Ode Editors | December 2008 issue
Most people think of their chocolate cravings as guilty pleasures. But what if regular doses of the stuff could boost your sense of well-being? That’s what Intentional Chocolate of Los Angeles claims its confections can do. The secret: Tibetan monks pray over the chocolate before distribution, infusing it with good wishes for whoever tries it. “Intention in the chocolate isn’t an ingredient like flour or sugar,” says Jim Walsh, 56, founder and CEO. “It’s an ordering pattern that allows the body to restore itself.”
To document the chocolate’s restorative properties, Walsh enlisted the help of the Human Energy Systems Alliance Institute, a network of companies that develops healing therapies and nutritional supplements, of which Walsh is also CEO and the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) in Petaluma, California. People in two groups sampled an ounce of chocolate a day for three days; one group ate chocolate blessed by the Tibetan monks, while the other group ate unblessed chocolate. The sense of well-being and energy reported by consumers of the blessed chocolate increased by an average of 67 percent compared to the control group, according to Dean Radin, IONS’ senior scientist. “Its positive effects show up in people’s moods even as they go about their daily business.” While spreading chocolate-covered well-being, the company donates 20 percent of its net proceeds to spiritual centers. “That’s our own positive intention with this product,” says Walsh.
