by Phillip Kindschi | Mar 14, 2013 | Nutrition
A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, especially EPA and DHA, is essential to our health and our children’s. Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fatty acids that may help lower cholesterol levels (in particular those with high levels of triglycerides) and support heart health.
There is also some evidence suggesting omega-3 may modestly lower high blood pressure and ease pain as well as improve the symptoms of ADHD and asthma in children. It is known for its anti-inflammatory functions and has some researchers trying to link it to relieving symptoms of osteoporosis, kidney disease, bipolar disorder, Raynaud’s syndrome, as well as constipation.
Fish oil supplements, made from mackerel, herring, and other fish, may be easy to consume, but getting your daily intake of omega-3 fats from foods would be ideal. Foods containing omega-3s include:
- Fatty fish (recommended twice per week): Salmon, albacore tuna (fresh and canned), sardines, lake trout and mackerel.
- Walnuts (also rich in Vitamin E): Add to cereals, salads or muffins or use walnut oil in dressings and sautés.
- Flaxseed (use ground or milled not whole): Add to breakfast cereal, yogurt, baked goods like breads or muffins and mix with sauces or gravies as well as in casseroles. You may also use flaxseed oil over quinoa or use it in dressings.
While fish oil boasts many health benefits, individuals with an increased risk of bleeding, liver disease, seafood allergy or those taking medicines that interact with it, such as chemotherapy treatments, may want to avoid taking a supplement. Also, you should skip the supplement if you have an implanted defibrillator to prevent irregular heartbeat. Always consult with your physician before taking any dietary supplements.
To give you a jump start on adding more omega-3 fatty acids to your diet, here is an easy recipe your whole family will enjoy.
– Andrea Shotton, MS, RD, LD
Oven-Fried Cod
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 cup whole grain bread crumbs
1⁄4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
Non-stick cooking spray
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound cod fillets
Salt (optional)
2 egg whites
1⁄4 cup fat-free milk
Fish switch: You can use catfish or flounder in place of the cod.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9×12-inch baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray, then coat with canola oil.
2. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, lemon rind and black pepper in a paper bag. Shake well to mix, and set aside.
3. Rinse cod and lightly sprinkle salt (optional) on both sides of the fillets.
4. Cut fish into long strips.
5. In a small bowl, combine the egg whites and milk, then whisk with a fork until well blended.
6. Dip the fish into the egg-and-milk mixture.
7. Place the fish strips, a few at a time, into the paper bag. Hold the bag closed and shake well.
8. Place the coated fish sticks on the baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Nutritional Information Per Serving:
256 calories
7.5 g fat
2 g saturated fat
58 mg cholesterol
350 mg sodium
20.5 g
carbohydrate
1 g dietary fiber
25 g protein
Recipe provided courtesy of Eat Right Press, from Healthy Eating, Healthy Weight for Kids and Teens by Jodie Shield, MEd, RD and Mary Catherine Mullen, MS, RD. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ©2012.
by Phillip Kindschi | Mar 5, 2013 | Nutrition
March is National Nutrition Month and brings with it the first signs of spring. Spring also brings about the opening of many of the Oklahoma community farmer’s markets and fresh fruits and vegetables.
Start your spring off right by eating out less and enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season. By choosing foods that are in season, you can
buy fresher foods at their lowest cost, saving you money and creating healthier meals for your family.
Locals farmers are amazing people and work hard for you to enjoy Oklahoma grown food, so why not go out and support them? You can also make it a fun family outing to see where your food is grown. Also, many local farms let you pick your own blueberries, blackberries and more. Visit the following to locate the nearest farmer’s market to your home: www.okfarmandfood.org.
So, what is in season? Spring harvests include asparagus, green onions, leeks, lettuce, maple syrup, mint, mushrooms, new potatoes, peas, radishes, rhubarb, spinach, strawberries and wild greens.
If you haven’t tried some of these foods, or can’t get your children to try them, get them more involved in the kitchen, or the
garden, from day one. Inspire your children to discover food with a hands-on learning experience by letting them prepare food and presenting it on their plate. Make it fun!
If you need some inspiration for recipe ideas, some of my favorite cookbooks are:
– Simply in Season: Children’s Cookbook, Mark Beach and Julie Kauffman
– Simply in Season: A World Community Cookbook, Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert
– Weelicious by Catherine McCord.
Put a spring in your step with fresh food and healthy eating!
– Andrea Shotton, MS, RD, LD
by Phillip Kindschi | Feb 21, 2013 | Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy
It’s often said it takes a village to raise children. With children with special needs, that village sometimes includes a number of therapists and specialists.
When children are brought into our clinic for their first assessment, the therapist may request additional assessments from other health care professionals. This allows therapists and parents to get a clearer picture of the child’s strengths and weaknesses and gives valuable information about how to best address the child’s individual needs.
Parents may feel overwhelmed or confused about these many specialists and may ask, “What does that person really do? Why is my child meeting with them?” Below is a basic review of some of the specialists your child may see and their unique role in your child’s treatment team.
At TherapyWorks, your child’s therapy team may include:
Speech-language pathologists give children the skills necessary for successful communication and meaningful interactions with others. Additionally, speech therapists assist children with feeding difficulties to eat and swallow safely.
Physical therapists work to improve muscle strength, range of motion, reflexes and coordination. Our physical
therapists are also trained to fit and cast custom foot orthotic devices. Orthotic supports align the foot or lower leg and improve posture, sitting, standing, walking and running.
Occupational therapists help children develop or regain skills necessary for play and work, and self and home care. Children may also need occupational therapy to help them with school and social skills. Play is important for a child’s mental, physical and emotional development. Occupational therapists also address sensory processing and integration problems which have a tremendous impact on motor skills, behavior, learning and a child’s ability to process information and respond to the demands and changes of daily living.
We also work with the following outside professionals to create a total treatment plan for your child:
Physicians emphasize the physical health of the child including height, weight gain, and absence of disease. Doctors also work closely with dieticians or nutritionists to ensure your child’s nutritional needs are being met for optimal growth and
development.
Psychologists and mental health professionals help people learn to cope with the daily stresses of life. For many of our families, psychologists provide strategies to help manage behavior issues to make children more successful at home and school. They also perform standardized assessment of developmental milestones.
Teachers and administrators address the educational/academic needs of children and work to meet educational mandates as required by state and federal laws.
Communication Intervention Birth to Three- 2nd Edition by Louis M Rossetti.
Delmar Publishing 2001 was referenced.
by Phillip Kindschi | Dec 3, 2012 | General
As you can see, it’s been a while since we posted a blog. We have been busy little elves organizing our first ever Working Wonders Christmas Tree. Every year, TherapyWorks participates in a community service project around the holidays. One year we adopted a family that suffered a tragic loss and purchased Christmas gifts and dinner for the whole family and another year we adopted a classroom at a local school and purchased winter coats for each child.
But we really felt a need to help our TW families. Most of our clients have special needs, many of them struggle to get by, and unfortunately, some are in foster homes because of situations at home. Seeing these children on a regular basis, we have grown to care for each one of them and their families so that is why we decided to do the Working Wonders Christmas Tree.
Any patient and their siblings who had a need this Christmas were welcome to fill out a wishlist and we had 64 children sign up. Other TW families and employees who wanted to help brighten someone’s Christmas were welcome to choose a star from the tree, purchase items from the wishlist and return them to TW. I am proud to say in just over a week, all 64 stars were chosen!
TW elves are wrapping everything up and families will be picking up gifts on December 15. I am truly amazed at the generosity of people; I never imagined we would have this kind of response in the first year. I’m sure this will be a tradition at TW for many years to come!
by Phillip Kindschi | Nov 5, 2012 | Occupational Therapy
Children are often referred for an
occupational therapy evaluation without their parents knowing what to expect. In fact, many other health care providers may not know the full extent of what occupational therapists can do to help their patients.
OTs work in many health care fields including: hospitals (acute care, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation), skilled nursing facilities, home health, mental health, vocational rehabilitation, driver’s rehab and pediatrics (schools, early intervention, hospitals, and outpatient clinics). In general, OTs help people with their occupations – work, school or daily living.
For children, their primary “occupation” is play. Everyday activities include success at home, school and with peers. TherapyWorks helps children birth-21 years old with a wide variety of physical and neurological diagnoses including:
- Developmental delay
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Sensory processing disorder
- ADHD
- Down Syndrome
- Torticollis
- Brachial plexus injury
- Cerebral palsy
- Traumatic brain injury
- Developmental coordination disorder
- Genetic disorders
- Behavior problems/modification (reactive attachment disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, oppositional defiant disorder)
… as well as many children who do not yet have a diagnosis.
I often explain occupational therapy as an “umbrella” covering many areas of a child’s functioning including:
- School readiness skills: visual motor skills such as handwriting or cutting and visual perceptual skills to boost reading, puzzles, etc.
- Self-care skills: dressing, brushing hair/teeth, sleeping suggestions, shower sequences
- Vocational skills: completing chores, simple meal preparation, interview skills, filling out a resume/application
- Gross and fine motor strength and coordination: Reflex Integration, jumping jacks, throw/catch, finger dexterity, pencil grasp, home exercise programs
- Physical limitations: range of motion, amputations, congenital deformities, muscle tone fluctuations, wheelchair transfers, splinting/casting, adaptive equipment
- Sensory processing and modulation: paying attention, listening and following directions (auditory processing), pain and touch (tactile processing), picky eating (oral sensory), balance and body awareness (vestibular processing)
- Social skills: deciding what to play, taking turns, sharing, joining in, inviting others, cooperation
- Emotional development: identifying and working through emotions, awareness of how our actions impact others, responding appropriately to others’ emotions
- Behavioral management: meltdowns, shutting down, aggression, positive reinforcement, natural consequences
- Executive functioning: sequencing routines or chores, ranking/grading scales, homework help, problem solving
- FloorTime™ (functional emotional developmental levels): shared attention, engagement (reciprocal interactions), purposeful communication, shared problem solving, symbolic play, emotional thinking
Occupational therapy evaluations typically last 1 hour and will include parent interview, standardized testing, clinical observations of behavior, attention, fine and gross motor functioning, and free play if time allows. Please bring a copy of your school-based Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or other therapist or psychological evaluations if your child has been evaluated elsewhere.
