Mindfulness is the practice of focusing one’s attention on the present. You learn to acknowledge internal thoughts and external sensations in a non-judgmental way. It is a way to appreciate the transient nature of most sensations and learn to avoid becoming consumed by the thoughts and feelings that pass by. Practicing mindfulness in the kitchen, connects us with the cooking experience, helps us to be more aware of a meal’s ingredients, the portions that we eat, and the nutritional considerations. We learn to acknowledge how hungry of full we truly are, what sensations, thoughts, or feelings we have around the food we are eating, external cues that affect our dining experience, and emotional responses to eating, and how distractions affect the times when we are eating.