Serious white-haired mature woman using vending machine while drinking coffee indoors

11 strange items sold in American vending machines

When you think of vending machines, you most likely imagine them providing quick access to snacks. But across the United States, a growing number of vending machines are serving up a lot more than just chips and soda. People have been discovering vending machines selling the strangest items imaginable. Some are practical. Others are downright bizarre. Then there are the ones that are hard to believe.
American cuisine: New England clam chowder soup closeup on the table. Horizontal view from above

11 American foods that started as medicine

Long before the advent of modern medicine, Americans turned to the kitchen for healing. In the absence of pharmacies and hospitals, families, settlers and Native Americans improvised with local ingredients to cook and bake dishes that soothed, nourished and restored the body. Many of the foods we now reach for as indulgences or comfort foods were once prized for their practical health benefits. Read on for a closer look at 11 American foods that began as remedies.