Is family meal planning too much of a mental load?

A new survey of 2,000 parents of school-aged children found that 82% of families have a default dining manager who handles meal planning, shopping and cooking. The mental load can be difficult to share — 69% said it’s often easier to handle meal planning and preparation themselves than to delegate it to someone else. The mental load also comes with an emotional toll: respondents associate meal management with stress (30%), overwhelm (25%) or burnout (21%). When the planning, shopping, cooking, and cleanup all fall to one person, even the most dedicated household chef eventually hits a wall,” said Benjamin Grebel, senior culinary development manager at EveryPlate. EveryPlate knows how important quality time with the family is, and taking meal planning and grocery shopping off parents' plates helps reduce the mental load allowing families to spend more time enjoying dinner and each other," said Grebel.