There are treatment options that can relieve depression without swallowing pills. Many of the symptoms of depression can be directly linked to vitamin and mineral deficiencies in the standard American diet, which is largely comprised of empty carbohydrates, caffeine and sugar. Depression, mood swings and fatigue often have a common cause: poor nutrition. Avoiding depression or recovering from a depressive episode is often as easy as changing your diet and boosting your consumption of key foods that deliver brain-boosting nutrients and help regulate brain chemistry.   Our top 10 foods for beating depression are:

Fish oils:

Contain omega-3 fatty acids. Research has shown that depressed people often lack a fatty acid known as EPA. Participants in a 2002 study featured in the Archives of General Psychiatry took just a gram of fish oil each day and noticed a 50-percent decrease in symptoms such as anxiety, sleep disorders, unexplained feelings of sadness, suicidal thoughts, and decreased sex drive. Omega-3 fatty acids can also lower cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health. Get omega-3s through walnuts, flaxseed and oily fish like salmon or tuna.

Avocado: 
Is a good source of potassium and low in sodium which helps reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.  Adequate intake of potassium can help guard against circulatory diseases, heart disease and stroke, all of which leads to higher levels of depression.  Not only are avocados a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids including oleic acid, which has recently been shown to offer significant protection against breast cancer, but it is also a very concentrated dietary source of antioxidants, in particular the "carotenoid lutein".  A few slices of avocado in salad, or mixing some chopped avocado into salsa will not only add  a rich, creamy flavor, but will greatly increase your body's ability to absorb the health promoting carotenoids that vegetables provide.

“Just seven diet-related health conditions cost the United States $80 billion annually in medical costs and productivity losses.”

--ECONOMIC RESEARCH SERVICE

Employers are becoming more aware that overweight and obesity, lack of physical activity, and tobacco use are adversely affecting the health and productivity of their employees and ultimately, the business’s bottom line.  For many companies, medical costs can consume half of corporate profits or more.  It is common now for employers to utilize cost sharing, cost shifting, managed care plans, risk rating, and cash-based rebates or incentives.  However, these methods only shift costs.  Workplace wellness promotion stands out as the long-term answer for keeping employees healthy and at less risk of disease.

Benefits of a Workplace Wellness Program

For the Employer:

For over a decade, research has been showing the effectiveness of Wellness Programs.  For every dollar spent on a Wellness Program, the returns have been cost savings of between $2.30 and $10.10 in the areas of decreased absenteeism, fewer sick days, reduced WSIB claims, lowered health and insurance costs, and improvements to employee performance productivity.

 "A healthy employee is a productive employee."

Today, more than 81 percent of American businesses with 50 or more employees have some form of health promotion program – the most popular being exercise, smoking cessation classes, stress management, and healthy eating and nutrition programs.  Most employers offer wellness programs simply because they think the benefit is worth the cost.

Helping employees trim down can actually expand a company’s productivity and cut down on medical costs.  Policies and programs aimed at giving employees more opportunities to be physically active and eat well in the workplace can enhance a company’s bottom line by improving productivity, recruitment and retention, and by boosting worksite morale.

Health promotion is an investment in human capital.  Employees are more likely to be on the job and performing well when they are in optimal physical and psychological health.  They are also more likely to be attracted to, remain with, and value a company that obviously values them.