I recommend eating natural foods all the time because I know foods that don’t contain toxic ingredients are better for our bodies. If you eat meat, choose natural meats from animals that haven’t been treated with growth hormones and antibiotics.
Now there are even more good reasons to go all-natural. A recent study found certain strains of E. coli bacteria that were causing urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women were the same strains found on antibiotic-treated chicken at the local grocery store.
Yeah. Gross.
Are you wondering, “how the heck?” Well, antibiotic-treated chicken may actually harbor bacteria that are more resistant because some bacteria can survive antibiotic treatment. These resistant bacteria live on the raw chicken and can be consumed if cross-contamination prevention is not practiced while preparing and cooking food. The bacteria can pass through the digestive tract without causing an infection in the gut, but these same bacteria can migrate to the urethra where they are not as easily tolerated, triggering a UTI.
What to do? Here are some tips:
- Buy chicken raised without antibiotics. If you can get organic, that’s even better.
- Prevent cross contamination by cooking chicken thoroughly, washing your hands before and after handling chicken. Thoroughly clean all utensils, cutting board and countertops with hot soapy water after preparing food (of any kind for safe measure).
- Do not use the same cutting board or utensils for raw vegetables that you used for the raw chicken
- To avoid UTIs, wipe from front to back, urinate after intercourse, and keep your gut balanced with a healthy amount of beneficial bacteria