From skwigg's journal:
Reading about your food choices made me realize that oftentimes I really don't know what I want. Don't get me wrong, I have several go-to meals that I love. I usually think through those and just pick one that sounds extra good. However, I sometimes think that it would be nice to just erase all the templates and see what happens. I don't find that I have specific cravings for things very often, though...so I think I'd just end up staring in the fridge with no idea what to make. LOL. We don't eat out very often due to a tight budget, but I know that when I do eat out, I still revert to ordering things that seem "balanced" and fit a template. I always order something I genuinely like, but it still checks off the things that make a "balanced meal." I'm not sure how I feel about that.
I find it helpful to erase some of the templates. They're always available when I find them useful, but they're not a requirement for putting a meal together. Definitely, when I go to a restaurant, I'm not making a plate with portions of protein, vegetables, and starch. I'm going to eat what I actually want, which may be shaped like a sandwich, or a pizza, or oodles of noodles. It was news to me that "unbalanced" meals can be satisfying and effective. It's like anything else where you can try it and see.
I had a mistaken notion about intuitive eating that it meant craving specific foods and needing to find those foods in order to eat. That seemed too overwhelming. It's more like, I'm in the mood for melted cheese. Should I make cheesy rice or a grilled cheese sandwich? Because those are foods I have in the kitchen and could be eating in 15 minutes. Or, I want something crunchy and salty. I could have pretzels, nuts, crackers, or popcorn. Usually one will stand out. If I want something specific and don't have it, say, barbecued ribs. I'll choose something else that sounds good and look forward to having ribs sometime soon, like in the next few weeks. Often I'll think a food sounds really good but then completely forget about it, or change my mind. So, it's not like I'm at the mercy of honoring weird cravings. I store lots of food at the store or in restaurants. They're always there if I want them, but by the time I get around to it, I may want something else entirely.