You might have to check into the Heinz ward

Every time we turn around (37 times per day, on average) someone comes out with new information about what we put down our necks in solid or liquid form.

Not that long ago, we heard that drinking coffee was bad; besides keeping us up all night, the caffeine was supposed to be bad for our innards. Now they tell us to slurp up all the coffee we can afford. 

Same with cheese. "Too much dairy is too many carbs and, oh boy, the cholesterol!" was the battle cry of the fromagaphobes for years.  Now, they want you to make a sandwich of 1/2 lb of Bleu cheese in between two slabs of Gouda. Go ahead and top that off with three or four slices of bacon.  You'll be healthier if you do.

All things considered, it's all tasty. And now the refugees from the Island Of Misfit Foods welcome a new member of the used-to-be-bad, now-you're-good club.  Namely, pickles.

The good folks over at curejoy.com offer these reasons why the dill and the gherkin should be in every lunch box and on every dinner plate: 

6 Fantastic Health Benefits Of Pickles

Offers Antioxidants And Nutrients
Has Probiotic Bacteria
Eases Nausea And Morning Sickness
Cures Muscular Cramps
Can Lower Blood Glucose After Meals
May Help Fight Spleen Cancer

Remember, that pickle chip or spear or slice started out as a vegetable  -  a good old cucumber. So there are plenty of good things in there. You might want to watch the dills if you have a salt problem, and the sweet pickles have sugar, so if you're watching that, stick with the sour. Pickles are generally low in calories and  have little to no fat.

Any nutritionist (I am clearly not one) will tell you that probiotics are way better than amateurbiotics.

You know the old cliché about pregnant women craving pickles when the pangs kick in? We now know that a tangy pickle stimulates the appetite and tickles the taste buds and eases hunger pains. 

There is some thought also that pickle juice and pickles themselves help regulate blood sugar, an antiglycemic or glucose-lowering effect.  And even if it doesn't, as the doctors will tell you, it can't hurt.

Football players now come off the field and guzzle some pickle juice as a way to forestall muscle cramps. This is being emulated by many football fans, as they "get pickled" during games. Especially wins.  And losses.