Fast Food Fix: Arby’s

Hello everyone, it’s Fast Food Fix time again and today I’m reviewing Arby’s.

I have to admit that even though there’s a location near my house, I’ve only been inside once – although I see the commercials running daily and the food does look good.

Arby’s is a bit different in that it looks like a burger stop, but isn’t. Instead it’s kind of a spruced up deli – with chicken, roast beef and various other subs on the menu alongside the slogan “It’s Good Mood Food”. But is a burger-less menu any healthier?

Let’s see. Here are my 3 best picks from the menu.

1. Roasted Chicken Club Sandwich w/o Mayo– This sandwich actually looks very tasty; sliced roasted chicken, pepper bacon, tomatoes, Swiss cheese and lettuce. It’s what I would order. It has 390 calories with 100 calories coming from fat. The rest of the calories are made up of 31 grams of protein and 40 grams of carbohydrates. However it only has 2 grams of fiber, and as usual for a fast food menu, the sodium is high at 1,240 mg.

When you add the mayo in, the nutrition drastically changes. It adds nearly double the amount of fat calories and brings the total up to 500. If you have to use mayo, spread it super thin and just get a taste.

2. Regular Roast Beef Sandwich- This was quite a surprise; it’s just 210 calories with 35 calories of fat. This makes it a lighter meal and fits quite well with those that are really watching their calories. While the protein count is on the lower scale at 7 grams, it’s still a great fast food pick. It has very low sodium (340 mg), 36 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber.

The roast beef portion of the menu has many options. For instance, there are three different sizes of roast beef sandwiches that have proportionately larger calorie amounts. There are versions with cheese, bacon and even junior sized sandwiches. But I caution you, as the toppings and size go up, the nutrition can go way down; in some instances easily doubling calories from fat. Although, just adding a slice of cheese and tomato to #2 would be a great idea.

3. French Dip & Swiss Toasted Sub- I wanted to include one of the bigger sandwiches on the menu. This one is off the toasted subs menu and actually for its size and ingredients, has a decent profile. With 450 total calories; 150 are from fat, which makes this choice about 30% fat and very respectable. It has 26 grams of protein and 51 grams of carbohydrates, but again the sodium demon creeps in with 2,110 mg!

All things considered; roast beef + cheese + au jus + toasted sub = deliciousness without much guilt or calories!

Here we go, Caution: Avoid at all costs! I’m serious.

1. Curly Fries–Come on, you knew these weren’t good for you! The calories range from 450 in a small, to over 700 in a large portion. And with more than half of the caloriescoming from fat. My suggestion; don’t order them at all or get a small and share it with three other people.

2. Ultimate BLT Sandwich –By fast food standards this isn’t terrible, but it’s the highest calorie choice on the Arby’s menu. It has 820 calories and half are fat. The carbohydrates tip the scale at 78 grams, or about 320 calories, which truthfully is just a bit too much, especially when very little of them are complex.

If I ordered this I’d only eat half and save the rest for later.

3. Jamocha or Chocolate Shake- Yes they’re delicious but are just full of sugar; each has nearly 100 grams of the sweet stuff and nearly 600 calories total. It’s simple- don’t order it.

I would have to say that to date, Arby’s menu has the food with the best nutrient profiles out of all the fast food joints we’ve looked at, besides Subway. I had to really struggle to find a very high calorie/high fat meal and even when I did, it had half as many calories as the worst offenders from Burger King and McDonalds. Arby’s clearly stood out as a front-runner that has much better offerings for those trying to eat a healthy diet.

The other great thing is the Arby’s nutrition website. It allows you to select your food, customize it with different toppings and change the calorie content right there. So you can actually see how much difference mayo, or a slice a cheese, make in your meal. Plus they have gluten free and allergen information.

I may just have to stop driving by, and start driving thru….

See the Arby’s nutrition facts yourself.

But what do you think of my suggestions? Do you have a different recommendation? Any more choices you want me to comment on?