To the chagrin of some dentists, evidence continues to mount that sodium fluoride isn’t something to smile about. In fact, it could actually be one of the biggest health risks of our time.  In recent years, organizations like the Fluoride Action Network (FAN) have attempted to broaden awareness about the toxicity of fluoride and provide comprehensive and up-to-date information about its effects. And it’s not FAN that thinks so. Sources such as Natural News, Prevention Magazine and even the Wall Street Journal have all questioned the merits of the fluoridation of drinking water. So is Fluoride really bad for you and why is it being added to our water?

The story begins as many stories do when well-meaning folks try to mimic something in nature and it goes astray. Way back when, people recognized the positive effects of calcium fluoride in drinking water and wanted to replicate it. Thus, Grand Rapids, MI, began adding sodium fluoride — a less expensive version of calcium fluoride — to its water supply in 1945. The key difference being that calcium fluoride is naturally occurring and sodium fluoride is not. Not to mention that sodium fluoride is a synthetic waste product of the nuclear industry and often contaminated with lead, aluminum and cadmium.

For decades after sodium fluoride was first introduced, it became synonymous with bright, vibrant smiles. That was until reports started to surface that stated otherwise. For instance, a National Research Council (NRC) panel of dentists, toxicologist and epidemiologists determined that fluoride levels in drinking water are too high and might actually damage teeth (isn’t that ironic). Disturbing reports out of India revealed that children have been crippled and even blinded after fluoride was added to their drinking water.

Fluoride has also been cited for causing depression, creating liver and kidney damage, weakening the immune system and even promoting cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. However, even as more detrimental evidence comes to light, many are still convinced of the benefits of sodium fluoride, which is slowing any widespread call for removal.

What can I do to protect myself from sodium fluoride?

Thankfully, if you are concerned about excessive fluoride exposure there are many strategies you can take to lessen your risk. Beyond opting for a fluoride-free toothpaste, you can find other easy tools to avoid it and/or help alleviate its potential ill effects. Iodine and lecithin and careful cleansing of the liver have been touted for helping the body extract fluorides. AquaLiv, a revolutionary water filtration system is one of the only water filtrating systems available today that safely removes fluoride without stripping water of its nutrients.

Well, it’s finally turkey day,  so I thought it might be fun to travel back through history and take a look at the year 1620 and the whole colonial experience — how we became Americans, and why we eat turkey and mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving.

As far I can tell, around 1620, the Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower and sailed from Holland looking for New Amsterdam, but landed on Plymouth Rock instead.  They called it Plymouth because Massachusetts was so hard to spell.  They had a tough time of it because of religious persecution and tight shoes, and had no food at all except weevils — that is until the Indians showed them how to make cranberry sauce and turkey and sweet potatoes with marshmallows.  (The Indians were not Native Americans at this time.)  It was mostly winter in Plymouth, so the Pilgrims kept warm by burning witches.  Later they were all killed in the Boston Massacre, except for Benjamin Franklin, who escaped to Philadelphia and invented the light bulb.

That was pretty much all there was to Massachusetts or Plymouth until the Harvard-Yale game.  When not watching football, the pilgrims spent much of their time praying and hosting tea parties, but they did not serve tiny sandwiches.  Cotton Mather, an ancestor of “the Beaver,” was head man in Boston until the Irish took over and invented coffee.

At about the same time, Sir Walter Raleigh set sail in hopes of discovering Plymouth Rock himself.  He landed in Virginia by mistake and named it after queen Virginia Dare of England.  Queen Virginia later became King James, who founded Jamestown and wrote the Bible there.  Raleigh eventually sailed for Philadelphia, but tripped on his cloak and landed in the Tower of London, where he was unknighted and beheaded.  (Apparently, colonial people spent a lot of time being lost, because it was before maps were invented, I guess.)

Anyway, the Virginia colonists flourished, living largely on tobacco, which was not hazardous to your health at the time.  Most of them became wealthy planters — well, except for the slaves.  The colonists spent much of their time smoking and dancing and feasting on ham, but there was no turkey or gravy. There were a few wars, of course. Mostly between Captain John Smith and Captain Miles Standish, who fought over who would get to marry Pocahontas.  Capt. Smith won, so Capt. Standish went off to hunt down a white whale. But that’s another story.

That’s pretty much all there was to Virginia, at least until Thomas Jefferson turned it into a university.

While the Virginia colonists were busy smoking, William Penn, who had made a fortune in motor oil, founded Penn State, where everyone could live together peacefully except for the French, the Indians and anyone who didn’t play football.  They did not have turkey or mashed potatoes; or if they did, they kept quiet about it, probably because the French and Indians would want some, too. As you may know, Philadelphia was named for Penn’s son, Phil, who became famous for predicting six more weeks of winter.

You might also be interested to know that Pennsylvania was the site of the French and Indian War, in which the British were on the good side.  George Washington, who was English at the time, won that war and then made the French live in Canada, where they invented hockey and stored their milk in bags. Because it had good food and electricity, Philadelphia was where all the conventions were held until Chicago was discovered, but that was much later.

That was pretty much all there was to Penn State, except for the Liberty Bell being cracked when Aaron Burr accidentally shot it with a muskrat.

Now, this was about the time that Henry Hudson sailed for China on the HMS Bounty, but landed in New Holland by mistake, where he became known as “Pennsylvania Dutch.”  Hudson bought New Amsterdam from the Indians for a few beads and quickly renamed it New York, New York – after the song.  Unfortunately, nothing more is known of that colony.

Well, that’s about all there is to know about the colonial experience. Next year, I’ll tell you about the time George Washington threw a cherry pie into Boston Harbor and started the Civil War.

Let’s talk turkey.

More specifically, let’s talk turkey labels.

If you haven’t done so yet, you’ll likely be headed to the store in the next day or two, looking for the perfectly plump bird to set in front of your family for Thanksgiving. These days, in addition to choosing the right weight to provide enough leftovers for turkey sandwiches—but  not so much that you are serving turkey tetrazzini 10 days later—there are a lot of different labels. Let’s take a look.

First of all, don’t spend too much time looking for turkey labeled as cage free. That’s because turkeys aren’t raised in cages, so they are all cage free.

Free-range, though, is a label growing in popularity. To qualify for free range labeling, the birds must be able to roam freely, and to have appropriate access to the outdoors.

Some turkeys are starting to show up in the meat counter bearing Non-GMO labeling. This is a bit of a tricky one because there aren’t any genetically modified turkeys approved for sale to the public. The labeling, though, provides assurance that the turkey was fed a diet verified to contain less than 0.9% genetically engineered feed (that level is allowed because of the unavoidable cross-contamination of GMOs in non-GMO feed.

Then, there are a slew of humane certification labels, like Certified Humane and American Humane Certified. These are labels that confirm that the birds were raised in humane conditions as verified by auditors working for the non-profit agency that authorizes the use of that label.

Of course, the easiest way to make sure that you are selecting a turkey that meets all of those qualifications is to look for the USDA organic seal. Any bird certified as organic has to have access to the outdoors, be fed a diet free of GMO material, and raised under humane care standards.

That will help you sleep better after that huge Thanksgiving dinner.

This little treat just arrived from City Cosmetics. I have no idea how it made it into my mailbox? But given it is pumpkin – and a martini, I am so doing this!

In case you would like to join me in a little pre-holiday celebrating, here is a recipe for a yummy cocktail, complete with all the rationalizations you could ever want for why it’s good for you.

Pumpkin Pie Martini

• 3 Tbsp vodka
• 2 Tbsp half and half
• 3 Tbsp canned pure pumpkin puree
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1-2 pinches pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional, for a stronger flavor)

Put all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. (If you don’t have a shaker, two slightly different-sized glasses will do.) Shake vigorously, then strain into a martini glass. Enjoy!

For a non-alcoholic treat, just trade out the vodka for 3 Tbsp low-fat milk.

Now you might be wondering… WHY is this cocktail so good for my skin?

Pumpkin is chock-full of Vitamin A, a well-known anti-aging vitamin that helps rebuild skin and create a healthy glow.

Pumpkin Pie Spice contains nutmeg and cinnamon, which help improve circulation to oxygenate and heal tissues.

Maple Syrup is rich in manganese, a mineral that stimulates healthy collagen production for firmer, more lifted skin.

Vodka may aid in healthy blood flow when consumed in moderation, and contains fewer skin-damaging contaminants than darker liquors. Choosing a higher-end vodka that’s at least triple distilled will ensure that it’s extra pure.

Vanilla is high in the antioxidants that help prevent fine lines and wrinkles from forming.

Of course, whenever you’re drinking alcohol, make sure you have a tall glass of water too to stay hydrated (and keep skin from drying out!).

And remember – overdoing it can actually make your skin look WORSE, so enjoy responsibly! 😉

Lead product Formulator “Victoria” instructs us to “stay beautiful.”

Will do Victoria – and THANK YOU!

Thanksgiving dinner is traditionally a sprawling affair of all-day cooking and company, a feast for gathered friends and family. Some years, however, travel arrangements fall through, the extended family is out of town, and your friends are otherwise engaged. Without a large group to feed, the customary turkey and trimmings meal may seem like overkill; what, then, to cook for a party of four or fewer?

Here are a few of my favorite alternatives for your menu-planning-consideration; additional bonus of going outside the box? No competition in the grocery store, and no last-minute “all the turkeys are gone!” panic.

Show-Stopping Substitutes for Turkey:

Gigot de Sept Heures (7 Hour Leg of Lamb)

I love this recipe more than words can say; I first encountered it in Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles cookbook and it is decidedly worth the effort. One note? Don’t skip the pastry seal. It’s messy but oh-so-worth-it.

Intimidated by 7-hours? Perhaps Ina Garten’s 4 Hour Lamb or Roast Duck in under two hours may tempt you.

If poultry is your preference, check out this Bastilla recipe; in three hours you can create one of the most delicious chicken dishes going; bonus points for impressing your guests with an exotic twist to your menu. For simplicity and salivation, don’t overlook a well-roasted chicken.

Vegetarians needn’t sacrifice flavor or showmanship- check out these tasty savory pastries, Three Sister’s Squash, and for a dramatic appearance see what really big beets bring to the table.

Finally, check out fellow Oatie Sebrina’s cranberry and cherry compote; good enough to eat on it’s own and well-paired with most of the above options, you needn’t skip the cranberry sauce this season.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration, big or small.