According to Hahn & Cheung (2011), “Looking deeply at the food we eat, we see that it contains the earth, the air, the rain, the sunshine, and the hard work of farmers and all those who process, transport, and sell us the food. When we eat with full awareness, we become increasingly mindful of all the elements and effort needed to make our meals a reality, and this in turn fosters our appreciation of the constant support we get from others and from nature (p. 97).
“Eating requires some deliberate engagement on our parts in either growing, gathering, hunting, shopping, going to a restaurant, or otherwise acquiring a range of life-sustaining foodstuffs that often need some kind of preparing and combining by us or others to be maximally beneficial” (Bays, 2009, p. ix).
Mindfulness is defined as "being present" or being "in the moment" in a nonjudgmental way. Mindfulness is about being aware, whether it occurs during work, a walk, when enjoying the scenery, or while eating. Mindfulness increases one’s awareness of thoughts and feelings in the present moment and reduces an individual's reactivity to emotions, thoughts, and cravings. Mindfulness helps individuals connect to the moment and actually changes the neural connections in the brain.