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.
Personalisation of bread refers to the tailored approach in bread-making, where the ingredients, fermentation process, and baking methods are specifically adapted to suit individual dietary needs, health concerns, and personal preferences. This concept moves beyond the one-size-fits-all model of bread production, focusing instead on creating bread that is unique to each individual's physiological and nutritional requirements.
Ingredient Selection: Personalisation might involve choosing specific types of flour, seeds, nuts, or additional ingredients based on dietary needs or health goals. For example, someone with gluten sensitivity might opt for gluten-free grains, while another might incorporate ingredients high in fibre for digestive health.
Fermentation Process: The fermentation process can be customised to enhance digestibility and nutritional value. For instance, a longer fermentation period can help break down gluten and antinutrients, making the bread more digestible and beneficial for gut health.
Nutritional Profile Tuning: Personalising bread can also involve adjusting the nutritional content to meet specific health objectives, such as increasing protein content for muscle building, or incorporating ingredients rich in certain vitamins and minerals.
Taste and Texture Preferences: Personalisation also caters to individual taste preferences and textures, ensuring that the bread is not only healthy but also enjoyable to eat.
Lifestyle and Routine Integration: The bread-making process itself can be tailored to fit individual lifestyles and routines, making it a sustainable and enjoyable part of one’s daily or weekly habits.
In the context of the BALM protocol, personalisation of bread is fundamental. It aligns with the principle of creating nourishing, health-promoting bread that fits effortlessly into one's life, reinforcing the importance of dietary choices in overall health and well-being.
