Salt or sodium is a mineral that you will find in almost anything you eat or drink. Many people panic about salt intake, but it's got many health benefits and is essential in your diet. Salt rinses are one of the main remedies for mouth healing and are also able to fight infection and heal wounds. 

(Image credit: Pilsbury.com) 

So, is salt bad for your body?

Salt has had a vital role in our diet since forever. Yet, in the last few decades, salt has been turned into an enemy, a little bit like sugar. This is because it is associated with hypertension and heart disease. In fact, if you don't get enough salt in your diet, then it can cause problems with bodily functions, and you can gain salt deficiency. Signs of this include reduced hydration, muscle cramps, headaches, weakness and irritability to name a few. 

Different types of salt 

However, it's important to know the difference between a natural salt and table salt. Table salt is sodium chloride and is extremely processed. Natural salts come in their complete form. For example, sea salt and pink Himalayan rock salt. When it comes to sea salt, it has a protective effect against heart disease and promotes good vascular health. 

Balances electrolytes 

Sea salt is high in electrolytes which prevents muscle cramps during exercise. Sea salt contains sodium, magnesium, potassium and calcium which are all essential minerals for good health and well-being. These minerals must come from the diet because the body is unable to create them and without it, you will experience irregular heartbeat, fatigue and nausea. 

(Image credit: Paleo Hacks) 

Improves sleep 

When swapping table salt for natural salts, it can allow you to sleep better and you are less thirsty or hungry and have overall satisfaction after a meal. It's important to get enough salt anytime you exercise as the body will sweat it out which is why athletes tend to use salt tablets for better rehydration. 

Enhances the nervous system

Sodium regulates water flow throughout the body which is vital for a healthy nervous system. The water in the nervous system requires salt for electrical conduction to send and receive nervous system signals. Your brain needs the right salt balance which is why sea salt is also a better option than table salt. 

Maybe take your Gookie Dough to the next level and add a sprinkle of sea salt to the mix and some tinned caramel. Twist it up and voila you have a salted caramel dessert. Complete pudding goals! 

*WARNING: DISGUSTING CONTENT* Fancy a bite of cheese with maggots crawling around and dead mice floating in the red wine. No, we didn't think so. A new museum in Sweden is doing precisely that and dishing out the most disgusting food from all over the world. The creators behind the project of 'Malmo's Disgusting Food Museum' state that this isn't a freak show but proof that disgust is entirely subjective. 

(Image credit: Fotolia) 

Not for the faint-hearted 

The museum which is open now, allows you to stroll through 80 exhibits and you can try out smelling stations or look at various displays. There's a dish called Casu Marzu which is cheese from Sardinia which contains larvae of flies or how about balut from the Philippines which is eggs cooked with the half-developed embryo inside. Better yet, fried Tarantulas from Cambodia. 

So what about us? 

Surely there are foods displayed in that museum that are actually quite tasty to us? Yes, there are. Western food can seem extremely odd to eastern individuals. Haggis from Scotland makes an appearance along with smelly French Cheese. From the USA we can find root beer and various fast food examples (they do have some weird combinations, we must admit)! 

The museum also provides a strong message as on one of the shelves, a strip of bacon sits innocently with a pig statue with needles all over it to show how many antibiotics are given during farming. 

Real food 

The average museum usually has realistic models of individual objects, but this one is entirely different. In fact, most of the food is fresh and needs to be resupplied continuously, and some of the produce is difficult to retrieve or can be expensive. People can submit their ideas to the museum but it has to be real food and not just a novelty but also has to disgust many people. There are plans to take the exhibits on tour around the world as this is currently only open for three months. 

Overall, the aim of the project is to find the line between disgust and delicacy which can be very narrow. For instance, Marmite, you either love it or you hate it and the controversy will continue forever. I think we'll stick to our Gookie Dough as you can't really go wrong with a monster tub and a spoon in the other hand! *Source from BBC.co.uk*  

Cookie Crisp cereal was the highlight of waking up in the morning. You had biscuits for breakfast and life couldn't get any better. Slurping that just before school gave us the buzz of energy we needed, so why stop eating them just because we're older? Let us introduce you to Gookie Crisp cereal, and you can easily make it yourself!

(Image credit: awwsam.com) 

You will need:

One monster tub of Gookie Dough in a flavour of your choice

30g of protein powder (either in vanilla or chocolate flavour)

One tablespoon of coconut oil which is semi-soft 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

Directions 

Firstly, preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Take your Gookie Dough out of the tub and pop it into a large bowl. Allow the Gookie Dough to soften slightly and then add the coconut oil and mix together with a food processor until well incorporated. Next, add the protein powder and baking powder and continue mixing. If the consistency is quite powdery/crumbly and the dough isn't sticking together effectively then add a drop of water, however, ensure it doesn't go too sticky. 

(Image credit: awwsam.com) 

Roll out the cereal batter as thin as you prefer and once rolled out, cut into mini circles using a frosting piping tip. Carefully pick up the circles with a spatula and place onto a parchment lined baking tray. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. 

So, grab your milk, some extra chocolate chips and a splash of sprinkles and make breakfast time more exciting. After this, the daily commute won't seem as bad, we promise! What was your favourite childhood cereal? Let us know in the comments below! If you want to make this recipe a little more healthy, then you can add oats and top with fruit or coconut curls. Cookies and a glass of milk need to move over because a bowl and spoon are in town! 

We've all had that weird friend who eats something that just does not go! Not even in a dramatic sense, it goes to the extreme where you've got someone who loves chocolate and pickles. I bet a name has popped into your head now? Yep. Here are some awful food combinations that are utterly vile and delicious to others. One question, why?

(Image credit: Cooking Light) 

Specific crisps 

There isn't much you can do with crisps, other than eating too many and then feeling extremely guilty afterwards. However, this one person has a little ritual. "I don't like biting crunchy foods, so I break it into small pieces before I begin eating. If I eat a bag of crisps I'll smash the bag before even opening it just to make sure I can grab one small piece at a time. Who wants to sit around holding half a crisp until they're ready for another bite? Not me, suckers." (Credit to Jaci Jarman via Facebook) 

Comfort food went wrong 

Soup, toast, GOOKIE DOUGH, ice cream, we're all partial to a lil' bit of comfort food. When we're ill and tired, we can do stupid things and Daphne Strasert from Facebook definitely went a bit too creative when it came to mixing foods. "I dip PB&J sandwiches in chicken noodle soup. I thought it was like grilled cheese and tomato soup. I didn't know it was weird until I got to college, but it's my go-to meal when I'm sick."

Got yourself into a pickle

I told you that pickles would make an appearance somewhere on this post. One habit someone got themselves into was biting the tops off the pickle and sticking the end of a fork in them to scrape out the insides and eating the empty 'shell'. So what happens to the insides?! Do they get thrown away? Heartbreaking.

Save the sandwich

Peanut butter and mashed potatoes are definitely foods from heaven. Together, however, is not so nice. Well, you guessed it, someone enjoys devouring peanut butter and mashed potato sandwiches. Apparently, it makes the peanut butter ever so gooey. Whatever floats your boat...

Do you have any crazy food combinations that are just wrong on so many levels? Let us know in the comments below! I mean, it can't be worse than these peanut butter dishes, can it?!

What's not to love about butterscotch? It's sweet, delightful and hits those sweet cravings in all of the right places. These butterscotch cookies have a surprising crunch up their sleeve with a special ingredient and are perfect for a bonfire-themed evening. 

(Image credit: Taste of Home) 

You will need:

(For the cookies) 

100g of unsalted butter softened (plus extra for greasing)

100g of light, soft brown sugar 

Two tablespoons of golden syrup 

175g of self-raising flour 

25g of Rice Krispies 

Dark chocolate chips for decoration 

(For the Gookie Dough hot chocolate) 

One tub of Gookie Dough in a flavour of your choice

Four teaspoons of Cadbury cocoa powder 

Boiling water 

A splash of milk 

Whipped cream 

Marshmallows (optional) 

Method 

Firstly, for the cookies, you need to heat the oven to 160C or gas mark three. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and golden syrup until nice and smooth. Sift in the flour and mix together and then fold in the Rice Krispies. Roll the dough into small sized balls and place on the greased baking tray well spaced apart, so they have room to spread. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on each ball. Bake for around 15-20 minutes or until golden-brown. Leave on the baking tray for a minute and then pop onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

(Image credit: Minimalist Baker) 

Next, the hot chocolate! Simply take your favourite mug or travel cup and pop in four teaspoons of Cadbury cocoa powder. Roll some Gookie Dough into small balls and put a few on top of the powder. Boil the kettle and add the water, so it's 3/4 the way full. Mix thoroughly, and the Gookie Dough will start to melt (mmm dreamy!). Add a splash of milk to create an extra creaminess and top with whipped cream, marshmallows and go all out and add more Gookie Dough! Dunk your butterscotch cookies and watch the fireworks. 

What do you think? There's nothing better than wrapping up in your puffy coat with a scarf keeping you snug and a gorgeous rich hot chocolate keeping your hands toasty.