Products Archives ⋆ Defending Joy

FPIES and Quinoa Queen for Rare Disease Day

February 24, 2018 by defendingjoy

There are about 7,000 rare diseases which are recognized on February 28 for Rare Disease Day. Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES) is the rare disease that affects our family. It primarily affects children young children, and is a poorly understood food allergy condition. It’s a non-IgE, cell mediated allergy that causes two categories of symptoms: … Read more

An Atypical Breakfast

February 17, 2018February 20, 2018 by defendingjoy

Before she was born, I never gave much thought to what my daughter would eat for breakfast. If I did think about it, I figured she would have a typical American breakfast. Cereal and milk, pancakes, bacon and eggs, etc. But instead food has been a struggle for her. It’s been a long hard road … Read more

Hypoallergenic Soap and Shampoo: Allergy Friendly Options for Bath and Hands

September 27, 2017October 14, 2017 by defendingjoy

Hand or Bath Soap and Shampoo Hypoallergenic soap can be important when dealing with allergies. Small amounts of soap residue remain on hands and dishes, ending up ingested. This post contains affiliate links, which may earn me a small referral credit. She my Disclaimer for more information. For baths we primarily use a mix of … Read more

Digestive Enzymes while Breastfeeding: Help for Food Intolerances

September 12, 2017June 13, 2018 by defendingjoy

When babies are having food sensitivities via their mother’s breastmilk, in some cases a digestive enzyme can help. Pancreatic enzymes breastfeeding can break down the proteins in the mother’s diet. These smaller pieces are less likely to trigger an allergic reaction in the Infant, similar to hydrolyzed formula. The prescription enzyme Creon, taken by the … Read more

Hypoallergenic GAPS Probiotics: A Comprehensive List

September 10, 2017September 28, 2017 by defendingjoy

Probiotics have been shown to have many beneficial effects in the body. One of the recommendations from the GAPS Diet is to use commercial probiotics without any prebiotics or other prohibited ingredients. I think this is a sensible suggestion for anyone with a sensitive GI tract. It can be hard to find hypoallergenic probiotics. To … Read more

Smartick Math App for Kids: Inclusive Game

August 26, 2017April 22, 2018 by defendingjoy

We were recently introduced to a wonderful iPad app, called Smartick (also available for Android). It uses the latest research to help your child learn math in only 15 minutes a day. It says on their website “Our proprietary artificial intelligence adapts to your child’s learning style”. This means no matter what level your child … Read more

Hypoallergenic Juice Box

August 22, 2017August 22, 2017 by defendingjoy

Due to her many allergies, our daughter has never had a juice box before. Thanks to Drink Maple she finally does. She is so excited to have a drink like the other kids. As a mom I love that this box only has 5g of sugar. It also has natural electrolytes which help keep her … Read more

Hypoallergenic Dishwasher Powder

August 20, 2017June 13, 2019 by defendingjoy

This post contains affiliate links. See the Disclaimer for details.

This is a hypoallergenic dish washer powder recipe. It is soy, coconut, and surfactant free, with no mixing required. Most dishwasher detergents have many ingredients, making it hard to find something that is both environmentally friendly and allergy friendly.

Washing Soda and Ascorbic Acid
Despite having only two ingredients and has worked very well for us. The results are comparable to a leading brand of dishwasher premium pods.
First we fill the detergent cup to the line with Vitamin C powder: Bulk Supplements Ascorbic Acid (multiple sizes available)

Step 1
Then we fill the remainder of the cup and half the pre-wash compartment with washing soda: Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

Step 2

For the rinse aid compartment we use organic distilled vinegar. But for a more powerful rinse you could use 6% cleaning vinegar: Heinz Cleaning Vinegar