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Community Corner

Benevolent Baker Offers Tips on Gluten-Free Living

Sayville Library hosts class on eating, baking and living this lifestyle.

Nicole Bubolo, aka “The Benevolent Baker,” presented a seminar at the on May 26 on gluten-free baking and cooking.

Bubolo gave attendees some much-needed information on how to cook gluten free and have it still taste delicious. She has more than two decades of experience, ranging from teaching culinary professionals to doctors and nurses on cooking and eating gluten free. Through her business, Benevolent Kitchen, Bubolo donates her time, saying she educates and travels wherever there is a need.

In the process, she said she has learned a lot about celiac disease. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder in which the villi in the gastrointestinal tract receives damage from the ingestion of gluten-containing food. Gluten is formed when water combines with the proteins glutanin and gliadin. Gluten is present in all forms of wheat, barley and rye. When gluten is ingested, the villi of the small intestine inflame to protect the body from the alleged invader. When this reoccurs over time, the villi will eventually flatten and no longer absorb the vital nutrients the body needs.

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What about oats? Gluten proteins are not present in oats, Bubolo said, but they are easily contaminated. “Purchase only certified gluten-free oats,” she said. “Also doctors advise introducing oats gradually, up to ¾ of a cup a day. In other words, eat oats sparingly if you are living gluten free.”

The main focus of the presentation was how to work with the cooking and baking portion of living gluten free. “In living a gluten free lifestyle, mistakes happen,” she said. “The goal is always to be 100 percent gluten free but we are all human.”

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When searching for information on gluten-free living, Bubolo advised the attendees to use the Internet with caution. “Always check where the information is coming from and if there is some agenda,” she said. Many children with autism or other spectrum disorders have found great benefits from living gluten free.

Checking the labels is an important part of living gluten free. However, the FDA does not have a mandatory label for gluten free. Some companies opt to put it on the packaging. But don’t mistake wheat free for the same meaning as gluten free. “If something is made from wheat instead of corn, it will be on the label,” Bubolo said.

Bubolo also talked about some of the challenges of gluten-free baking. Structure, moisture, strength, binding and nutrition are all challenges encountered when baking gluten free. Mass-market gluten-free products have not caught up yet, she said. Their consistency and cost are high on the list, while taste and texture are lower on the list. One way to fix this while baking your own gluten-free products is to add more yeast and whisk and sift flours. Also, you can whip egg whites called for in a recipe.

For more information, visit benevolent.kitchen on Facebook or e-mail baker@benevolentkitchen.com.

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