For me the praying before a meal instills not only a sense of gratitude (disclaimer: Catholic here) but also appreciation and respect of the food itself. Even if it's something bland or otherwise uninteresting, I try to appreciate it for what it is, and savor it as much as possible instead of gobbling it up as fast as possible.
I think this would still be applicable outside of a religious context. You don't necessarily need to pray if that's not how your belief works, but you can still have this savoring appreciation of food, and codify that as a conscious moment where you briefly reflect on it before diving into it.
I think this would still be applicable outside of a religious context. You don't necessarily need to pray if that's not how your belief works, but you can still have this savoring appreciation of food, and codify that as a conscious moment where you briefly reflect on it before diving into it.