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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418 - ‘Food and mood: how do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing?’. The BMJ. 369: 1-4

Reference Number: 418

Year: 2020

Authors: Firth, J. et al.

Link: Link to original paper

Health: Depression | Glycemic response | Gut Microbiome - Creating Healthier Bread to Support Optimal Gut Health | Inflammation | Lifestyle / Sleep | Mental Health

Summary

Key messages

  • Healthy eating patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet, are associated with better mental health than “unhealthy” eating patterns, such as the Western diet

  • The effects of certain foods or dietary patterns on glycaemia, immune activation, and the gut microbiome may play a role in the relationships between food and mood

  • More research is needed to understand the mechanisms that link food and mental wellbeing and determine how and when nutrition can be used to improve mental health

 

What does this mean for a baker?

This study gives a great overview of the links between diet and physical and mental health, as well as a discussion on connections between the brain and the gut microbiome. The research highlights how a Mediterranean diet can improve mental wellbeing, which includes high levels of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, and moderate levels of poultry, eggs, and dairy products. Limiting fast foods (those with a high glycaemic index and load) and incresing consumption of high fibre foods, such as sourdough, can have a direct effect on physical and mental health.

Try including more diversity in your bakes by using botanical blends. Combine a slice of your diverse sourdough loaf with a bowl of Kohlrabi and Lentil Soup.

Take a look at our courses at The Sourdough School

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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