MS and Red Dye

First of all, take this with a grain of salt. I'm not a health expert but am only sharing what happened to me personally. Maybe by some extraordinary chance someone out there has experienced this too or someone in the science world can tell me if I'm crazy or not. So here it goes. After I got diagnosed with MS I noticed something very strange. When I drank chocolate milk, my legs would get worse. When I ate red licorice or other candies with red dye my legs would get worse. One day after drinking a litre of chocolate milk in one shot (it was a hot day and we were travelling) I could barely walk. I had to stop having these things. I could understand the red dye in the candies could be affecting me but why chocolate milk? White milk didn't harm me and neither did chocolate! I was perplexed so I checked out the ingredients and lo and behold it said colour. Colour? Why colour? Isn't chocolate milk brown because its made with cocoa? Apparently, people don't like their chocolate milk too dark so they add red dye to it to lighten the colour. Who knew? So red dye was really the culprit for me. But why? I knew that red dye was linked to hyperactivity in children but it was causing the opposite in me so to speak. I tried to search for information and came up with zilch! So I am perplexed. All I know is that for me personally, I have to avoid it. I don't know if scientists will ever discover anything about this or not but I have no choice in this matter. I am glad that I figured out it was bothering me. Alhumdullilah. Now whether it is a natural (ie made from a bug) or chemical dye that is affecting me, I still don't know.

Aside from this peculiar aha moment for me, my health regarding my legs is improving as I continue to see a homeopath. Still not cured but I am grateful for my mobility. Now in Ramadan I've noticed my legs seem even better than usual. But I think this is a first as I don't remember such a thing happening last Ramadan.

May Allah bless you all this Ramadan and cure you of any diseases. Amin.

Ramadan and being yourself.

Ramadan Kareem! Its that time of the year again and everywhere I look I see pictures and stories that I can't really relate to as a convert. Maybe we need to fill the gap. Recipes from our own cultures etc and sharing our experiences. I'll start. This morning we got up at 3:15 am for suhoor. Hubby had leftover rice from last night and the boys grabbed bagels and cereal while I made an omelette with tomatoes and cheese and red pepper jelly meanwhile being so tired I hoped I didn't cut myself with the knife, and had water and orange juice with sliced strawberries thrown in.  I shared my omelette with my daughter. See this is not 'normal' right? Any other post and you would see the mother got up super early and cooked a big breakfast (when do these women sleep anyway?) and also the food is just 'off' for most people. But this is our life and its about time we converts took our place in the Muslim world er social media. So there you have it! Now please if you are a convert share your suhoor and iftar menus and stories about your Ramadan.

Some people decorate, I never really do but the one thing I do each year is order Ramadan books from the library and read them to my kids. Some people make elaborate menu plans and make fancy meals but we just continue as usual and eat what we always eat. My focus is read Quran and go to any potlucks on Saturdays that are offered in the mosque. The other days are by invitation only. As the only Muslim family in our town we know it will be quiet for us and being 45 minutes away from the mosque we know we won't be praying taraweeh at 11 pm and then driving back. Our lives are different but they're ours. Everyone is different. Vive la difference!

http://oldmuslimwomanintheshoe.blogspot.ca/2010/06/black-forest-pancakes.html

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My,my,my! Right after typing this I went on facebook and found this awesome offer! A free e-book from a convert! Great minds think alike!

Binties!

My daughter has launched a new project! See the link here. Aren't they cute? I saw them in real life and was so impressed, masha Allah. Seems my daughter has really inherited her talent for sewing from my grandmother and her paternal grandmother. Check it out and show your kids!