The Sourdough School

BREAD COURSES || NUTRITION TRAINING || DIGESTION ANALYSIS || PERSONALISED BREAD

Learn to bake, eat, and share the healthiest bread in the world. Discover how to bake as Lifestyle Medicine from the walled gardens of Dr Vanessa Kimbell’s beautiful Victorian home in rural Northamptonshire in the UK, where we train healthcare professionals, teach bakers, and support individuals to bake personalised bread using nutrigenetics and gut health assessments.

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A Discussion about BALM key topics with Professor Tim Spector | Research Level

 I am delighted that this module was first introduced by one of my favourite people – Tim Spector, and his work and encouragement over the years have underpinned this course. He is The Founder of Zoe and one of the most pioneering scientists, activists and sourdough bakers I know.

I  consider Tim to be one of “the titans of social justice’ pointing out that his work addresses health disparities and promotes equitable access to optimal health.

BALM ( – Baking as Lifestyle Medicine) key aspects discussed with Professor Tim Spector

BALM is a multidisciplinary approach to bread. As part of your course, you will learn about the destructive impacts of ultra-processed food on both health and the environment and the interests of the agricultural, pharmaceutical, and food industry giants who dominate the food that we eat. Our interest is specifically in bread, but this is a predominantly ultra-processed food. In the video above, you can listen to Professor Tim Spector chatting with Vanessa about some of the key topics covered in the courses.

Vanessa occasionally refers to Spector as the “Mick Jagger” of the gut microbiome. But she is more often heard referring to Spector’s work as ” social justice,” Whether you decide to attend one of our courses or not, we suggest in read Spectors books and follow his work at Zoe. Time and time again, Spector lifts the lid on the invisible influences of industry on our health and, more specifically, on the health of our gut microbiome, which is the reason that Vanessa refers more often to Tim as one of “the titans of social justice’ pointing out that his work addresses health disparities and promote equitable access to optimal health.

Spector’s research on the gut microbiome has shed light on the interconnectedness of human health, diet, and lifestyle, highlighting the importance of diversity and balance in the gut microbiota for overall well-being. Throughout the courses, we encourage our students to use BALM as a framework to empower others with equitable access to nourishing bread and nutritious diets.

If you enrol on one of our courses, then you will discover and appreciate more how Spector’s research underpins the BALM protocol and learn why understanding the role of the gut is integral to democratising bread.

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All reasonable care is taken when advising about health aspects of bread, but the information that we share is not intended to take the place of treatment by a qualified medical practitioner. You must seek professional advice if you are in any doubt about any medical condition. Any application of the ideas and information contained on this website is at the reader's sole discretion and risk.

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