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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bookings@sourdough.co.uk
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Can I prescribe BALM to any patient?

Eligibility criteria guidance

We do understand that this lifestyle prescription has limitations.  We are not a gluten-free baking system, so we are not suitable for anyone with coeliac disease or wheat allergy. However, much of our best work is with people suffering from IBS or needing support with blood sugar balance or managing appetite, as wholegrain bread is much more filling than ultra-processed carbohydrates. Our healthcare practitioners will need to ensure that patients to whom they give a prescription have the following:

  • access to a suitable device and the internet in order to be able to register online and watch the tutorials
  • access to a kitchen with an oven
  • access to simple equipment, including a bowl, a wooden spoon and a bread tin or ovenproof dish
  • a good command of the English language (the courses are currently all in English)
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