Shifting our mealtime attention from distraction to food is the first step in the many possible layers of mindful eating. As you move through your meal, try looking even more deeply into each ingredient, thinking about all the elements that came together to bring this food to your plate. Reflect upon the chain of many individuals, including chefs (whether it's you or someone else) who hand selected each piece of food to create a cohesive dish, store clerks, truck drivers, and the farmers who carefully tended to the development of their product. Also consider the essential balance of natural elements, including sunshine, wind, rain, and fertile soil.

Of course, in our current food environment, carefully tracing the journey from farm to table might not always evoke the most idealistic picture, but rather awareness, so that we might be compelled to make better choices for our own health and for the health of our planet...