A few months ago I came across a stat that surprised me. On any given day, a person makes over 200 food decisions.
Two hundred and fifteen to be exact.
What’s interesting: When asked, most people thought that the number was closer to about 15.
It makes sense. Food is such a core part of our days – and even our social lives. It’s more than just sitting down and eating the food. It’s thinking about what you’re going to snack on, if you should heat up more food, what you’ll have to drink… the list goes on and on.
That’s why we do the fridge stare
Growing up, my dad used to always tell us to not open the fridge for too long – it’s not a TV, he would say. (I still occasionally get this lecture, ha!)
Now when I do the fridge stare to try and figure out dinner, I hear those words while I’m trying to figure out what I can piece together for a meal.
Sometimes, it doesn’t matter if I just went to the grocery store. I just can’t find something that sounds good to make for dinner. And you know what? It’s a lie.
There’s plenty of food available and ready to be cooked in the fridge. I can easily pull together a quick meal, but my brain is lying to me. Because it requires deciding and it’s exhausted by time we get to that point in the day.
It’s just easier to say there’s nothing to eat, and close the fridge door.
The Science: Why “What’s for Dinner?” Feels Broken
While the brain makes over 200 decisions a day just about food, it makes a total of about 35,000 decisions a day. By time you get to the end of the day, when it’s time to think about dinner, it’s just done.
Executive functioning is the decision-making part of your brain. I have read analogies that it’s like the air traffic control system of the brain, where it allows you to plan, focus, remember, and do many things at the same time. Unlike air traffic controllers who work a shift and leave, your brain never has the opportunity to do that.
When it gets tired, it starts to shut down. It makes it harder to make decisions and remember all of the things.
Which is why, when it comes to dinner, it can just feel like your brain is over it. And that a decision like this – of what to feed ourselves – shouldn’t feel so hard but for some reason, it does.
The reason behind that has more to do than with the deciding. There’s also the other elements that come from cooking for our families. The need to have variety, so you’re not eating the same dinner over and over again. The mental list of who complained about what, so you can make sure everyone is happy with what’s served on the table.
It may feel like you just have to decide what to put on the table. In reality, your brain is doing mental gymnastics to understand:
- What does everyone feel like?
- What ingredients do we actually have?
- Is anything spoiled?
- How much time/energy do I have left?
- Did we already have this twice this week?
- Is it healthy enough?
- How many pans will this dirty?
By time dinner rolls around, your executive functioning has been taxed all day long. It’s running on the last few cylinders, and now you’re asking it to make a decision that feels important. After all, cooking dinner often feels like you’re putting a piece of your soul on the plate. It’s how you can show your family you love them.
The Hidden Cost of Decision Fatigue
When it comes to this point, there are two options. Either there’s something quick in the freezer (hi, frozen pizza) or it turns into a night for take out or going to a restaurant.
The food in your fridge and pantry stay, ready for another day. And maybe tomorrow, you’ll be ready to cook it because you won’t feel as tired today as you did yesterday.
This decision fatigue is costly on a few different levels. For one, groceries don’t last forever – and nothing hurts more than throwing food you never ate in the trash.
It also impacts you as a person. The decision fatigue feels heavy on our brains. It doesn’t just bring the amnesia on when you’re staring at the fridge. It can kill your energy. The guilt starts to become more of a daily feeling. And the stress, combined with everything else, leads to burnout.
How to Take the Deciding Out of Dinner
The problem isn’t having the right recipes. It’s not having enough recipes.
It’s the deciding.
It’s making the decisions when your brain has already done so much for the day, where one more decision feels like you’re getting a tooth pulled.
But, there’s a better way! When you stop trying to get the fridge to speak to you like a magical robot at 5 p.m., cooking becomes easier. Dare I say; even more enjoyable. Here’s how you can get there:
- Make decisions when you feel fresh. Skip making the decisions when you’re hungry or tired. Using Weekly Table to help meal plan makes it quick and easy, and you can do it in just a few minutes when your day gets started.
- Build a simple rotation. You don’t need a fancy new recipe every single night. Having five default meals means that you can make them on autopilot, and take the guesswork out of cooking. When you do feel like venturing out, go for it! But stick to what’s known and comfortable to keep it easy.
- Outsource the mental load. Whether you use a meal planning tool or pick a meal routine (Taco Tuesday or Smorgasboard Sunday, anyone?), automate the deciding as much as you can so all you need to do is assemble.
The next time you find yourself standing in front of an open refrigerator, hoping the eggs will have a magical answer? Take a deep breath and close the door. Sometimes, a little grace goes along ways – and it goes for you, too. Recognize that your brain works hard all day – and it needs a break. Give it one – and let the system carry the weight of what’s for dinner instead of you.
Ready to take the mental load of what’s for dinner off your plate? Sign up for your free trial to Weekly Table now.
