When I travel, it becomes evident that healthy food options dwindle when looking for a nutritious dinner in low-income areas. It can often feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. During my recent adventures in Indianapolis, Indiana, I couldn’t help but notice a sea of corporate fast-food chains dominating these communities. My journey inspired a few things I would like to share with you.

Indiana Low-Income Dinner Options

Regarding dinner options in most low-income areas, there are plenty of corporate fast-food franchise options. All the television advertised brands are there. McDonald’s, Wendy’s, KFC, Taco Bell, Burger King, Applebee’s, Domino’s, Arby’s, Dairy Queen, Midwestern favorites Culver’s, and White Castle. As such, in Indiana, there is no shame in these stores being located next door to each other and on the same street. Often on the same side of the road. They remind me of the old Las Vegas Strip, where you could walk from one casino to another. Try doing that on the new Las Vegas Strip without hailing a cab.

Hoosiers’ Dinner Options Take A Toll On Physical Health 

Whenever I go back to Indiana to visit my friends in ministry, they often report going in and out of hospitals. As a result, a few don’t leave them alive. Some pastors who entrust their doctors to put them under the knife wear their surgeries like medals from serving in battle. Then, not short of bragging, they talk about the number of bypasses they had (the highest number I have heard was 5, which took 24 hours to perform). When someone reports on another one dealing with cancer, prayer is essential. Cancer is on the A-list of ordeals to endure. Depending on the stage of the diagnosis, a favorable outcome may be marginally slim.

Fast Food Restaurants Are Not The Only Food Options

It would be unfair of me to blame only fast food restaurants for the Hoosiers’ underlying illnesses without considering other dinner options. Many midwesterners have southern roots. Their favorite dine-in restaurants serve foods that mimic the comforts of a Southern childhood. Who wouldn’t patronize a restaurant that reminds them of home and familiar food? The expense of losing more colleagues to blocked arteries should factor in making better choices rather than bragging rights to a personal number of stents.

Consequently, life expectancy in Indiana is ranked 11th from the bottom. Mississippi is the lowest, and Hawaii is the highest of all 50 states. They like the food historically served to them by their parents and grandparents. Food like biscuits and gravy are famous in the favorite dine-in restaurants, as is chicken-fried steak, sweet tea, fried chicken, fried pork chops, fried okra, and fried green tomatoes. The portions here are usually too large to finish, and the remainder is generally placed in a takeout container for chowing down later.

Food Options Causing Heart Disease T0pped By Substance Abuse In Indiana Deaths

A Bigger Problem

As a side note, the dinner options causing heart disease and elevating cancer rates have been decreasing, according to Indiana Business Review.

The primary driver of Indiana’s decline in life expectancy is the dramatic rise in deaths caused by substance abuse. The state’s mortality rate from drug- and alcohol-induced causes has more than doubled in the last 10 years. Drug overdoses alone have increased 107% over this same span and accounted for 71% of all drug- and alcohol-induced mortality during the 2017-2019 period.

Low-Income Healthy Fast Food Restaurants Make An Effort To Improve Food Options

Sometimes, depending on the type of restaurant I am visiting, I will ask for gluten-free bread or a gluten-free dessert. Usually, the server will display a puzzled look and say, “What?” Then, one day, while Googling restaurants, I was shocked that the International House of Pancakes offered a choice of a gluten-friendly Belgian Waffle or a gluten-friendly stack of pancakes. I am sure the label “gluten-friendly” is because cross-contamination can’t be avoided in their wheat flour pancake environment. I must annoy the servers with the instructions I have to give before they can place my breakfast order.

First, because I usually would like scrambled eggs, I must determine whether they crack or pour them out of a box. They come loaded with vegetable oil and powdered eggs coming from a box. Then I ask that they be cooked in butter and not vegetable oil. I like to have coffee, and just about all of these dine-in restaurants offer coffee mate, another source of vegetable oil. I have to ask for half and half because I like my coffee with cream. If they have stevia, I can avoid sugar. 

The main problem with eating out isn’t limited to the quality of the food itself, but how it is prepared. Some people avoid eating Wendy’s chili because it is supposedly made from leftover hamburgers. Anyway, you can always opt for one of their salads as a healthy fast food option. Then I saw this from My Fitness Pal In an article written by BY DANIELLE OMAR, RD titled, “How To Eat Healthy At Wendy’s”:

Wendy’s chili is surprisingly lean, with 7 grams of fat, 5 grams of fiber and 23 grams of protein. It has 250 calories, so it’s a great option when you need something hearty and filling that doesn’t pack on calories.

Tons of vegetable oil used at breakfast anywhere creates an accumulation of trans-fats, which will cause inflammation and artery blockage. Cholesterol from eggs isn’t a problem when they are cooked in butter.

Gluten-Free Subway?

While researching this subject, I came across Subway’s new offering of gluten-free bread for their sandwiches in the UK. This gluten-free option is manufactured in a gluten-free facility. Unfortunately, it is only available in a 6-inch version. There is no footlong version. Alas, the gluten-free version of Subway bread is not official in the US. It is said that one must search on a location-by-location basis. (Like searching for the Loch Ness monster and waiting for it to surface.)

High Protein Low-Calorie Fast Food Dinner Choices

You must venture to another part of town to find high-protein, low-calorie fast food. The prominent supermarket in the Indianapolis area is Kroger. In California, it is Ralphs, owned by Kroger. At home, I shop at several different stores according to the brands I know they carry. I selected the brand because I took the time to read the ingredients on the labels. One of those stores with a relatively broad reach nationally is Whole Foods (Amazon). I checked my phone for the nearest location in Indianapolis, which took me south.

Economics is different in the south side of Indianapolis and outlying suburbs. Whole Foods follows where the money is, or you must visit Kroger. This was not surprising. Furthermore, the types of dine-in restaurants in that area were much more diverse and offered varied menu items. Those menus provided things that are more keto-friendly and health-conscious at premium prices. However, what was missing was the $0.99 cheeseburger.  

If you visit a place like Indianapolis and are seeking healthy fast food options, consider avoiding comfort food-providing restaurants and look for those featuring ethnic or international cuisines. Mexican food is one of the safer foods I can still enjoy. But I would advise you to avoid wok-prepared foods. I realize that travel forces you to make many compromises, like allowing someone else to prepare your food. The social aspect of eating out with friends also makes things pleasurable. But today’s hotel rooms usually have a small fridge for a stash when you get back and are still hungry.