Rethinking Your Plate: How Smarter Food Choices Can Transform Health

 Dr. Barbara Bartlik on breaking cravings, retraining taste buds, and reclaiming wellness

For many, food selection is guided more by flavor than by function. According to Dr. Barbara Bartlik, a renowned integrative psychiatrist and nutrition advocate, this unconscious decision-making often leads to imbalanced diets and long-term health consequences. “People gravitate toward foods that taste good—bread, cakes, muffins, ice cream—and their palates never fully develop for more robust, nutrient-dense options like broccoli, garlic, and turnips,” she observes. The result? A diet low in essential nutrients but high in inflammatory triggers sets the stage for chronic illness and weakened immunity.

Bartlik refers to this phenomenon as the “white food diet,” characterized by refined carbohydrates and processed foods such as white bread, white rice, and white sugar. Children are particularly susceptible, with taste preferences shaped early by sugar-laden condiments like ketchup rather than whole, unprocessed tomatoes. Adults aren’t immune either; fast-food staples often contain addictive compounds, such as gluten and dairy-derived endorphins, which have opiate-like properties, that keep people coming back for more. “Once your diet shifts to these addictive foods, cravings intensify, and it becomes harder to stop,” Bartlik explains.

A key step in reclaiming health, she advises, is to focus on gut-friendly choices. Organic vegetables are the cornerstone, ideally forming the majority of daily produce intake. While many patients proudly report consuming the recommended “nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily,” Bartlik clarifies that balance matters. “Seven fruits and two vegetables aren’t optimal. Fruits—especially sweet ones like peaches and bananas—contain significant sugar. The goal is to prioritize fiber-rich, lower-sugar options like leafy greens and berries, which support healthy gut flora and reduce systemic inflammation.”

Addressing these dietary patterns isn’t just about weight management; it’s also about mitigating autoimmune risks. Bartlik shares cases of individuals with high antithyroid antibodies and food sensitivities, where exposure to trigger foods like gluten and dairy exacerbated immune dysfunction. “An elimination diet is often critical, starting with vegetables, fruits, and animal proteins, and then carefully reintroducing eggs, nuts, and seeds. But gluten and dairy must be avoided for at least three weeks to clear antibodies and break inflammatory cycles,” she warns.

Breaking the Cycle: Fighting Back Against Food Convenience

In a culture built on fast fixes such as instant noodles and hyper-palatable convenience foods like fast food burgers and sugary snacks, the act of eating has shifted from nourishment to indulgence. Bartlik advocates for a return to intentionality, where each choice reflects a commitment to long-term well-being. “Changing your diet isn’t just about discipline; it’s about resetting your biology. Those cravings aren’t a lack of willpower—they’re biochemical addictions,” she emphasizes.

Overcoming these patterns requires more than a casual shift. It demands a mindful, sustained effort to detoxify the body from inflammatory triggers and addictive compounds. “The first three weeks are crucial,” Bartlik notes. “That’s the window when your system begins recalibrating, and your palate starts to rediscover the complexity of natural flavors.”

For patients and families alike, this means rejecting the myth that healthful eating is bland or restrictive. Instead, Bartlik encourages a culinary exploration of colorful vegetables, aromatic spices, and nourishing, home-cooked, whole foods. With each smart selection, individuals can retrain their taste buds, restore gut integrity, and reduce their vulnerability to chronic disease. “The smartest diet isn’t about perfection,” Bartlik concludes. “It’s about progress—choosing every bite as if your health depends on it. Because it does.”

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Barbara Bartlik is a renowned integrative psychiatrist with over three decades of clinical experience, specializing in the intersection of mental health, sexual health, and functional medicine. Board-certified in psychiatry and a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, she is celebrated for her holistic approach to treating trauma, anxiety, depression, and sexual dysfunction.  As an editor of Integrative Sexual Health (a volume in Dr. Andrew Weil’s Integrative Medicine Library), Dr. Bartlik brings academic rigor to her innovative work. She integrates lifestyle medicine, nutritional strategies, and mind-body therapies into psychiatric care, helping patients achieve transformative healing.

A sought-after speaker and media contributor, she addresses audiences worldwide on topics from PTSD recovery to menopause and andropause support. Based in Manhattan, Dr. Bartlik continues to redefine mental health care for the modern age—bridging science, compassion, and whole-person wellness.