toilets” were outhouses.
‘Everything involving water had to be hauled and heated by hand. Cooking and baking were done on wood-burning stoves or kerosene stoves.
‘We didn’t have cars or the freedom to come and go whenever we wanted. There was no quick dinner out or meal delivery to our house. Food was grown, canned or carefully planned out.’
She was forced to work tirelessly on her farm from a young age and felt like her role was decided for her from the start.
‘Life was quiet, slow, and deeply structured. Most days followed the same rhythm, and every role was clearly defined,’ she continued.
‘The path was already decided for you: how you dressed, how you lived, what you believed, and ultimately who you were supposed to become.
‘Especially as a girl, your role was very clear, and stepping outside of it came with social consequences.’
Ens explained that there was an expectation that all women would ‘get married and have lots of babies,’ which is not something she wanted for herself.
And it was not being able to have a say in her own future that ultimately pushed her to leave the community at age 19.
‘I didn’t leave out of anger or conflict. I simply reached a point where I understood that staying meant giving up the opportunity to decide my own future,’ she said.
‘Everything I’m building now is about bridging the gap between where you come from and who you’re becoming,’ Ens (seen recently) said. ‘My past gave me the foundation. What I’ve built since is the result of choosing to step beyond it’
‘I left because I knew I didn’t belong there anymore and I didn’t agree with the church and rules. [But] after I left the church shunned me.’
Stepping into a world that she knew absolutely nothing about was not easy. After spending years in her ‘sheltered’ community, adjusting to modern society was a shock, to say the least.
‘I only had $20 when I left, an eighth-grade education, no social security number and no idea what I was going to provide for myself,’ she recalled.
‘I had to learn how to think for myself in a world that operates very differently from where I came from.’
She didn’t know how money even worked and couldn’t ‘navigate everyday systems.’ She had never seen or used technology. And things that seem ‘simple’ to us were extremely overwhelming for her.
‘The most shocking part wasn’t any one object or experience, but the pace of everything. Life moved fast,’ she added.
‘I learned very quickly that there are a lot of expenses in the modern world we did not have in the Amish community.
‘Cars, buying your own clothes instead of making them, getting my first haircut, phones, internet, TV, rent, food to eat.’
Ens was thankfully able to get a job as a dishwasher to make ends meet. Now, 21 years on, she works as a functional health practitioner and runs her own business called Undiet You, through which she ‘helps people take responsibility for their health by addressing root causes instead of chasing quick fixes.’
She also often shares her nutritional tips online, and has raked in more than 157,000 followers on Instagram.
In addition, she has released a book, called Amish Renegade, which chronicled her sensational story of how she left the Amish community and started over with nothing.
Ens, who is now a mom-of-one, still talks to her mom and three other siblings who also left, but she doesn’t speak to the others who remained.
‘Everything I’m building now, Undiet You, my writing and my platform, is about bridging the gap between where you come from and who you’re becoming,’ she concluded.
‘My past gave me the foundation. What I’ve built since is the result of choosing to step beyond it.’
