BALM: Advancing Bread Nutrition Through The Sourdough School's Global Initiative

BALM (Baking as Lifestyle Medicine) is a guiding philosophy and practical framework.  Not all bread is created equally, and so it was created to lay out the principles for healthier baking practices that not only nourish the human body but also contribute to the overall health of the ecosystem.

BALM was developed as a holistic approach to baking that extends beyond the act of making bread, integrating the broader environmental, social, and economic systems involved in bread production that underpins the courses that we teach and BALM licences.

BALM protocol is how we are able to facilitate the systems change strategy to impact every stakeholder in the ecosystem positively.  It is a framework that fosters a unified approach to baking as a form of preventative healthcare. This protocol is key to understanding, and as you learn, you will discover how each part of the system influences the next from grain growers, millers, bakers, healthcare professionals, and, ultimately, consumers.

BALM is not just guidelines to approaching the way  we approach bread and baked goods, but a structure that works with the systems change programme

It is toward better health outcomes and a more sustainable and equitable food system. It achieves this by directly linking baking and consumption practices with lifestyle medicine, driving innovation and change throughout the entire bread-making industry. It provides an opportunity for stakeholders to participate in a movement that improves both individual health and the overall health of the environment and society.

Thus, BALM is integral to this ecosystem as it weaves together the threads of health, education, and environmental sustainability into a coherent, actionable system for change. It is the heart of this "Nourishing Bread Ecosystem.