Has anyone seen those Arby's commercials, the ones about phosphates/sodium?

[Sara]

They say all the other fast food places (McDonald's, Wendy's, etc.) have added phosphates, sodium, and water to their chicken, and Arby's claims their chicken is free of all that.  Does that mean you should go to Arby's over the other restaurants?

[kitkatz]

I would guess so.  I LOVE Arbys fancy sandwhiches!  They are soo good.  The Farm Fresh Sandwiches.  Oh gosh! Gotta go get one!

[angieskidney]

They say all the other fast food places (McDonald's, Wendy's, etc.) have added phosphates, sodium, and water to their chicken, and Arby's claims their chicken is free of all that.  Does that mean you should go to Arby's over the other restaurants?

Yes and I went there and had one and I told the girl why I came and she was sooooo incredibly nice that she gave me a free child size drink because I told her I am on dialysis!

But as far as your binders go or choosing Arby's over any other fast food restaurant let me warn you .. the chicken does not have "ADDED" phosphate. BUT .. key word being ADDED. You see .. they can't prevent ALL Phosphate. Yes the chicken is better .. but the breading still has phosphate. Please still take your binders. But as far as I know it is a better choice than McDonald's .. and at least in my city the service is a lot better as well 

[Zach]

If you need a once a month McDonald's fix, order a quarter pounder plain--no cheese and then toss the bun.  It will give you 140 mg of phosphorus, 240 mg of potassium and 18 grams of protein.  Not too bad, although is has saturated fat, etc.  If you eat the bun, that adds another 5 grams of protein, 60 mg of phosphorus and 70 mg of potassium.

[Bajanne]

Zach, you got this thing down pat!  Seems like I need to invite you to the British Virgin Islands to set up my diet properly.  You are doing much better than my dietitian!

[Rerun]

I have tried their chicken sandwich twice and it was tough as leather.  Could just be the one I go to.  I get the Jr. Arby with a slice of tomato.  I don't know the numbers, but it only costs $1.39.    I take my binders.

Again, I count what I don't order.  Curly fries, and a Jomoca Shake.

[YouDontKnowCecil]

Arby's roast beef is loaded in phosphorus. I don't know the exact numbers but they basically soak in a sodium phosphate solution to keep it moist and tender. Meat is already high enough in potassium and phosphorus.

I am attaching the Canadian Arby's nutritional information in PDF format. I often check Canadian nutritional information because they tend to list potassium nearly all the time, unlike in America. The Canadian one is from 2005, before the advent of the Chicken Naturals.

Also, the chicken naturals, while they may not have added sodium phosphates, are still ridiculously high in sodium. Here's the link to their nutrition calculator: http://www.arbys.com/nutrition/calculator.php

[MyssAnne]

Oh man. I had been eating Arby's for their protein. That much phosphate? I'm better off buying my own roast beef at the deli
and making my own 'sandwich'! Shoo.

[BigSky]

Oh man. I had been eating Arby's for their protein. That much phosphate? I'm better off buying my own roast beef at the deli
and making my own 'sandwich'! Shoo.

Deli roast beef is no better, it is still high in sodium as that is used to help preserve them.

Best thing is to buy a roast and cook it up yourself, this way you can eliminate all the added sodium.

[MyssAnne]

Sigh. I didn't wanna hear that, BigSKy! The WHOLE idea was that I could BUY it ready made
and I wouldn't hafta DO anything!! Darn it all.

You are right, I would be better off making the roast, or heck, the chicken ahead
of time and repackaging it. THe problem is gettng the time to agree with my energy....

[jbeany]

But I'd need one of those nifty deli saws to get it all sliced nice and thin the way I like it. . . .

[Zach]

Here you go, just $99.95!

[George Jung]

At the risk of sounding pessimistic....Don't waste your $$ on that slicer.  I would be willing to bet you will get better results with a good sharp slicer knife.  A deli slicer is intended to be a commercial product and with the experience I have had with them it would be hard to match the quality.  I'd be willing to bet the blade on that thing will give you a headache after a bit of use.  Put a roast in the oven and slice it with a knife.  Ever try cleaning one of those slicers?  You won't want to do it!  It's a great idea but not really pratical.