Today, we’re going to talk about how the color of your urine can tell you what’s going on inside your body. Urine is filtered blood. Nephrons recycle good materials back into the blood and remove toxins and waste through your urine.
If you have clear urine, you’re drinking too much water. Too much water dilutes sodium and makes you dehydrated. Hydration is achieved with the right amount of electrolytes and the right amount of water. Only drink water when thirsty, especially when you’re not working out or sweating.
Normal urine color should be amber, yellow, or straw-colored. The yellow color comes from a pigment in your blood.
Red or pink urine usually signifies blood. This can be caused by a kidney stone, infection, or something more serious. Menstruation can also contaminate the urine, turning it pink. Always seek help from your doctor if you suspect that you have blood in your urine.
Orange urine or fluorescent yellow urine is usually the result of synthetic vitamins, especially B vitamins. It can also be the result of dyes from certain medications. Orange urine can also signify underlying gallbladder or liver issues, but this is not very common.
Blue urine is caused by methylene blue, certain medications, and artificial colors. Sometimes, asparagus can turn your urine green!
Dark brown urine means you’re dehydrated and need more fluids. Very dark brown urine could potentially point toward a liver problem.
If your urine has a normal color but is foamy, your protein consumption may be too high. Foamy urine may also potentially be caused by chronic kidney disease. Foamy urine often occurs in diabetics. If you have foamy urine, try cutting your protein intake to see if it helps.
Cloudy urine usually signifies infection. Most UTIs are caused by E. coli bacteria. Too much sugar in the diet can feed this bacteria.