Many people know Arby’s as the place to go for roasted meat and market-style sandwiches, setting it apart from other fast food chains. People gravitate to these tasty menu items, and the sales reflect it. (Restaurants Business) A Technomics report on the top 500 chain restaurants in 2022 put Arby’s in the top 20. People are busy and on the go, and Arbys provides plenty of quick options for them.
A lot of people are interested in Arby’s, but there’s still an important question: Is its food healthy? A quick look at the chain’s nutrition guide shows a few items that have no way of being healthy. This picture of bad health is more clear when you break down the raw numbers and give the ingredients some background. In this article, we will discuss the unhealthiest items on Arbys menu, and why you should avoid them.
Breaded, salty, deep-fried cheese is a no-no for any healthy diet. Arbys mozzarella sticks have very little nutritional value, yet are incredibly high in calories and sodium. Theyre on the restaurants side item menu, and come in 4-piece and 6-piece varieties.
According to the FDA’s rules for nutrition labels, 2,000 calories is a good daily amount of calories for most people. Keeping these rules in mind, ordering four mozzarella sticks gives you more than 20% of your daily calories. A 4-piece order of mozzarella sticks has 440 calories, while the 6-piece has 650 calories.
The sodium content is also a problem. The FDA says that people should cap their daily sodium intake at 2,300 milligrams. There are 2,110 milligrams of sodium in a 6-piece order of mozzarella sticks from Arby’s, which is more than double the amount in a small order. It may look like a harmless treat, but a salty and fatty snack will easily make you reach your daily sodium limit. This puts you at risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, and other health issues.
The sticks are fried in corn oil with a lot of soy, and the dipping sauce has even more salt and calories. As the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says, too much soy is bad because it can lead to diarrhea and constipation. Pregnant women may also inadvertently cause developmental issues to their fetuses when ingesting too much soy. Fried foods can also clog your arteries over time. The cheese just isnt worth the dip knowing what it does to your health.
Mint chocolate. Chocolate. Jamocha. Vanilla. The mere mention of these flavors might make your mouth water. Because they are so high in fat, sugar, and calories, these milkshake menu items should not be eaten at all, no matter how good they taste.
The American Heart Association (AHA) says that women shouldn’t eat more than 25 grams of sugar a day and men shouldn’t eat more than 36 grams. Every milkshake at Arbys blows these recommendations out of the water. The snack size of the mint chocolate shake, which is smaller than the small, has an amazing 52 grams of sugar. There are 93 grams of sugar in the small size, 128 grams in the medium size, and 161 grams in the large size. These shakes are also all high in calories, with the large topping out at 1,131.
Because they have a lot of sugar, calories, and saturated fat, these desserts can make long-term health problems worse. Hartford Hospital says that too many of these shakes can lead to fatty liver disease and heart disease because they are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. It’s easy to take in a lot of these harmful amounts because you drink them instead of eating them, which is tricky. Adding a milkshake to a meal can be very bad for your health. They may taste good, but you should stay away from them.
Arby’s roast beef is a signature menu item that the fast food chain is known for. With its thinly sliced, tasty roast beef piled high on a sesame seed bun, it has been satisfying customers for over 50 years. However, some consumers have concerns about whether Arby’s roast beef contains potentially harmful chemical additives like nitrates. In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at the ingredients in Arby’s roast beef and provide a definitive answer to the question “does Arby’s roast beef have nitrates?”
What Are Nitrates?
Nitrates and nitrites are chemical compounds frequently used as preservatives, color fixatives, and flavoring agents in processed meats like hot dogs, bacon, ham, and deli meats. When added to meat, nitrates slow down bacterial growth and prevent spoilage, while also giving cured meats their characteristic pink color.
However, there have been health concerns about nitrates and their potential to form carcinogenic nitrosamines in the body when ingested. High intake of nitrates from processed meats has also been linked to increased colorectal cancer risk.
For these reasons, some consumers prefer to avoid nitrate-cured meats when possible or consume them in moderation as part of an overall healthy diet.
Reviewing Arby’s Ingredients Information
To find out if Arby’s roast beef contains nitrates, we can examine the chain’s published ingredients information.
According to Arby’s official Canadian nutrition and allergen guide, the ingredients for Arby’s roast beef are:
- Beef
- Water
- Sea salt
- Raw sugar
- Sodium phosphate
- Yeast extract
The roast beef is then coated with a mix of black pepper, caramel color, salt, dextrose, onion powder, spices, garlic powder, citric acid, hydrolyzed soy protein, and spice extractives.
Notably absent from the Arby’s roast beef ingredients list are sodium nitrate or sodium nitrite, the most commonly used curing agents added to processed meats.
This suggests that Arby’s roast beef is not cured or treated with nitrates or nitrites. The ingredients indicate it is simply seasoned and then roasted in its natural state without chemical additives like nitrates.
How Arby’s Roast Beef is Made
For further confirmation, we can look at how Arby’s says their roast beef is prepared.
According to the Arby’s website, their roast beef starts with top round roast cuts of beef. After trimming and preparing the meat, it is rubbed down with a proprietary blend of seasonings. The beef is then slow-roasted for at least 8 hours in commercial rotisserie ovens. Once fully cooked, the roast beef is cooled down and sliced thin on a slicer machine before being served.
This slow-roasting method without nitrates or curing aligns with the simple, straight-forward list of roast beef ingredients provided by Arby’s. The hours-long roasting process helps tenderize the meat fully while developing its signature roasted flavor.
Why No Nitrates in Arby’s Roast Beef?
You may be wondering why Arby’s chooses not to cure their roast beef with nitrates when so many other processed meats contain them.
There are a few potential reasons why Arby’s abstains from using nitrates on their roast beef:
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Flavor – The hours-long roasting method produces roast beef with a distinct roasted flavor without the need for nitrates. Relying on the natural flavor results in a better tasting product.
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Safety – Not using nitrates allows Arby’s to avoid controversial nitrate-related health concerns like increased cancer risk.
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Simplicity – Arby’s likely wants to keep roast beef ingredients as simple and recognizable as possible. Avoiding chemical additives fits their “sliced fresh” marketing image.
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Cost – Curing with nitrates adds complexity and costs to the meat processing. Arby’s saves money by air-roasting beef rubs in their simple seasoning blend.
Keeping their roast beef nitrate-free but still delicious has been a winning strategy for Arby’s over decades. It satisfies customers while avoiding health concerns about chemical meat additives.
The Verdict on Nitrates in Arby’s Roast Beef
After closely examining Arby’s ingredients information and roast beef preparation process, we can definitively conclude that Arby’s roast beef does not contain nitrates or nitrites.
The ingredient list shows no nitrates, nitrites, or other curing agents used. And Arby’s detailed roasting method confirms the roast beef is slow-cooked to perfect tenderness without any chemical additives.
This means health-conscious customers can enjoy Arby’s famous roast beef sandwiches without worry about controversial nitrate content. Their meat is simply natural, well-seasoned beef that is sliced fresh and piled high on request.
Of course, individuals with certain medical conditions or on nitrate-restricted diets should still consult with a doctor before eating any processed meat product. But for most people, Arby’s roast beef can be enjoyed as a nitrate-free menu option.
So next time you are craving that signature Arby’s roast beef flavor, you can order your favorite sandwich knowing the meat inside is prepared without concerning nitrates or nitrites. Simply put, Arby’s keeps it fresh and simple with their iconic roast beef that so many have come to love over the years.
Turkey, ranch, and bacon sandwich
Market sandwiches arent exempt from Arbys unhealthy food list. The turkey, ranch, and bacon sandwich features a staggering 2,520 milligrams of sodium, which exceeds the daily limit. Its also high in fat, carbohydrates, and cholesterol. It’s bad for your heart to do these things together, and they can cause high blood pressure and many other health issues.
When you bite into a turkey, ranch, and bacon sandwich from Arbys, youre sinking your teeth into 810 calories, 34 grams of fat, and 80 milligrams of cholesterol. Taking in too much cholesterol can leave fatty deposits that clog your arteries and constrict your blood vessels, according to Mayo Clinic. In excess, this can lead to blood clots, heart attack, and stroke. These risks become even more severe for people 65 and older.
The sandwich also features 77 grams of carbohydrates. According to the Cleveland Clinic, eating too many simple carbs can also make you more of a candidate for heart disease and diabetes. This is unlike the complex carbs found in fruits and vegetables, which your body digests more easily, and without the blood sugar spikes. Simple carbohydrates generally dont give you the essential vitamins and minerals that you get from complex carbs, so youre not getting quality nutritional value to make up for this laundry list of potential negative health effects.
The Corned Beef Reuben sandwich at Arby’s is big and meaty, but it also has a lot of chemicals in it that you don’t need. This sandwich is one of the unhealthier items because it combines high cholesterol with 2,420 milligrams of sodium. Maltodextrin, canola oil, artificial coloring, and ingredients like sodium phosphates, which can raise blood pressure, are in the cheese sauce.
You might know that too much sugar can lead to insulin spikes, which contribute to diabetes. Maltodextrin is an even bigger contributor, because of its higher glycemic index (GI), according to Medical News Today. Eating too many maltodextrin-rich reubens can also throw off your gut bacteria, which contributes to bowel inflammation and poor overall health.
Another thing that is bad for your heart is that the Reuben has 80 mg of cholesterol. Even though this sandwich has a lot of calories (680), you may still feel hungry after a few hours because insulin levels will have gone up.
1 Chicken Bacon Ranch Loaded Mac ‘n Cheese
Just about every word of this menu item leaves clues for how unhealthy it is for you. The Chicken Bacon Ranch Loaded Mac ‘n Cheese from Arby’s is also very high in calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium (2,222 mg).
It comes with 780 calories, 430 of them from fat. This menu item also delivers 47 grams of fat and 17 grams of saturated fat. At 100 milligrams, the Chicken Bacon Ranch Loaded Mac ‘n Cheese has more cholesterol than most of the other items on the menu.
The ingredients list for the white cheddar sauce reveals that there are plenty of additives and highly processed items like maltodextrin, enriched macaroni product, and sodium phosphate. Too much maltodextrin and enriched pasta will cause glycemic index spikes, while sodium phosphate can cause kidney damage, according to the National Library of Medicine. This is a definite no-no for people with existing kidney issues.
The Truth About Arby’s Roast Beef
FAQ
What are the ingredients in Arby’s roast beef?
Is Arby’s roast beef unhealthy?
Does deli roast beef have nitrates?
Is Arby’s roast beef real beef?
Does Arby’s have meat?
Arby’s roast beef is made from 100% USDA-inspected beef that is slow-roasted in its own juices. This gives the roast beef its unique flavor and tenderness, contrary to popular belief, it is not made from imitation meat, gels, or pastes. Does Arby’s have meat? As you know, Arby’s slogan is that “They have the meats”, and it’s always true.
Is Arby’s roast beef real food?
So while we all know fast food doesn’t top the health charts, you can at least rest assured that Arby’s food is actually food. Enjoy your roast beef sandwich. There has been a persistent rumor that Arby’s famous roast beef isn’t actually meat.
Does Arby’s roast beef have additives?
Yes, Arby’s roast beef is made from whole cuts of beef, which are carefully selected and slow-roasted to perfection. **Does Arby’s roast beef contain any additives or fillers?** Arby’s roast beef is free from any additives or fillers. It is made from pure, high-quality beef, without any artificial or processed ingredients.
How bad is Arby’s roast beef?
Take a peek at Arby’s nutritional information, and you’ll find there’s a way to eat pretty well — and there are plenty of ways to eat very, very badly. Take the Classic Roast Beef, and you’ll find it’s not terrible for you. It’s only 360 calories and 14 grams of fat, which is pretty good for a fast food sandwich.