Arby's Vs Jersey Mike's: Which Serves A Healthier Roast Beef Sandwich?

People looking for more protein in their lunch might consider Arby's and Jersey Mike's roast beef sandwiches. Compared to more exciting international flavors, roast beef has always seemed kind of old-school, and it never had the health shine of lean turkey or chicken. Still, roast beef is an excellent source of protein and iron, usually made from lean beef cuts from the cow's round. As far as big sandwich chains go, Arby's and Jersey Mike's are probably going to be your best roast beef choices, with Jersey Mike's edging out Arby's as the healthier option.

The reality is the two aren't that different in nutrition, but Jersey Mike's gives you a little more of what your body wants and a little less of what it doesn't. To compare the two, we look at Jersey Mike's mini size, which was closest in size to the classic Arby's roast beef sandwich. We also judged both without cheese, knowing that topping adds a decent amount of fat and sodium. Jersey Mike's sandwich is still a little bigger at this level, and it has more calories, at 480 versus 360 for Arby's standard roast beef. However, Jersey Mike's also has more protein, with 32 grams compared to Arby's 23 grams. Neither is a huge source of fiber; Arby's has 2 grams while Jersey Mike's has 3, but you can  switch to whole-grain bread at Jersey Mike's, which ups that number to a more respectable 4.4 grams.

With the size difference, nutrition comparisons aren't perfect, but if you look at the ratios of things like fat, cholesterol, and sodium compared to the protein you are getting, Jersey Mike's is a bit lower than Arby's. Jersey Mike's mini roast beef has 20.2 grams of fat (total fat and trans fat), and 60.3 milligrams of cholesterol, while Arby's has 15 grams of fat and 50 milligrams of cholesterol. But despite having more fat and cholesterol overall, with 40% more protein, Jersey Mike's has less fat and cholesterol per gram of protein. Additionally, when you look at fats that are more of a health concern, like the saturated fat found in meat and trans fat, Arby's has more outright, with about 3.6 times as much saturated fat and an extra half-gram of trans fat.

Arby's roast beef sandwich also has a little more sugar, with 5 grams versus 3.5 grams. But the real difference that people watching their nutrition will probably care about is sodium. While an essential nutrient and fine in moderation, deli meat is notorious for very high levels of salt. Jersey Mike's mini roast beef sub has 699 milligrams of sodium, which is almost 30% of your daily recommended maximum consumption according to the American Heart Association. Arby's sandwich has far more at 970 milligrams, which is solidly over 40% of the daily recommended maximum consumption.

With solid levels of protein and higher, but not terrible, levels of things like saturated fat, roast beef sandwiches from Jersey Mike's and Arby's can absolutely fit into a healthy diet when you want a hearty meal. They just might not be something you want to order every day.