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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A framework for change

How BALM enables systems change

"The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking." Albert Einstein:

In this section you can find feature and articles on how (BALM) protocol is an innovative framework that revolutionises how we approach health, nutrition, and well-being. Sharing knowledge and understanding with bakers globally the impact of educating bakers is both far-reaching and transformative. In this section, you can learn on how BALM redefines the role of bread in our society and empowers others to support community health and build more equitable and sustainable food systems for all.

Wheat growing in a field

BALM Delivers More Fibre to People – Supporting the Gut Microbiome

Farmer holding grains

BALM and Flour Fortification

Fresh carrots for sale at a farmers market

BALM Avoids Chemical Cocktails

BALM Starts with the soil – Soil is Not Dirt

BALM reframes the way we understand the impact of bread on the environment.

The BALM Protocol: A Framework Revolutionising The Way We Approach Bread for Global Well-Being

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