The Reason You Should Avoid Arby's French Dip - Mashed (2024)

ByFelix Behr/

Arby's French Dip, which consists of roast beef and Swiss cheese sandwiched between two slabs of ciabattabread with a sauce container to dip the whole menu item in, appears to enjoy a good amount of popularity with the fan base. Wide Open Eats even suggests a secret menu version of the French Dip called the French Dip Max, which really is just the French Dip but with double the roast beef.

However, in keeping with Arby's antipathy for anything that seems even remotely healthy, the French Dip they serve is absolutely terrible for you.On their website, they list the sodium content for the French Dip as 2,550 milligrams per sandwich. This exceeds the upper limit of 2,300 milligrams per day recommended by the American Heart Association, and adds more than a third to the ideal sodium intake of 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day. Consistently consuming too much sodium can, as they explain in an infographic, can lead to heart disease and strokes — and you exceed that safe limit with just one sandwich.

We have the sodium

The Reason You Should Avoid Arby's French Dip - Mashed (2)

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Every piece Mashed publishes about the health aspects of fast food seems to focus on sodium. Obviously, sodium isn't good for you, but it would be unfair to penalize only the fast food industry for including too much sodium in their foods, even though they do.

As Slate reported as far back as 2013, the average American consumes 3,400 milligrams of sodium per day because companies that make processed foods realize that salt addicts us. Another theory is that the additional salt is needed because packaged food would taste bland without it. Either way, studies repeatedly found the more salt one consumes, the more wants to consume salt later on.

Still, as Tom Frieden, the director of the CDC in 2017, explained to NPR, even without the addiction, people have little choice in the matter. "It's very difficult for individuals to lower consumption on their own, because there's so much sodium in everything they eat," he explained. Companies may be loath to reduce their sodium content as it keeps their consumers hooked, but the only way to ween the consumer base off of such unhealthy levels of sodium consumption would be, it seems, an industry wide regulation on sodium. Then, Arby's French Dip may seem less like a treat and more like an imposition.

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The Reason You Should Avoid Arby's French Dip - Mashed (2024)

FAQs

The Reason You Should Avoid Arby's French Dip - Mashed? ›

Consuming one of these sandwiches will see you add 2,100 milligrams of sodium. And that's before the fries and soft drink. But one of Arby's biggest sodium offenders is the Classic French Dip & Swiss sandwich. Topping out at 2,550 milligrams of sodium, this sandwich fulfills your daily intake and then some.

What is the most unhealthy meal at Arby's? ›

1. Worst: Crispy Chicken Club Wrap. You might think that a chicken wrap is a better call than Arby's red meat sandwiches—but unfortunately, that's not the case. Made with crispy battered chicken, bacon, and cheese, the Crispy Chicken Club Wrap racks up major calories, fat, and sodium.

What not to eat at Arby's? ›

These are the nine unhealthiest menu items you can order at Arby's.
  • Classic French Dip & Swiss. Twitter. ...
  • Half Pound Beef 'N Cheddar. Arby's. ...
  • Loaded Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac 'N Cheese. Arby's. ...
  • Steakhouse Garlic Ribeye Sandwich. Arby's. ...
  • Mozzarella Sticks. ...
  • Corned Beef Reuben. ...
  • Crispy Chicken Club Wrap. ...
  • Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wrap.
Mar 17, 2023

What are the ingredients in Arby's French Dip? ›

About the Sandwich

Roast beef. Swiss. Sub roll. French au jus sauce.

How healthy is a French dip sandwich? ›

Good Source of B Vitamins

These nutrients play a vital role in energy metabolism and in the production of red blood cells. French dip sandwiches are also high in vitamin A, which is required for proper cell reproduction, immune system health and the synthesis of the rhodopsin needed for your eyes to absorb light.

What is the most unhealthiest fast food sandwich? ›

  1. 10 Scary Sandwiches Over 1,000 Calories (Plus Healthy Swaps)
  2. Which Wich. Large Elvis Wich on White (1,860 calories) ...
  3. Schlotsky's. Large Angus Pastrami Reuben (1,780 calories) ...
  4. Planet Sub. 12-inch Tempeh Parmesan (1,538 calories) ...
  5. Firehouse Subs. Large Italian (1,390 calories) ...
  6. Quizno's. ...
  7. Charley's Grilled Subs. ...
  8. Jimmy John's.
Apr 17, 2017

What is the most popular food item at Arby's? ›

What is the most popular Arby's menu item? The Classic Roast Beef is Arby's iconic sandwich. This is the sandwich that put roast beef on the map.

What is the highest calorie food at Arby's? ›

Arby's: Triple Decker Sandwich

At 1,030 calories, it's the highest on the menu, and that's because of everything on it: oven-roasted turkey breast, pit-smoked ham, roast beef, pepper bacon, Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, mayo, spicy brown mustard, onion, tomato, and lettuce, all on toasted honey wheat bread.

What is the French Dip sauce made of? ›

The secret to this best-ever French dip? It's all in the jus. To make it, you're going to place your roasting pan with the beef drippings on the stove top before adding your onions, garlic, thyme, beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer, then cook until slightly thickened.

What oil does Arby's use? ›

May be cooked in the same oil as menu items that contain Egg, Milk, and Fish (where available). Frying Oil: Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Canola Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, with Dimethylpolysiloxane (to reduce foaming).

What is the healthiest sandwich to eat? ›

Good sandwich choices include sliced deli or rotisserie chicken, turkey, ham, lean roast beef, canned salmon or tuna, nut butter, grilled tempeh or tofu, smashed cooked beans, and reduced-fat cheese. Unsure about serving size?

What is the difference between beef dip and French Dip? ›

A French dip sandwich, also known as a beef dip, is a hot sandwich consisting of thinly sliced roast beef (or, sometimes, other meats) on a "French roll" or baguette.

What food at Arby's has the most calories? ›

Arby's: Triple Decker Sandwich

At 1,030 calories, it's the highest on the menu, and that's because of everything on it: oven-roasted turkey breast, pit-smoked ham, roast beef, pepper bacon, Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, mayo, spicy brown mustard, onion, tomato, and lettuce, all on toasted honey wheat bread.

Is Arby's beef and cheddar bad for you? ›

Worst–Beef 'n' cheddar (max): When ordered in the “max” portion, this simple sandwich–piled-high with thinly sliced roast beef, two slices of melted cheddar, and red ranch sauce all on an onion roll–packs a whopping 2,330 milligrams of sodium, 650 calories, and 110 milligrams of cholesterol (among other scary stats).

Which fast food burger is considered the unhealthiest? ›

In-N-Out's Double Double

According to Feder, "The unhealthiest meal at In-N-Out Burger is the Double Double, which is a double cheeseburger that contains 670 calories, 41 grams of fat, 18 grams of saturated fat, and almost 1,500 milligrams of sodium," he says.

How bad is an Arby's roast beef sandwich? ›

It's only 360 calories and 14 grams of fat, which is pretty good for a fast food sandwich. There are also 970 mg of sodium, which isn't great, but it's not the worst you can do when you're in need of a quick lunch, either. But don't be fooled into thinking all their roast beef options are healthy.

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