The Sourdough School

BALM – Proven as one of the healthiest approaches to bread in the world.

Discover how Baking as Lifestyle Medicine can transform your gut and mental health—through bread. Based in the walled gardens of Dr. Vanessa Kimbell’s beautiful Victorian home in rural Northamptonshire, UK, we teach individuals, bakers, and healthcare professionals to bake Proven Bread. Developed by Dr. Kimbell—widely recognised as a global authority on bread and health—this functional nutrition approach uses nutrigenetics to personalise each loaf for optimal health.

+44(0)7813308301
[email protected]
Follow on Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Student Login

Schedule a Call to Learn More

Bread Delivery Waiting List

Navigation
  • Home
    • About The Sourdough School
    • Contact Us & FAQ
    • Reviews
    • Request a Callback
    • Where to stay & more
    • The Team
    • A Social Enterprise
    • General FAQ’s about The School
    • Contributors & Guest Tutors
    • What Our Students Say
    • Login
  • Courses
    • Workshops
    • Bake For Health Retreat
    • Tuscan Retreat
    • Diploma
    • Priority Access: Join the Waiting List
  • Personalisation
    • Assessments
    • Fresh Bread Subscription
    • Prove it – The Case Studies
  • Our Approach
    • Baking as Lifestyle Medicine (BALM)
    • Personalising Bread
    • 12 Week Student Support Pack
    • Bread as Preventative Health
    • Personalising Bread Using Nutrigenetics
    • Training Bakers & Healthcare Professionals
    • Diversity Bread™
    • BALM & Bread in The Blue Zone
    • Proven: Bread Podcast
  • Admissions
    • Request a callback
    • Location, Opening Hours & Course Days & Times
  • Shop
    • Our Flour and Ingredients
    • Our Books
    • Equipment
    • Flours From Farmers Directory
    • Add Farmer to the Directory

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.

How Proven Bread supports Detox Pathways

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

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Email Sign Up

BANT Member
Lifecode GX

Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2025 Vanessa Kimbell
Call +44 (0)7813308301 | Email [email protected]
Registered in England & Wales: 08412236
Website by Callia Web