The Sourdough School

Centre of Research & Education in Nutrition & Digestibility of Bread & the Gut Microbiome

The bread that you eat every day has a powerful, influence on both your phyical and mental health. We teach a groundbreaking, evidence-based approach to bread to nourish your gut microbiome and support health. Our courses are open to wide range of people, including bakers and healthcare professionals to learn how to bake and eat beautiful bread as lifestyle medicine. "Vanessa’s work on sourdough and the gut microbiome is changing the way we think of food, health and baking.” - Tim Spector
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PARTICPANT INFORMATION SHEET

PARTICPANT INFORMATION SHEET

Title of Project: The effects of sourdough on the gut microbiome and mood

Your Questions Answered

Name of Investigators: Dr.Mariasole Da Boit,  Vanessa Kimbell

We would like to invite you to participate in our research study. Before you decide whether to take part, we would like you to understand why the research is being done and what it would involve for you. One of our team will go through the information sheet with you and answer any questions you have, and also provide more details if requested. Please, feel free to discuss it with others if you wish to, and take time to decide whether you wish to take part or not.

What is the purpose of the study?

Sourdough is long slow fermented bread.  There are studies in vitro that show that the long slow fermentation of bread delivers more bioavailability of phenolics in the flour. This, in turn, may increase levels beneficial gut microbes, which have been associated in increases in SFFA production and having a positive effect on mood. Most of this information is limited because it is either in vitro (meaning in a mechanical gut) or it is early days in a new area of understanding the effect of food on our mood. Therefore, the aim of this study is to look at the effects of eating wholegrain yeasted bread, and wholegrain sourdough bread on changes in the gut microbiome and in mood in healthy adults. The current study is a research project for my master’s in nutrition & Digestibility of Bread.

What does the study involve?

The study involves slightly different things for each group of participants:

  • Group 1  – The Sourdough group. This group will need to bake sourdough and eat 200g per day for 8 weeks
  • Group 2  – The Yeasted bread. This group will need to bake yeasted bread and eat 200g per day for 8 weeks
  • Group 3  – The control group. You will need to just maintain normal eating habits.

All groups will be asked to keep a mood score & food dairy

All groups will need to self-record weight.

Why have I been chosen?

We will recruit 16 non-smoking healthy students, within the De Montfort University student population, between the age 18+.

 Do I have to take part?

 Your participation is entirely voluntary, and you can withdraw from the study at any time, without giving a reason. If you decide to take part, you will be given this information sheet to keep for your records and be asked to sign a consent form.

I am interested in taking part, what do I do next?

If you are interested in taking part, please get in touch with Vanessa@sourdough.co.uk or phone 07707 480336 or Dr Mariasole Da Boit (e-mail address: mariasole.daboit@dmu.ac.uk, phone number 01162078137)

What if I agree to take part and then change my mind?

If you wish to withdraw from the study you can do this without giving a reason at any time. Any measurements collected will be deleted immediately upon request.

What is the procedure that is being tested?

Gut microbiome: this will be measured using a self-administered stool sample which you will need to return in the pre-paid box.

What are the possible disadvantages and risks of taking part?

  • Participating in this type of study will require you to dedicate some of your time to it. you ill need to keep a food diary to record what you have eaten according to the requirements of your group and score your mood each day.
  • Taking a stool sample may be slightly embarrassing for some people, but it is very similar to the kind of sample you might carry out medically for testing on the NHS and you will be provided with all the equipment and instructions needed to do this easily.

What are the possible benefits of taking part?

You will have access to a full gut microbial analysis which are indicators of your health status. Moreover, your participation will provide useful information which will be used to better understand the relationship between your food, your gut health and wellness.

You will also be given the opportunity to learn how to bake sourdough whichever part of the group you are with an online sourdough course and supporting materials. Either before or after your participation, depending on which group you are in.

What if something goes wrong?

If you are harmed by taking part in this research project, there are no special compensation arrangements.  If you are harmed due to someone’s negligence, then you may have grounds for legal action but you may have to pay for it. Regardless of this, if you wish to complain, or have any concerns about any aspect of the way you have been approached or treated during the course of this study, the normal University complaints mechanisms should be available to you.”

 Who can I complain to?

If you have any concerns about any aspect of the study, you should approach the investigator Dr Mariasole Da Boit (e-mail address: mariasole.daboit@dmu.ac.uk, phone number 01162078137), who will do their best to answer any questions. Should you wish to discuss a complaint with someone who is not part of the research study team you may contact the Administrator for the Faculty Research Ethics Committee, Research & Commercial Office, Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, 3.35 Edith Murphy House, De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH or hlsfro@dmu.ac.uk

Will my taking part in this study be kept confidential? 

All information collected is necessary for the execution of the study. All information which is collected about you during the course of the research will be kept on a password-protected database and is strictly confidential. You will be given an ID code which will be used instead of your name. Any identifiable printed information you may give will be anonymised and stored in a locked filing cabinet in the office at The Sourdough School Ltd, NN69DQ. As per De Montfort University requirements, all raw and analysed data will be kept for 5 years.  Only the investigators will have access to your information collected during the 2 visits, however, members of the faculty human research ethics committee may require access to check that the study has been conducted in accordance with the approval.

What will happen to the results of the research study

The results of this study will be used by Vanessa Kimbell studying for a master’s in Nutrition and digestibility of Bread under the biomedical sciences department of De Montford University to write a research article, and you will not be identifiable from these reports. The researchers will be happy to give you a copy of your results and findings of the study.

Who is organising and funding the research?

De Montfort University is sponsoring this study & Atlas Biomed & Puratos Ltd

Who has reviewed the study

This study has been reviewed and approved by De Montfort University, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Research Ethics Committee.

Contact for Further Information

If you require any further information or you would like to discuss the study with the investigators, please contact:

Vanessa Kimbell          E-mail address: Vanessa@sourdough.co.uk or phone 07707 480336

Dr Mariasole Da Boit    e-mail address: mariasole.daboit@dmu.ac.uk

phone number 01162078137

Register Your Interest

Sourdough Research Interest

 

 

                                THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!

 

THE GENDER GAP IN HEART DIAGNOSIS
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According to a report by the British Heart Foundation, more than 8,200 women died needlessly over a ten year period due to inequalities in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. Concerningly, women fare worse at every stage in their health journey for heart disease globally. 
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DID YOU KNOW?
-	Women get half as much heart attack treatment as men 
-	Women are 50% more likely to receive a wrong initial diagnosis than their male counterpart, increasing the risk of death by as much as 70%
-	Women are less likey than men to recieve standard treatments such as bypass surgery
We can and must do better, starting by tackling the false- and deadly- assumption that women are not at risk of heart attacks. In reality, women are twice as likely to die from coronary heart disease than breast cancer.
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🌾Whole Grain Consumption And Heart Disease Protection
There is a robust body of evidence that suggests whole grains can protect against coronary heart disease, alongside obesity and colorectal cancer.
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❤️ According to a senior dietician at the British Heart Foundation: "Eating more whole grains is a simple change we can make to improve our diet and help lower our risk of heart and circulatory disease." Opting for wholemeal or granary in favour of refined white bread is a simple, effective way to increase your whole grain and fibre intake. #hearthealth #healthyheart #wholegrain #feedthecells #lifestylemedice #bake2give1 #wholegrainbread #internationalwomensday
A NEW APPROACH

👉🏻 For the past 3 years we’ve been working on something incredible … prescription sourdough bread making courses for our @sourdoughclub members 

📈We have had amazing advances in healthcare, but there is no pill to cure poor diet. The best medicine is prevention via a healthy lifestyle, and many studies have shown that people who eat healthily and exercise regularly sleep better, have less anxiety and depression, have more energy, and lower their risk of chronic illness overall.

🙌 Vanessa’s work on Bread & the Impact on the Gut Microbiome has been turned into something extraordinary. Prescription bread-making courses as a lifestyle intervention, and the Bread Protocol we teach here is designed to address the way you live, exploring behaviour related to nutrition, physical activity, stress management, sleep, social support and environmental exposures. These courses are 12 weeks long, and designed to maintain health and prevent disease not just in individuals bit in patients and populations, so we have 2 ways to enrol on a course: 

1️⃣ SOCIAL PRESCRIPTION 
If your doctor or healthcare practitioner is one of  our Sourdough School graduates and they feel that this bread-making prescription course is something that will improve your health, then they may can prescribe the course for you as a social prescription free.

2️⃣ SELF PRESCRIPTION 
You can self-prescribe these courses by enrolling yourself on a course to improve your health and wellbeing.

📰 If you are interested in learning more about the prescription courses then please sign up to the newsletters as we will be announcing their launch over the coming weeks and months. 

@vanessakimbell
@drmiguelmateas 
@dralexdavidson 
@dksherratt 

#lifestylemedicine #preventativemedicine #systemschange #socialprescribingday #socialprescribing
IN 2016 WE TESTED BLOOD SUGAR RESPONSE TO OUR PUMP IN 2016 WE TESTED BLOOD SUGAR RESPONSE TO OUR PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH IN THE  CLASSES

Our students measured their responses throughout the #breadandguts #sourdoughschool & @vanessakimbell wrote the recipe up in her bestselling Sourdough School book.

✨ So good to read that a recent 2021 study on Glycaemic and Appetite Suppression Effect of a Vegetable-Enriched Bread ( mentioned by @theguthealthdoctor today see last slide ) where researchers looked at the impacts of veg-enriched bread compared to  commercial white bread and commercial brown bread on the insulin levels of people participating. 

The results showed that when the participants ate the veg bread they reported feeling more satiation versus when they ate the white or brown bread. 

👆🏼They also experienced a lower insulin response with the vegetable bread. 
essentially translating this science into practice before it was trendy 😂👆🏼👍

This image is taken from the @sourdoughschool book by @vanessakimbell, produced by @kylebooksuk, with photography by @nassimarothacker, styled by @season_adam & with foreword by @richardhartbaker
DID YOU KNOW WE HAVE AN ONLINE SHOP & CAN PURCHASE DID YOU KNOW WE HAVE AN ONLINE SHOP & CAN PURCHASE MY WHITE SOURDOUGH STARTER?
(with worldwide delivery)
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I have several sourdough starters but The French white starter is one that I have been using since I was 11 years old and originates in the bakery I grew up baking within France. It takes a bit longer to reach it’s peak and is generally slower and sweeter, and much more forgiving of being neglected for a week, so the one I recommend for beginners. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We have verbal confirmation that the starter originated over 115 years ago and If you swipe right in the video you can listen to me chatting to one of the older residents of the village confirming that bakery did not shut during the war either .. & it has been maintained ever since... it’s a lovely story. Although the microbes double every 20 – 30 minutes when they are refreshed ... so it is either over a century old or 30 minutes old depending on how you want to look at it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
You can purchase a pot of my starter, along with a grey moon kilner jar & a mini video course on looking after your starter. 
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TAP THE PICTURE TO SHOP.
 
Swipe right to see the amazing video of the French bakery where the starter originated from @vanessakimbell has been baking with this starter for over 20 years … and first baked almost 40 years ago with it …#romantic 
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#breadbosses #breadporn #flourwatersalt #breadtalk #bread #breadstagram #sourdough #sourdoughschool #bread #sourdoughlove #sourdoughlover #naturalleavened #leavening #levain #realbread #breadmaking #bakebread #makebread #makerealbread #learntobakebread #breadmakingclass #sourdoughstories #bakingforlove #bakingtherapy #sourdoughbaking #bannetons #bakery
UNDERSTANDING SOURDOUGH … starts, not in the bak UNDERSTANDING SOURDOUGH …
starts, not in the bakery, but in the soil.
#sourdough
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