Go ahead and indulge! Chocolate may help you get work done more quickly
According to some reports, each year Americans spend about 7.65 billion hours filling out government-requested paperwork—a problem the U.S. government attempted to address in 2004 with the “Report of the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act Task Force,” a 38-page document.
Given the government’s tendency to combat paperwork with more paperwork, small business owners might have to find their own ways to improve productivity, perhaps turning to something more powerful than the federal government: chocolate.
“Chocolate improves your thinking and makes you feel better,” said Bart Entrikin, a Columbia-based coach on professional and personal excellence. “It will give you a psychological lift unlike anything else.”
With a background in social work and psychology and a master’s degree in applied life studies from the University of Illinois, Entrikin recommends eating chocolate, calling it a great habit.
Science supports chocolate claims
Yes, it’s true. The scientific community does suggest that chocolate has health benefits.
A 2006 article in Nutrition & Metabolism reviewed 136 studies of chocolate, concluding that cocoa and chocolate may offer benefits in cardiovascular health by lowering blood pressure and improving cholesterol.
The authors of the article credit the flavonoids in chocolate, noting, “the flavonoid content of chocolate may reduce risk of cardiovascular mortality.”
That statement gives new meaning to the phrase “dying for a piece of chocolate.”
Finally, the researchers note that dark chocolate offers more of the flavonoids and other beneficial ingredients by weight than cranberry juice, red wine, apples and milk chocolate.
In addition, a University of Florida publication cited a study conducted by the American Society for Clinical Nutrition and concluded, “Chocolate can indeed reduce blood pressure and insulin resistance.”
To reap these benefits, the Florida researchers advise choosing a chocolate as close to 60 percent to 70 percent bittersweet cocoa as possible, and limiting intake to “an ounce or two, once in a while.”
Columbia’s chocolate central
“We definitely know and believe in the health benefits of chocolate,” says Donna Atkinson. She and her husband, Sam Atkinson, own The Candy Factory at 701 Cherry St. Despite 20 years of dishing out chocolate on a daily basis, Atkinson says she never tires of the treat and probably eats 1 to 2 ounces a day.
The store makes handmade chocolates and offers four kinds of chocolate with various percentages of cocoa: milk chocolate with 35 percent; dark chocolate with 46 percent; and gourmet chocolates with 63 percent and 72 percent cocoa. A higher percentage of cocoa equates to a higher percentage of flavonoids.
Atkinson says she doesn’t use chocolate to lift her spirits or help her get her paperwork done. “We’re always pretty happy around here,” she says, including her 10 or so employees.
But she does note many people do stop in for chocolate on a regular basis for the health benefits, and some buy a chunk of chocolate for a mood lift.
“We have people who say, ‘I’m having a really bad day; I need some chocolate,’ or who say they need chocolate for their friend who is having a bad day,” Atkinson said.
The Candy Factory is happy to oblige. Along with providing in-store sales, the downtown confectionery delivers, charging a $6 delivery fee with a minimum purchase of $15. A 3.5-ounce bar of 72 percent dark cocoa is $3.50. And soon, the store will have a Web site in operation, enabling customers to order chocolate and other sweets without leaving their desks at www.candyfactory.biz.
As far as chocolate improving productivity, Atkinson said: “Chocolate lifts your spirits, stabilizes blood sugar … I’m sure that would equal more productivity.”