Proven: This podcast will change the way you think about bread

Podcast Intro Spotlight Meet the voices joining us in this episode: Jo Feakes — a trusted, fully qualified Nutritional Therapist based in the UK, with over a decade of clinical knowledge. Jo empowers clients with real food, personalised science, and a warm, practical approach to health. David Wright, The Breaducator — a third-generation baker, academic, and author of Breaking Bread: How Baking Shaped Our World. His words remind us that bread is never just bread—it carries values, history, and the power to define what we stand for. Mike Key, known for Eating Your Environment, who’s lived—and eaten—radically by traversing Iceland on a traditional Inuit diet. His experience brings a profound, environmental lens to how we nourish our bodies. Our Proven Bread Students, shining human stories in this journey: Lucy, whose life changed at a dinner table simply by tasting bread with soul — she felt unquenchable desire to learn to make it with intention. Jenny, who gifted us with rose-petal vinegar, and shared how her own hands and heart became part of the bread’s living story. These voices frame a conversation that isn’t just about food—it’s about health, story, activism, and connection.

Twice during this podcast, I had to fight quite an emotional response — which really surprised me. - You can also watch this Podcast in the Sourdough School here and find the links to the book to buy We’ve all become a little numb, haven’t we? The news cycle grinds on — summits, politicians, empty words. But this conversation is something else entirely. This podcast is about bakers and bread — and what it’s like to bake in a war zone . To make sourdough in a city being bombed. To feed people when there’s nothing. Felicity Spector brings stories from Ukraine that are so raw, so real, they stop you in your tracks. Her book, Bread and War , is written with prose that transports you: to bakeries under siege, to soldiers eating syrniki in flak jackets, to mothers and sons separated, to families baking against the odds. It’s humbling. It’s human. It’s filled with quiet courage. And it reminds us that bread — real bread — has no borders. I have Russian students. I have Ukrainian students. I teach people from 84 countries around the world. Bread has no boundaries. We need peace. We need to put the weapons down and bake together. I don’t believe bakers make war. I believe politicians sell weapons and grab land. Forgive my non-partisan stance, but I won’t take sides. I will say that Felicity is possibly one of the most inspiring journalists I’ve had the privilege to interview. This episode is one I urge you to listen to. And please — buy the book. Bread and War is as close as you’ll get to the truth of Ukraine without being there yourself.

How we can use Nutrigenetics to Personalise Bread Nutrigenetics is the study of how an individual's genetic makeup influences their response to nutrients and dietary intake. It investigates how genetic variations affect nutrient metabolism, dietary requirements, and the risk of developing certain diseases. In essence, nutrigenetics explores the intricate interplay between genes and nutrition Emma Beswick, the founder of Lifecode GX and Dr Vanessa Kimbell have an in depth discussion on bread and Nutrigenetics and how this can can help determine which types and amounts of fibre are best suited for an individual's digestive system, potentially reducing bloating and improving gut health. We touch on how understanding individual responses to carbohydrates can inform the choice of grains and bread types, potentially aiding in managing blood sugar and energy levels. We chat too about genetic variations and some examples of how this can affect nutrient absorption, so tailoring bread to an individual's needs can ensure optimal intake of essential vitamins and minerals. Vanessa share some of the things she uses the Lifecode GX for in the way she approaches Bread in the way she designs loaves using Botanical Blend flour to address specific health needs, such as supporting mental well-being through folate intake or managing inflammation We explore moreIndividuals with polymorphisms in the MTHFR gene may benefit from increased folate intake, which can be enhanced through sourdough fermentation or the inclusion of folate-rich ingredients. Bread isn’t just food—it’s functional nourishment, and every ingredient in each blend of flour and the way you ferment your bread has a purpose.

Episode Title: Professor Tim Spector Chats with Dr Vanessa Kimbell about Bread, Health, and Social Justice Episode Description: In this thought-provoking episode, Dr Vanessa Kimbell and Tim are hiding out in the basement of Daunt books chatting just before Tim's book launch. Tim and Vanessa have known each other many years and Tim bakes his Sourdough as a lifestyle Medicine approach to Bread. Tim is the world's leading microbiome scientist and in this episode Vanessa asks him about his thought on the role of bread in our health, our culture, and our future. Vanessa and Tim have dived into Bread many times inclusion on the Zoe Podcast on Bread . Tim share more on real impact of bread on blood sugar, the gut microbiome, and social equity. Professor Spector reflects on his personal experience baking BALM bread at home – drawing on Spanish influences and his own journey with baking as lifestyle medicine – while also offering a clear-eyed look at the reality of our current food system. Topics include: How Tim’s blood sugar responds to different kinds of bread – and why fibre, fermentation and ingredients matter deeply The health benefits of rye and diversity in the diet over a lifetime Bread as both a major source of fibre – and an overlooked contributor to chronic illness when ultra-processed Vanessa’s bold proposal for legislation to protect public health from mass-produced, ultra-processed bread A playful exchange around utopian ideals and corporate responsibility , including Tim’s suggestion of adding health warnings to industrial loaves Highlighted is the enormous disparity in bread pricing – and what that says about health inequality How easy and empowering it can be to bake your own bread, and why BALM offers a practical, evidence-based path to nourishment This is a generous and encouraging conversation between two of the most influential voices in bread, gut health and nutrition. Tim offers both critique and hope explaining to listeners that you can bake at home - even as busy as his is ( Vanessa dedicated the 10 minute Sourdough School book to Tim from a previous humorous exchange form man-years earlier) , bread can be medicine, community, and justice in every slice . Whether you're a healthcare professional, baker, policymaker or someone simply trying to eat better, this episode will leave you informed, inspired, and ready to see bread in a whole new light. Here is a recipe for Tim Spectors Zoe Bread.