Denny's Sued Over Salty Food

Consumer group issues its annual list

(NEWSER) - The Center for Science in the Public Interest has released its annual list of calorie bombs available at chain restaurants. Among the winners of the "Xtreme Eating Awards":

• Cheesecake Factory's Pasta Carbonara with Chicken: 2,500 calories and 85 grams of saturated fat.
• Five Guys Bacon Cheeseburger: 920 calories and 30 grams of saturated fat. Want fries with that? A large order has 1,500 calories.

On list of top sodium sources, salty junk food comes in a distant No. 10

(NEWSER) - If you had to bet $5 on whether more salt in your diet came from bread or chips, you'd probably be out five bucks. Potato chips, pretzels, and popcorn actually rank a distant No. 10 on the CDC's list of the top 10 sources of sodium, released yesterday. Bread and rolls claimed the top spot, with the CDC revealing that they account for more than twice as much sodium as salty junk food—about 7% of the salt that the average American eats in a day. And while it's recommended that we ingest only 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, the CDC report notes that we consume around 3,300 milligrams. More»

New study defies conventional wisdom, but experts not convinced

(NEWSER) - In a world with constantly changing nutritional guidelines (eggs are bad for you; no, they're good for you! ), one food has seemed to be consistently maligned: salt. But a new, and highly contested, study finds that low-salt diets do not prevent high blood pressure—and actually increase the risk of death from heart attack or stroke. But CDC officials, in a rare move, criticized the study as flawed: It's too small, used subjects that were too young, and contradicts a body of evidence showing that high sodium consumption is dangerous. Supporters, however, claim that other studies have found adverse effects from low-sodium diets. More»

Advertising exposure trumps paltry cost of gift certificates

(NEWSER) - That year’s worth of free food you just got from a Denny’s or Chick-Fil-A promotion isn’t hurting the chains a bit—in fact, it’s the most effective advertising they do. For one, you don’t actually get a year’s worth. It’s usually just a few hundred dollars, and consumers are likely to bring in their friends as they polish it off. And once the gift card is gone, the stores figure your hunger for fast food remains. More»

Fast-food places have plenty of little-known options

(NEWSER) - In-N-Out Burger’s “secret menu” (veggie burgers, etc.) has gotten way too famous to really be considered a secret anymore—but Coupon Sherpa rounds up little-known items at other fast-food joints:

• Chili’s: Though it’s not on the menu anymore, you can in fact still order the restaurant’s namesake dish.
• Long John Silvers: Ask for a side of crumbs and you’ll get—for free—a box of fried batter parts that fell off the fish or chicken.