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Sourdough for Health

Internationally recognised as a leading authority on bread nutrition and digestibility, Dr Vanessa Kimbell holds a doctorate in Baking as Lifestyle Medicine and preventative healthcare.

Have you ever wondered why some breads make you feel tired, foggy and achy — or been puzzled that some leave you bloated while others don’t? If you can eat sourdough but not other bread, these articles and recipes are a great place to spark curiosity: learn how bread interacts with the gut microbiome, discover how your unique nutrigenetics shape your response, and read practical, evidence-based guidance. Cutting through the nonsense with clear, useful explanations, Vanessa shares tips, information, advice, recipes and methods to bake, eat and share healthy bread to support digestion and overall health. You can read more about training in personalising bread at The Sourdough School, or book a 1:1 meeting to get your bread personalised.

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Heath Care Providers: Training In Prescribing Baking As Lifestyle Medicine

Unlock Better Health with our 12 week Bread & Gut Reset Course

12 August 2025 by Dr Vanessa Kimbell
Baker stands with the proven bread on a bakery rack
Proven bread on racks
Unlock Better Health with our 12 week Bread & Gut Reset Course

From Michelin Star Bread to to launching our Gut Health reset Course that delivers our Proven Bread to Your Door

These past few weeks have been hectic but exciting with the launch of my 1-day Introduction to Baking as Lifestyle Medicine course for practitioners and the new 12-week Proven Bread gut reset course. Which delivers bread made with my signature Meadow Blend Flour straight to your door, this flour is milled by Hodmedods and used in breads enjoyed at the Fat Duck, developed alongside Seven Seeded Bakery and baked by Peter Cook’s Bakery. The mushroom fibre in the flour, sourced as a by-product from Bristol Fungarium, pays farmers for what would otherwise be waste. This kind of regenerative sourcing is rare and not yet at commercial scale, but it’s central to the Proven Bread mission of system change.

Each loaf is made with over 30 plant-based ingredients, which provide polyphenols, prebiotics, and 6g of fibre per slice. These feed beneficial gut bacteria, which in turn help regulate immunity, digestion, and even mood. The Proven Bread has even reached the British Baking Awards finals, which feels incredible.

The Proven Bread subscription is more than just bread delivery. It’s a lifestyle and health empowerment journey backed by science and real-world results.

Explore the Proven Bread Gut Reset Course

The Science Behind Proven Bread: Gut Microbiome and More


This course grew from the growing understanding of the gut microbiome’s vital role in overall health. Fibre diversity and fermentation are key to supporting beneficial gut bacteria, which impact everything from digestion to mental wellbeing. My research, including dietary intervention studies for my doctorate, showed that eating this bread regularly can lead to weight loss, better sleep, reduced bloating, lower blood pressure, and improved mental health. You can read more about the benefits in our case studies.

Research by Dr Jamie-Lee Cronje at King’s College London, alongside Professor David Veale at Bethlem Royal Hospital, tested my Proven Diversity bread against a common white bread. Participants eating my bread felt better physically, but mental health scores improved most in my own studies, where baking and learning were part of the journey. It was proof that nutrition is only part of the puzzle yet empowerment and understanding create lasting change.

See Proven Bread Case Studies
the sourdough school
proven bread
Vanessa teaching milling at the school

Why This Course Is Different: Empowerment Over Convenience


The Proven Bread course isn’t just about receiving bread. It’s about learning why this bread supports your health and how to eat it mindfully. You’ll be encouraged to complete simple self-assessments, tracking your blood sugar, weight, and blood pressure over three months.
This empowerment approach, rather than passive consumption, is what drives the most significant benefits. The course connects soil, farmer, miller, baker, and you. Making it a true circular system that supports health from farm to table.

Join the 1-Day Intro Course

Why So Few Places Each Week?


Each week, only 10 new spots open. The bread is hand-baked in small batches using handmade tins and boxes crafted from scrap cardboard. The subscription profits fund training for bakers and healthcare professionals, reinforcing system-wide change. If you miss out, join the waiting list, more places release weekly as capacity grows.

Join the Healthy Bread Course Today


If you’re ready to take part in a course that goes beyond bread delivery to support your gut health and wellbeing, this is it. Alongside your bread shipments, you’ll gain access to lessons, tracking tools, and a community dedicated to better health. The Proven Bread subscription truly makes your daily bread work harder for you, combining traditional baking, cutting-edge science, and mindful eating.

For those who want deeper engagement, you’ll be encouraged to do intentional self-assessments, tracking blood sugar, weight, and blood pressure over three months. Sharing these results with me and your GP if possible, grounds this course in real-world empowerment and health impact.

Start Your Gut Reset Journey Now

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.

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Dr Vanessa Kimbell

About Dr Vanessa Kimbell

Dr. Vanessa Kimbell is a leading expert in nutrition and the digestibility of bread. Her doctorate focuses on Baking as Lifestyle Medicine and preventative health, specialising in personalising bread for gut health and genetics. She is the Course Director at The Sourdough School, a world-renowned centre of research and education in bread, the gut microbiome, and the impact of bread on health, based in Northamptonshire. She is currently writing her 6th book and is a best-selling international author.

More information about Vanessa can be found:
The Sourdough School team page: About Vanessa Kimbell

The Sourdough Club: thesourdoughclub.com

Instagram accounts: @SourdoughClub
@SourdoughSchool @vanessakimbell

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Previous Post:Nutrigenetics Poster on the wall in the bakery of rate healthier Bread at the Sourdough SchoolDid we evolve genetically to eat bread? Learn about the new Proven Bread course with bread posted out to you
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Todays live for diploma students will be on 'How t Todays live for diploma students will be on 'How to engage your patient in the lifestyle changes of the BALM' with @vanessakimbell 

In their 6pm live session, we help keep our students on track with the syllabus and discuss the application of Baking As Lifestyle Medicine to the 6 pillars of Lifestyle medicine, applying the research papers, application of the Research, and how this ties into prescribing, along with guest lecturers, discussions and sharing knowledge.

#lifestylemedicine #health #functionalmedicine #nutrition #integrativemedicine #healthylifestyle #wellness #lifestyle #rcgp #dietitian #nutritionist #healthcareprofessional #holistichealth #healthyliving #plantbased #guthealth #naturopathicmedicine #selfcare #functionalnutrition  #naturopathicdoctor #foodasmedicine #foodismedicine #lifestylegoals #cpd #lifestylechange #mentalhealth #sourdough #sourdoughschool #bakeforhealth
BAKE, ANALYSE, EAT; RECALIBRATE & REPEAT. 📆 Th BAKE, ANALYSE, EAT; RECALIBRATE & REPEAT.

📆 The Sourdough School Clinic - Thursdays 8pm - for students of The Sourdough School 

✏️ In this weekly live session, we cover technical baking questions. Students can submit their Baking Record Sheets in advance of the session.

📋 We look at the details of our student's bakes - the specifics of the flour, timings and temperatures. Using our sourdough record sheets Vanessa will make suggestions on how they might modify, or recalibrate the next time they bake.

Follow the link in the bio to learn more about becoming a student at The Sourdough School 👆

#sourdough #sourdoughschool #bread #sourdoughlove #sourdoughlover #naturalleavened #leavening #levain #realbread #breadmaking #bakebread #makebread #makerealbread #learntobakebread #breadmakingclass #sourdoughstories #bakingforlove #bakingtherapy #sourdoughbaking
IBS AWARENESS MONTH Do you suffer from irritable IBS AWARENESS MONTH

Do you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)? It can be tough to deal with the uncomfortable symptoms of stomach cramps, constipation, diarrhoea and bloating. But did you know that making dietary changes, such as incorporating sourdough bread into your diet, could help alleviate some of those symptoms?

Studies have shown that sourdough's long, slow fermentation process can reduce IBS symptoms. Plus, during #ibsawarenessmonth, we're exploring how adding different herbs and spices to your sourdough can further improve both the flavour and the digestion of your bread.

Let's talk about gut health, fermentation, and how sourdough can be a delicious and healthy addition to your diet. Join the conversation and share your experiences with IBS and sourdough.

#guthealth #healyourgut #healthygut #guthealing #guthealthmatters #letfoodbethymedicine #foodasmedicine #gutbrainconnection #nutrientdense #micronutrients #digestivehealth #nutritionfacts #microbiome #breadandguts #ibsawarenessmonth
THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL – HAND CARVED WOODEN LAME THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL – HAND CARVED WOODEN LAME

One of the biggest issues around using a plastic lame to score sourdough, of course, is that eventually the blade will become blunt and the lame could end up in landfill.  So several years ago I talked to my dear friend EJ about developing a lame with a replaceable blade. And he came up with this very beautiful hand carved wooden lame.

Very sadly EJ is no longer with us. Recently a friend of EJ’s who is also a wood turner and carver offered to make these again for us in remembrance of our dear friend.

Follow the link in the bio to our shop where you can find our full selection of wooden sourdough tools 👆

#sourdough #sourdoughschool #bread #sourdoughlove #sourdoughlover #naturalleavened #leavening #levain #realbread #breadmaking #bakebread #makebread #makerealbread #learntobakebread #breadmakingclass #sourdoughstories #bakingforlove #bakingtherapy #sourdoughbaking
The Baking As Lifestyle Medicine (BALM) Protocol The Baking As Lifestyle Medicine (BALM) Protocol

The current food system is broken at multiple levels, from the pesticides used in our soils to the emulsifiers and additives adulterating industrially-processed foods. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the bread we eat.  The figures reported by the UK Flour Millers say that bread is bought by a staggering “99.8% of British households” and that “the equivalent of nearly 11 million loaves are sold each day. Approximately 60-70% of the bread we eat is white and sandwiches are thought to account for 50% of overall bread consumption. Average bread purchases are the equivalent of 60.3 loaves per person per year.” 

Most bread sold is made by modern processing methods that strip heart-healthy whole grains of their nutrient contents, resulting in low-fibre bread with a high glycemic index. Over time, white processed bread can increase a person’s risk of insulin resistance alongside other lifestyle diseases.

We’re on a mission to revolutionise the bread making process at every level – from soil to slice. The rules governing this are laid out in our Baking As Lifestyle Medicine protocol. 

#lifestylemedicine #health #functionalmedicine #nutrition #integrativemedicine #healthylifestyle #wellness #lifestyle #rcgp #dietitian #nutritionist #healthcareprofessional #holistichealth #healthyliving #plantbased #guthealth #naturopathicmedicine #selfcare #functionalnutrition  #naturopathicdoctor #foodasmedicine #foodismedicine #lifestylegoals #cpd #lifestylechange #mentalhealth #sourdough #sourdoughschool #bakeforhealth
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