I remind you often how important it is to you and your family to spend some serious time in the kitchen preparing your own food, if you want to optimize your health and live longer. If you want to achieve high-level wellness, you, or someone who cares for you, will have to spend some serious time in the kitchen. You simply can't rely on restaurant food or purchasing highly processed foods from the grocery store. To do so is a prescription for disaster that will invariably significantly increase your risk for developing chronic medical illnesses. It is vital to avoid the typical American plan when purchasing food, where a full 90 percent of the money they spend on foods is for processed foods. You need to reverse this ratio and spend 90 percent on UNprocessed whole, preferably organically and locally grown, food. One interesting number from this study is that one-quarter of the people said they didn't have enough money to buy and prepare their own food, and more than one-third said they didn't have the time. There is no question that convenience is an issue. But look at it this way, you are going to pay the piper at some point. Either you pay him up front by spending more time in the kitchen or pay him later when you are in your hospital bed surffering the consequences from choosing a lifetime of eating processed foods. The fact is, you can afford to buy healthier foods, even on a budget, in the real world with some careful shopping and preparation. Also, take a few moments to review this link to find more sources of wholesome foods in your area. On Vital Votes, reader Mary from Cabool, Missouri notes: "It is a lot cheaper to prepare your own meals then it is to eat out.  One meal of eating out can pay for almost 1 week of home cooked meals.  And when you prepare your own foods you know what is in them, not so when you eat out." Other responses to this article can be viewed at Vital Votes, and you can add your own thoughts or vote on comments by first registering at Vital Votes.