n this forum, we will explore topics related to this week’s lesson.  Our nutrient needs change as we age and this week you learned about nutrition during the adult years; the phase of the lifecycle in which we spend the most years.

Alcohol is nutrient poor, calorie-rich beverage many people drink.  The CDC reports that more than 3/4ths of Americans have consumed at least one alcoholic beverage sometime in their life.

Initial Post: For your initial forum post, pick one of the following topics. 

Topic 1:  Compare and contrast the healthy benefits of drinking alcohol with the negative effects.  Are there any benefits?  

Topic 2:  Many people believe there is a “fountain of youth” that can stop the aging process, allowing youth to remain. Is there a particular product that is the fountain of youth or a combination of diet and lifestyle?

Topic 3: Discuss the dietary changes needed to slow development or prevent cancer or heart disease.  Find one reputable website related to the disease you picked and describe the dietary recommendations.

Your initial forum must be at least 250 words and posted by Wednesday, 11:55 pm EST. You need to state your thesis and support it with evidence and at least one outside, reputable reference. Your textbook is not an outside reference. Remember, there is no right or wrong. Before you post your initial forum discussion, submit it in the assignment area, so its originality is checked by turnitin.com. Your originality index or score should be less than 15%. If it is greater than 15%, rewrite your discussion, submit it again in the assignment area and check the %. Keep doing this until your % is less than 15 and then post your discussion in the forum.  Please note, it can take 24 hours for the second submission to be checked, and the score returned.  If you do not check your post, then I will take points off.

Follow-up Posts: Once you have posted your initial forum discussion, you must reply to at least two other learner’s post.  One of your responses must be to the topic that was not your initial forum topic. Of course, you are welcome to respond to more than two posts. Your follow-up forums must be at least 100 words