The Sourdough School

BALM – Proven as one of the healthiest approaches to bread in the world.

Based in the walled gardens of Dr. Vanessa Kimbell's beautiful Victorian home in rural Northamptonshire, UK, we tutor individuals and train bakers and healthcare professionals in Baking as Lifestyle Medicine (BALM). Personalising bread to your lifestyle, gut microbiome, and unique genetics for optimal health—tailoring fermentation, fibre, and diversity so that your daily bread becomes the foundation of your health.

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Can you please explain the Baking As Lifestyle Medicine (BALM) Protocol?

The BALM Protocol is integral to the course taught at The Sourdough School because it addresses the complex system of baking, eating, and sharing bread in a way that promotes health, well-being, and environmental sustainability. It simplifies this complex system by focusing on 7 core principles, which are grounded in evidence-based practices and the 6 pillars of lifestyle medicine.

By teaching the BALM Protocol, The Sourdough School provides students with a gold standard framework for creating and consuming bread that nourishes both the body and the mind while also supporting the environment. This holistic approach to bread-making ensures that students learn how to create bread that can prevent, treat, or modify non-communicable chronic diseases while also empowering positive change at various levels within the food system.

The BALM Protocol can be applied by individuals through prescription courses, by healthcare professionals such as GP’s, and by bakeries, as well as used to influence Population Health Management through industrial applications. By teaching the BALM Protocol, The Sourdough School enables students to understand the importance of each component, from using diverse Botanical Blend flours and fermentation techniques to promoting healthy eating habits and reducing the consumption of sugar and ultra-processed foods.

In summary, the BALM Protocol is an essential part of the course taught at The Sourdough School because it provides a comprehensive and evidence-based framework for baking, eating, and sharing bread that benefits physical and mental health and supports environmental sustainability. By learning and implementing the BALM Protocol, students gain the knowledge and skills necessary to create bread that nourishes and empowers positive change within the food system.

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