Baking eating and sharing bread to improve physical and mental health
Using a robust evidence-based baking protocol combining the evidence of thousands of years of baking with modern clinical insights, we offer comprehensive training to bakers and healthcare professionals, providing students with the tools to use baking in everyday practice as a wellness intervention.
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Baking as Lifestyle Medicine for Bakers and Clinicians
The Certificate: Bakers Application for The EJ Osborne Makers Social Discount Award
The EJ Osborne Makers Social Discount Award
EJ was funny, inspiring, handsome and generous. I have never known anyone to make me laugh as much as he did. I miss him every day and hope that some of his love and creativity is reflected in the BALM Certificate.
Applications are now open for bakers to apply for the EJ Osborne Award for a reduction in the registration fee, as this award reflects his love for creativity, community, and inclusion.
In loving memory of our dear friend and extraordinary craftsman, EJ, we are proud to introduce the EJ Memorial BALM Baking Certificate Award. EJ’s creative genius, love for nature, and unmatched skill in greenwood carving left a lasting impression on everyone he met, including us here at the Sourdough School.
He was not only a believer in community and creativity but also a talented craftsman who left a lasting impact on our school. He made all the tools I use here at the School, demonstrating an understanding of both the art of baking and the nuance of craftsmanship.
Working with greenwood, EJ would create tools specifically tailored to the way I baked and shaped my bread. His hands transformed freshly harvested wood found in the woods he loved, infusing each piece with linseed oil and beeswax to protect the wood and bring out its natural shades.
His creations were more than mere tools; they were extensions of his belief that everyone is a maker and that creativity should be accessible to all. The precise design of these tools, molded to fit the particular needs of our baking process, embodies EJ’s dedication to community, creativity, and his love for making things.
We are forever grateful for EJ’s contributions to our School and the laughter, courage, and love he shared with us.
Should you wish to discuss your application, you may speak to Vanessa directly in the 4pm open live sessions.
50 % EJ Osborne Award Apply here
Why we created the awards to help other to be the change?
A lifetime of understanding
Thirty years ago, in 1992, two events happened in the same week. I ate my very first Green and Blacks chocolate bar. I savoured and celebrated each piece of a farmer cooperative fairly produced chocolate. The same week I was part of a group helping to collect and analyse data in the psychology department for one of the largest food and beverage groups in the world. Our work was on decision-making at the point of sale. The purpose of the study was to provide evidence of how to manipulate human stress responses to elicit a favourable response to maximise profit. We ran focus groups and product tests to determine the most favourable outcomes. Witnessing first-hand the extensive research on how to influence free will was chilling and gave me a unique insight into how the global food giants were consciously subverting public health.
I have always known that the food industry creates refined food that is more addictive than cocaine. Ultra Processed food manufacturers make foods, and baked goods specifically with bliss points to be so irresistible that it has hijacked our brain chemistry, often advertised to the poorest people and minorities.
As I learned more, I realised that we are starving and harming the microbes in our guts that produce the metabolites that our brains and bodies need to function. This isn't just food injustice. This is slow-motion genocide, as our food system is also one of the main drivers of climate change.
Most bread is harming both our health and the environment.
The Awards are to help the people that want to be part of the change to join the systems change programme.
We created the Awards to make our systems change programme affordable to join for people who want to join but need some financial help to be able to participate.
Apply for a 50 % Social Discount Award
Apply for the 100% Award?
Please fill in this application:
Annie Elliot: Award Application for General Practitioners and Medical Consultants
The Annie Elliot Award is a substantial financial assistance package designed to make the BALM Diploma more accessible to Healthcare providers:
We are pleased to invite applications for our exclusive award, designed specifically for medical professionals committed to the advancement of the BALM protocol. This opportunity is open to:
General Practitioners (GPs): Physicians specializing in family medicine, primary care, or general practice.
Medical Consultants: Medical specialists providing expert advice and consultation in specific fields
The wards are for practitioners who are dedicated to their professional development in the field but may require some financial support. It is recommended to review the specific eligibility criteria and application processes for both parts of the award to ensure the best possible chance of success.
Learn how to challenge the threats from food inequality
As part of our mission at the Sourdough School, we believe in the power of baking as a lifestyle medicine and an act of activism. By enrolling in our courses, you become a part of this transformative journey. Our students come here not just to learn the art of bread-making but also to grasp how a shift in our food systems can revolutionize the entire concept of bread.
We acknowledge that overhauling our current food system towards a more equitable and sustainable model is a multifaceted challenge. However, it is a challenge that requires immediate attention. Research has shown that our gut microbiomes respond to changes in our diets over a very short period. With our climate changing at an alarming rate, these issues are intrinsically connected.
By engaging in our courses, you are contributing to this necessary change. You are gaining the knowledge and skills to bake sourdough bread, yes, but you are also learning to understand the broader implications of your choices. You're becoming an advocate for healthier eating, a more sustainable food system, and a healthier planet.
In a sense, our students are the change-makers. By learning with us, you're moving towards a healthier lifestyle and a more sustainable world. Together, we can make a significant impact. We invite you to join us on this inspiring journey.
What makes a successful applicant?
The section " How will you use the knowledge once you have graduated?" asks you what you are proposing to do with Baking as Lifestyle Medicine and why this is important to you. Here are our tips for successful applications:
Successful candidates will demonstrate a clear understanding of the needs of the patients in their community and propose how they will apply the knowledge of Baking as Lifestyle Medicine to their practice.
We suggest that you provide a clear rationale, including who you feel that you will be prescribing for and why you are motivated in particular to work with Baking as Lifestyle Medicine. Please include specific aims and well-defined criteria of how you will apply the knowledge.
We recommend that you take time to write this and then cut copy paste it into the form. Please keep this concise and make it as easy as possible for us to understand, and remember to include which country you are in, if you are not UK based.
Acceptance
Should you be accepted on the course you will sent a voucher to the value of your award, and be invited to enrol via the standard course booking process.
Unsuccessful applications are reviewed and deleted after 3 months.
We have limited spaces on our programmes, we therefore ask that in applying below you agree:
To pay any fees outstanding by the 30th September.
Agreed not to accept an award if you cannot fully commit to the programme. We have a limited number of places, so before applying please check out the number of hours required for the course you are applying for.
You understand that the scholarship programme is for online courses only, and discounts cannot be transferred to in-person courses.
Baking a Lifestyle Medicine (BALM) is more than a program - it's an empowerment model. It provides tools and knowledge that enable individuals to take charge of their health and the health of their communities through the simple yet transformative act of baking.
Here's how BALM operates as an empowerment model:
Self-Efficacy: By teaching participants the art of baking as a form of lifestyle medicine, BALM enhances their confidence in their ability to manage their own health and well-being. This can be a powerful motivator and a catalyst for sustained lifestyle changes.
Knowledge Sharing: The program encourages participants to share their newfound knowledge with their communities, spreading the benefits of BALM far beyond the individual participant. This fosters a sense of purpose and contribution, which can be deeply empowering.
Community Building: Baking and sharing bread can help create and strengthen social bonds, fostering supportive communities that can collectively work towards better health outcomes.
System Disruption: BALM empowers participants to challenge and disrupt unhealthy food systems by choosing to bake nutritious bread and sharing these healthier alternatives with others.
The BALM awards reflect this empowerment ethos. They aren't simply financial aids; they're recognition of the potential within each recipient to create meaningful change. They provide resources to those who may otherwise be unable to access this transformative education due to financial constraints. By removing this barrier, the awards empower recipients to take control of their health, become knowledgeable advocates for healthier lifestyles, and contribute positively to their communities.
In short, the BALM awards are about empowering individuals to become agents of change in their own lives and in their communities, using the power of baking as a catalyst for healthier lifestyles and systems
Application for a reduction in the Registration fee:
All reasonable care is taken when writing about health aspects of bread, but the information it contains 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.
Baking a Lifestyle Medicine (BALM) is more than a program - it's an empowerment model. It provides tools and knowledge that enable individuals to take charge of their health and the health of their communities through the simple yet transformative act of baking.