Why we should grow vegetables

We must dine and enjoy each mouthful of food, also the sight and aroma of the food. Furthermore, we should take pleasure in the preparation of the food, enjoying the look of crisp firmness in each vegetable we wash, peel and slice or chop. Making a salad of fresh vegetables is an aesthetic pleasure and can even be a spiritual experience if we follow the buddhist way of appreciating each moment of life.

Intentional eating is "feeding yourself", feeding your soul and creating strength. It serves us far better than cramming food in thoughtlessly. A Buddhist writer, Halé Sofia Schatz, says:

While all clichés contain a grain of truth, "you are what you eat" focuses only on the after-effects of food in your body. In working with food and consciousness, I've discovered a subtle nuance to this familiar expression; that is, people eat what they are. If you're stressed out all the time, chances are you're feeding yourself stressed-out, quick-grab foods with little vital nourishment. When we shift our way of thinking from "you are what you eat" to "you eat what you are," we see that the latter involves awareness. It makes us stop and question who we really are. If we believe that we are spiritual beings, then we're more likely to seek out the nourishing foods that feed the shining life force that already exists within us. Use this simple statement as a gentle reminded to feed yourself life-affirming foods, because you are life.

--Halé Sofia Schatz, What Do I Need to Feed Myself: Eating can be a spiritual practice, a way to nourish your body and soul See the rest of the excerpt at Beliefnet