Healthy Living

Greetings friends. Brother Carlton here. Life has a way of teaching us lessons—sometimes through pleasant experiences and sometimes through painful ones. If we are willing to reflect on those experiences, they can make us wiser and help us avoid mistakes that might cost us dearly later.

The Bible reminds us in Proverbs 4:7, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” When it comes to our health, that wisdom often comes from paying attention to what we learn through experience, research, and careful observation.

Millions of Americans suffer from painful urinary tract infections every year. Most people assume these infections are simply caused by poor hygiene. But researchers studying this problem have begun to discover something surprising—something that may actually be sitting in your refrigerator right now.

Understanding Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections, commonly called UTIs, occur when bacteria enter the urinary system. This system includes the urethra, bladder, and kidneys. Once bacteria enter and begin multiplying, inflammation and discomfort can develop.

Common symptoms include burning during urination, pressure in the lower abdomen, cloudy or strong-smelling urine, and frequent urges to urinate. If the infection spreads to the kidneys it can become much more serious, sometimes producing fever, back pain, or even bloodstream infection.

In the United States alone, roughly 10.5 million people visit a doctor each year because of UTIs, and another 3 million end up in emergency rooms when the pain becomes severe.

What has surprised many researchers is that the number of cases is rising worldwide. Between 1990 and 2021, global infections increased by more than 66 percent, reaching an estimated 4.49 billion cases.

A Surprising Connection Between UTIs and Meat

Researchers studying UTIs in Southern California examined bacteria collected from more than 23,000 people diagnosed with infections. They compared those samples with bacteria found in meat sold in grocery stores.

Using genetic analysis, scientists discovered something unexpected. Some infections were linked to E. coli strains that originally developed in food animals.

These bacteria can enter the human body through contaminated meat. Once inside the digestive system, they may eventually migrate into the urinary tract where they can cause infection.

In the study, approximately 18 percent of UTIs were linked to animal-derived bacteria. Turkey and chicken showed some of the highest contamination rates in the research.

In lower-income communities, the numbers were even higher. Researchers found that more than 21 percent of infections in high-poverty neighborhoods were linked to these animal-derived strains. Limited access to higher-quality food may increase exposure to contaminated products.

For people who suffer repeated UTIs despite good hygiene, this research raises an interesting possibility. Sometimes the problem may not be personal habits at all, but what enters the body through food.

The Often Overlooked Role of Drinking Water

Food is not the only possible source of harmful bacteria. Another exposure route most people encounter every day is their drinking water.

Studies around the world have detected E. coli bacteria in water systems. Most monitoring programs focus on digestive illness, but some strains of E. coli can cause infections outside the gut, including urinary infections.

Everyday activities such as drinking water, brushing teeth, preparing meals, and bathing all create opportunities for bacteria to enter the body.

For that reason, I personally drink filtered water and have done so for several decades. This is not meant to create fear about public water systems, which do a great deal to protect public health. It is simply an additional precaution I take for myself. Many people prefer to add an extra layer of filtration for peace of mind.

A friend once told me something that has stayed with me over the years. He said, “If you want the best health possible, you often have to become your own physician.” What he meant was that personal responsibility plays a big role in our health. Doctors do remarkable work treating illness once symptoms appear, but many lifestyle factors—diet, hydration, sleep, and environmental exposures—are things each of us must pay attention to ourselves.

The apostle Paul also reminds believers in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you… therefore glorify God in your body.” That alone should encourage us to think carefully about what we put into our bodies and how we care for the health God has given us.

A Personal Lesson About Kidney Stones

Speaking personally, I once experienced a painful kidney stone that sent me to the emergency room. At the time, I had been drinking Monster energy drinks almost every day to stay alert and keep my mind working at full speed.

After that episode, I began researching possible contributing factors. Some health literature suggests that calcium oxalate kidney stones can form when certain compounds combine with dehydration, and some researchers have raised concerns about frequent consumption of highly concentrated energy drinks for that reason.

I cannot say with certainty that this was the cause in my case, but the information I discovered was enough to make me reconsider that daily habit.

This is simply something to think about for those who regularly consume these types of beverages. Many energy drinks contain large amounts of caffeine and stimulants. Moderation and proper hydration are always wise considerations.

A friend of mine named Derek also shared a sobering story about one of his employees. According to Derek, the young man regularly drank two large 20-ounce cans of Monster energy drinks every day. Sadly, the man later died from a heart attack, and his girlfriend was the one who discovered his body. Of course, heart disease can involve many different factors, and it would be impossible to say what role any one habit played. Still, stories like this remind us that extremely high intake of stimulant-heavy beverages may not be the wisest long-term choice.

Simple Steps That May Help Protect Urinary Health

Understanding where infections may come from can help people make better choices.

Choosing higher-quality food whenever possible may reduce exposure to harmful bacteria. Meat raised in cleaner environments may carry fewer contaminants than products from crowded industrial facilities.

Kitchen hygiene also plays an important role. Washing hands after handling raw meat, using separate cutting boards for meat and vegetables, and cleaning kitchen surfaces thoroughly can reduce bacterial spread.

Staying well hydrated helps flush bacteria from the urinary tract. Some natural foods, such as cranberries and compounds like D-mannose are also believed to help prevent bacteria from attaching to the bladder lining.

Simple hygiene habits may also reduce infection risk.

A Final Thought

One lesson life keeps teaching me is that good health rarely happens by accident. It usually grows out of the small choices we make every day—what we eat, what we drink, how we care for our bodies, and how much attention we pay to the signals our bodies give us.

Doctors and hospitals play an important role when illness appears, but long before that moment arrives, each of us has the opportunity to make wiser daily decisions.

As the apostle John wrote in 3 John 1:2, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” That is a beautiful reminder that our physical well-being and spiritual life are not separate things. Both matter, and both deserve our careful attention.

In many ways, protecting our health begins with a simple question we should all ask ourselves from time to time:

What am I putting into my body today and will it help me tomorrow?