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What new research says about cooking, and how to restore calm at the table

The holidays are over, the schedule is filling up again, and every evening the same question awaits you: what are we eating today? If that question causes you a bit of stress, you are in good company. Research by Motivaction, commissioned by Samen Tegen Voedselverspilling and the Voedingscentrum, and published on September 2, shows that no fewer than 6 out of 10 Dutch people experience stress when cooking.

The three biggest stressors

What makes cooking so stressful? The three reasons Dutch people mention most often are very relatable:

  • Not knowing what to cook.
  • Not enough time to cook due to a busy schedule.
  • Discovering while cooking that you do not have one or more ingredients at home.

Guests staying for dinner unexpectedly also cause their fair share of stress. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, over 40 percent of Dutch people go to the supermarket to buy extra food when in doubt. At the same time, we regularly forget what we still have in the house. The result: products are left unsold, there is suddenly too much, and more is thrown away than necessary.

Why stress in the kitchen also affects your health

Stress in the kitchen isn't just about waste. Anyone who doesn't know what to eat at the end of the day is more likely to reach for the easy solution: the snack bar, a delivery app, or a ready-made meal. Doing that once isn't a problem, but if it becomes a habit, you'll notice it in your energy, your recovery after training, and ultimately in your results.

Healthy eating is therefore less about willpower than you might think. It is about preparation. Anyone who has a plan no longer has to make choices at six o'clock in the evening.

Flexible cooking provides more peace of mind

A striking finding of the research: home cooks who are flexible with their food experience less stress. Flexibility is therefore the theme of Waste-Free Week, which takes place from September 7 to 13, 2026. On average, we throw away 25.5 kilos of food per person per year in the Netherlands, approximately the weight of one meal per week. So, with a few simple habits, you not only gain peace of mind but also throw away less:

  • Ensure a fixed base stock. Frozen vegetables, canned or jarred legumes, whole-grain pasta, brown rice, eggs, and oatmeal. With those, you can always make something healthy.
  • Choose a few fixed evenings. For example, a fixed pasta day and a fixed soup day. That reduces the stress of choosing without it becoming boring.
  • View a recipe as a guideline, not as a law. Are you missing an ingredient? First check what you have at home and replace it.
  • Cook double portions and freeze. An extra portion is a gift to yourself on a busy evening.
  • Use leftovers for lunch. Leftovers from yesterday with some extra vegetables make a great meal, even after a workout.

Do you want to continue planning and preparing? Then also read our blogs about meal prepping and Shop smartly with an app.

A fresh start after the summer

For many people, September feels like a new beginning, perhaps even more so than January. It is the moment when the rhythm returns, and with it the chance to establish good habits. Not everything at once, but step by step. A quiet kitchen and a fixed training time reinforce each other: those who eat well train better, and those who train naturally feel more inclined to take good care of themselves.

At MINT Personal Training, we are happy to help you with that. Our trainers don't just look at your exercises, but also help you figure out how to make healthy eating achievable in a busy week. Come and meet us at one of our studios in Delft, Rijswijk, or Pijnacker.

Source: Nutrition Centre, 6 out of 10 Dutch people experience stress in the kitchen: these are the 3 reasons. (September 2, 2026).

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