Arby's Offers Free Turkey Roasters Today Only

Free food anyone? Hurry up and get to your nearest Arby's today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. because the Atlanta-based fast-food chain, which has 3,500 locations across the United States, spotlights its new Turkey Roasters sandwich in this one-day lunch giveaway.

No additional purchase is required for the thinly sliced meat sandwich that is served hot and made fresh to order. The sandwich is designed to complement Arby's signature roast beef line and appeal to the sandwich chain's health-minded customers.

In a company news release, Chief Marketing Officer Russ Klein said, "We can't believe it took us 48 years to add Turkey Roasters to the menu, so we're making up for it by offering everyone a chance to try one free of charge, no coupon required."

Arby's new Turkey Roaster sandwiches include the Turkey Classic, Turkey 'n Cheddar Classic and Grand Turkey Club. ABC News checked Arby's build-a-meal calculator to determine how the turkey-based sandwiches compare with their roast beef sidekick.

The nutritional content for the Turkey Classic sandwich shows 290 calories (45 calories from fat), 5 grams of fat and 1 gram of saturated fat. It also contains 24 grams of protein and 6 grams of sugar. The Classic Roast Beef Sandwich contains (all condiments included) 510 Calories (240 which come from fat). Although saturated fat content for the Classic Roast Beef is slightly higher than the Turkey Classic at 6 grams per serving, the total grams of fat is much higher at 27 grams.

Both sandwiches, however, contain high levels of sodium. The Turkey Classic contains 1,020 mg of sodium and the Classic Roast Beef Sandwich contains a whopping 1,350 mg of sodium, which is more than half the maximum recommended level of sodium intake at 2,300 mg per day. A high-sodium diet can cause high blood pressure and increase your risk for kidney disease and stroke.

Piling on additional meats and cheese significantly increases the calorie and fat content. For example, the Grand Turkey Club includes roast turkey, pepper bacon, Swiss cheese and mayonnaise. Consequently, the sandwich contains 490 calories, 220 which come from fat. The Club also has 8 grams of saturated fat and more than 1,440 mg of sodium. This sandwich is nutritionally better for you than the Bacon Beef 'n Cheddar sandwich that totals 670 calories, 340 which come from fat, 38 grams of total fat and 1,910 mg of sodium.

A splurge every once in awhile won't do you too much harm, nutritionists say, especially if you eat balanced meals for the rest of the day. So, what are you waiting for? Go grab a free turkey sandwich before supplies run out.