To accompany feature “Back off on bacon?”

SCIENCE

Before reading:

1.    What does it mean to say something “increases your risk” of a disease?

2.    How often do you eat meat? What kinds of meat do you eat the most?

During reading:

1.    What is the WHO?

2.    What disease did the WHO report investigate?

3.    How much processed meat per day does it take to raise your cancer risk, according to this report?

4.    How does the danger of smoking compare to the danger of eating processed meats?

5.    What are some benefits of eating red meat?

6.    Name some examples of red meats.

7.    Name some examples of processed meats.

8.    What is a carcinogen?

9.    List at least three ways scientists think red or processed meats might lead to cancer.

10. What percentage of American children are obese?

After reading:

1.    How would you summarize the overall message of the WHO report? Should people who hear the results be worried or not? Explain that as part of your summary.

2.    According to this story, how can learning to cook your own food help you stay healthy?

MATH

1.    If two strips of bacon weigh 50 grams, what would be the total intake of bacon in a year if someone ate 2 strips of bacon every weekday? How about just on the weekend days? And if you live in the United States, convert your answers into pounds. (Show your work.)

2.    Overall, 5 in every 100 people in the United States develop colorectal cancer. How might that incidence number (rate) change if everyone ate 4 strips of bacon every day? (Show your work.)