I know this may sound a little strange, yet normal for some folks, but have you been checking the color of your pee? If not I think you should start just to be updated. You don’t want your pee to be a dark or too light yellow. I’ve always wondered what causes our pee to change to colors. Also, what are the negative effects of this color change and could it be prevented?
First off why is urine yellow? No one fully understands it or where the color originates from. Mayo Clinic explains why urine is yellow. Urine is yellow from the pigment, urochrome- a yellow biochemical compound which is found in urine. This is why our urine is yellow. Urine is mainly consisted of water and waste material to flush out the things we have been eating and drinking. Our urine changes color because of the food we sometimes eat, but mainly what we drink. Dr. Melissa talks about some foods that can change the color of your pee. She mentions black berries, beets and food coloring. Also, another factor of your pee turning dark yellow is you aren’t drinking enough fluids-water. Water keeps you hydrated and if you aren’t drinking enough you can serious harm yourself by being dehydrated and having to seek hospital help. You could possibly have blood in your urine don’t know it. An unhealthy bladder can lead to cancer and infections. The next time you check your pee look at this pee chart to determine what color it is. The Cleveland Clinic provides a “The Color of Pee” chart for you to tell you about your body and what you need to do to lighten your pee or un-lighten it.
So to save trip from the hospital, don’t forget to peek at your urine the next time you pee. Start checking it often to make sure everything looks normal.
What stuck out to me about this post was that certain foods such as black berries, beets and food coloring have the ability to change the color of your urine, while other foods do not. Although my research did not give me a specific answer on why only certain foods can change your urine color, it did give me more examples of foods that impact urine. These foods include rhubarb, carrots and asparagus, which actually all turn your urine a different color. You can read more about this at http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Womens_Health_Watch/2010/June/urine-color-and-odor-changes.
You say you don’t want your urine to be too light yellow, but I’ve always heard that the clearer the urine, the more hydrated you are. Is it possible to be over-hydrated? That’s something I’ve never heard of, but now seems to me to be very possible. Looking at the chart provided by the Cleveland Clinic, I suppose you really don’t want your urine to be as clear as possible. I guess I should start drinking a little less water then.