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Vanessa Kimbell's Guide to Sourdough Bread

Understanding Bread's Influence on Health and Environment

Baking as Lifestyle Medicine is a transformative and systemic approach to systems change; because bread that nourishes is the foundation of good health, social justice, and a sustainable future
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Why is sourdough bread good for you?

10 February 2021 by Vanessa Kimbell

I am often asked if sourdough bread is good for you, especially when compared with bread made with fast-action/commercial yeast.

If you are eating real sourdough bread, then yes: I think it is fair to say that sourdough bread is good for you, because of the long, slow fermentation and the resulting transformation of the flour, on many levels, by the lactic acid bacteria and wild yeast.

Yeasted bread ferments far more quickly and therefore doesn’t possess the same benefits as sourdough. The long, slow fermentation makes a loaf of sourdough bread more nutritious, as the body can access and use more of the fibre, vitamins and minerals contained within the loaf. This fermentation time also reduces the gluten load, so that the sourdough bread is more easily digested, and it increases resistant starch, which can control blood sugar.

If you make your own sourdough bread or buy it from a reputable sourdough bakery, there will be no preservatives or emulsifiers in the loaf, and you can ensure that it contains better ingredients – preferably organic, local and more sustainable. It is important to make sure that what you are buying is real sourdough, as opposed to a quickly fermented loaf with added flavourings. How good a loaf of sourdough bread is for you, then depends on several factors, including whether it is made with white flour or wholegrain flour, and what you eat with your bread. The diversity within your baking ingredients will also affect how nutritious your bread is. It is important to note that everyone’s bodies are different, so some types of bread will suit some people more than others – this is why we recommend furthering your learning with us if you think that you need help with finding bread recipes that will be beneficial for you.

Additionally, the activity of making sourdough is relaxing and mindful, which can lead to better mental and physical wellbeing. We include this as part of our seven core principles at The Sourdough Club and The Sourdough School, which work together to nourish your gut, body and mind. Our seven core principles are:

  • increase fibre
  • increase diversity
  • ferment
  • increase levels of antioxidants
  • increase probiotics in your bakes
  • reduce refined sugar
  • make lifestyle changes that support the body as a whole

Our goal here at the School and the Club is to develop and bake the healthiest sourdough bread we possibly can. We hope you enjoy joining us on this journey.

Vanessa x

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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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Vanessa Kimbell

About Vanessa Kimbell

Vanessa Kimbell is the Course Director The Sourdough School, a world-renowned centre of research & education in bread, the gut microbiome and the impact of bread on health based in Northamptonshire. She is currently working on her Doctorate and 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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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. John Harding

    11 February 2021 at 7:59 am

    If for ‘good for you’ were substituted the phrase ‘somewhat less bad for you’ I would accept the arguments. Encouragement for the eating of grain products of any kind does not sit well with all that we now know about the growing pandemic of diabetes. I unfortunately love sourdough bread. But would we tell people that bullets with reduced lead content were good for them?

    Reply
    • Kate

      2 May 2022 at 7:54 am

      *Refined* grains are never going to be strictly good for you, however, whole grains are an important part of a healthy diet: against type 2 diabetes; for bone health and for heart health. So enjoy your tasty sourdough but make it with at least 50% wholegrain bread flour – I can assure you it works and is delicious.

      Reply
  2. Janet Catesby

    10 February 2021 at 11:40 pm

    Since making and eating sourdough bread, I NEVER buy any commercial bread. It’s been nearly 10 years and I feel great on the change. As for the taste, incomparible??

    Reply

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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.

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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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