"When walking, walk. When eating, eat." This Zen proverb, no matter how powerful, does not apply in today's modern society. When people walk, they use their cellphone. When they eat, they still use their cellphone.

When a person's food intake rises, his/her ability to focus falls. This is why many diet experts suggest eating mindfully and, at the same time, eliminating every possible mealtime distraction. But as technology continues to advance, this idea seems to no longer hold water.

According to the South China Morning Post, mindful eating has value. But for people to understand it, they need to follow specific practices. But first, what is mindful eating?

Mindful eating refers merely to the increase in interoceptive awareness of an individual. Meaning, he/she must pay utmost attention to the sensation brought by hunger and satiety. On the one hand, it also means being fully aware of other physical sensations, such as fatigue and thirst.

This can be achieved by understanding positive and nurturing opportunities, all of which are available through food selection and preparation. Next is to utilize all senses in choosing to eat food, particularly those that are satisfying and nourishing to the body.

In a post by Elite Daily, eating mindfully also means eating slowly. Moreover, people should start to acknowledge responses to food, be it dislikes or neutral - and this must be done without any judgment whatsoever. Lastly, one must be well-aware of physical hunger and satiety cues, as they can be helpful at the start and end of eating.

It holds true that eating while distracted can often result in increased food intake. After all, it affects a person's memory of what and how much he/she ate. Truth is eating without the burden of distraction is nothing but impractical.

At the end of the day, the value of mindful eating does not solely lie in its utility, which is the type that can be used as a weight-loss tool. Through practice and time, it can be vital in uniting the mind and body during the whole eating experience. This will ultimately create a better balanced and satisfying relationship with food.