"MsnMoney" news and stories

Since I've been writing for Slashfood, my mother has taken to sending me daily emails with links to different food-related articles she encounters on her own trips through the interwebs. She's sent me several in the last few days, and while none of them seem to be able to hold up their own post, they all are interesting enough that I thought a little "round-up" post might be in order.

Back in May, MSN Money printed a list of the Ten Things Your Restaurant Won't Tell You. The list includes such gems as the fact that fast food restaurants encourage rapid turnover by playing loud music and providing uncomfortable seating and that expensive restaurants create return customers by making their food as luscious as possible with the addition of lots of butter.

Just posted last Monday was a list of the 16 Ways to Keep Healthy While Keeping it Cheap on the Get Rich Slowly blog. Some of the gems on that list include recommendations to make a food plan, buy in bulk, don't run around looking for bargains (wasting gas in the process) and take your lunch to work. They might sounds like the same old advice you've heard before, but the list has some good tips, especially if you are trying to follow a lower carb diet on a budget.

Lastly, she sent me a little tidbit she scanned from the Oregonian about the safety of drinking sparkling water. I haven't been able to find an online version of that story, but did find this short piece on Chow that says essentially the same thing, that sparkling water isn't necessarily better or worse for you than still water. It mostly depends on the water with which it was made and if extra sodium as added.