Blame the escalation in the obesity epidemic plaguing our world, in part, on crafty restaurant chains that have recognized and taken advantage of just how time-starved and, in some cases, lackadaisical consumers have become about preparing their own healthier meals.

Unfortunately, patients than ever are eating out more often than ever before, justifying their health-harming decisions because -- after taking into account the time it takes to drive to the market, then buy and prepare the food -- for them it's faster and cheaper in the long run.

That's why the National Restaurant Association estimates the American restaurants will gross more than a half-TRILLION dollars for the first time ever, by year's end. No wonder, the association speculates more than half of the average household budget for food over the next decade will be spent on meals on wheels, rather than at home. So much so, restaurant patrons treat restaurants like extensions of their own homes.

Folks, this is one area you can't avoid if you want to optimize your health. Americans spend about 90 percent of their food budget on processed foods, a ratio that must change dramatically if you want to live longer and feel better.

Even though I have virtually no free time, I remain very committed to preparing more than 95 percent of my own meals to preserve my health. At times, this decision can be a hard one, but it's crucial to your health and, speaking from experience, it can be done.

Christian Science Monitor October 6, 2006