Location: United Kingdom
Profession: Home Baker
About
Good bread is irresistible.... I like to keep it simple. A thick slice of fresh bread and creamy butter; dipping chunks in homemade soup on a wintery day; breaking off the end of a crusty baguette on the way home because you can't wait (and someone else might beat you to it!)
I am a home baker - making for me (trying to resolve health issues), family and friends.
My Work
I live in Sussex, and became interested in the health benefits of sourdough when I was recommended to try the FODMAP exclusion diet 6 years ago. This required
100% spelt sourdough, but it was difficult to buy on a regular basis (now I understand why!)..... but it started me wondering why sourdough was better for IBS.
I went to a couple of sourdough workshops, but soon realised that there were a lot of different variables. It was confusing and frustratingly, it wasn't as simple of following a recipe!
Eventually I found 'The Sourdough School' book & started to teach myself.... Then joined the Sourdough Club to understand more about the dark arts of sourdough...and the rest is history.
Passionate about Baking as Lifestyle Medicine
I have a longstanding interest in lifestyle/ functional medicine. My GP diagnosed me with IBS 30 years ago and told me there wasn't much that could be done apart from managing stress etc.
I always thought this was rubbish and that it must be possible to figure out what was causing the problem - and address it by adjusting my diet or adding in supplements etc to help repair/ nourish the gut. I soon realised this was not easy to do as a lay person - and finding professionals who understood this area was not easy. There is a lot of faddy nonsense talked about gut health, much of which is not based on robust clinical evidence.
Fortunately this is changing as research into the microbiome has exploded over the last few years. BALM provides a good framework for taking back control and improving overall digestive health.
My Community
I have spent most of my working life involved in planning and managing NHS projects, working out how to fund/ set up new clinical services. It is clear to me that: (a) the NHS is a bottomless money pit which focusses on disease rather than prevention/ keeping people well. (b) The pervasive influence of the commercial lobbies (pharma, industrialised food etc) is largely unchallenged. (c) Governments of all parties are not willing/able to challenge these lobbies or do the right thing to improve the health of our population.
The only way forward is for people to take personal responsibility for their own health...and the BALM protocol is a good way of starting this process and spreading the knowledge.
How I use BALM Protocol
I anticipate being able to share this knowledge with family and friends.
Beyond that, I am not sure yet. I am open to opportunities - I am coming to the end of my working life and looking for new challenges for the next chapter in my life