WHAT THE URINE COLOR STATES ABOUT YOUR HEALTH

Did you know that your urine tells a lot about you?

The smell, consistency, and colour of your urine can be used to determine your way of life as well as the state of your health. At least 95% of urine is water, whereas the rest is a concoction of components that include chloride, urea, potassium, sodium, creatinine, among other dissolved ions.

Urine is commonly yellow in colour, and this is attributed to the existence of urobilin, which is a biochemical waste product formed from the breakdown of old red blood cells.

You will find the following urine colour chart quite helpful:

1. Transparent.

Appears like: Water.

This is an indication of over-hydration, which can water down vital salts, such as electrolytes, thereby creating a troublesome chemical imbalance in your blood.

2. Light yellow urine colour.

Appear like: Pale straw colour.

This is an indication a well-hydrated body. Keep up the excellent work!

3. Cloudy.

Appears like: An unclean martini.

A urine colour with a dirty martini seek to it could be a manifestation of a bladder infection. The cloudiness is occasioned by mucus, proteins, and tissues that are breaking down and coalescing.

4. Medium yellow urine colour.

Appears like: Lemonade.

You should drink some water as you might be dehydrated.

5. Dark yellow.

Appears like: Apple juice.

You seriously need to drink something. It may also be caused by heavy intake of  B vitamins.

6. Orange.

Appears like: Tang.

You are certainly dehydrated and you need water. According to Jill Buckley, M.D., orange-hued urine colour might also indicate the presence of bilirubin, which is a yellow-colored by-product of the natural breakdown of old red blood cells.

7. Pink.

Appears like: White Zinfandel.

This could be blood or you might have eaten plenty of beets. According to Sur, just a drop of blood in urine turns it pink, and you should see a urologist in this case. It could be due to an infection or an early indication of bladder cancer.

8. Darker pink.

Appears like: Cabernet.

This could be an indication of a significant amount of blood in your urine, and it might be a sign of a potential bladder infection or cancer. Also, kidney stones can trigger blood in the urine.

9. Dark pink.

Appears like: Red wine.

This is a great deal of blood, especially old blood that turns dark as it embolisms and breaks down.  According to Sur,

“The existence of old blood is really worrisome because it suggests a substantial amount of blood”

Likewise, it could mean that whatever is causing the bleeding has actually existed for a while. Sur says that if there is a great deal of (possibly old) blood,

“I want to put a scope inside. As far as I’m worried, it’s cancer up until tested otherwise.”

10. Brown.

Appears like: Coke.

This can be attributed to certain drugs, such as an antibiotic called metronidazole and the anti-malarial chloroquine. Bingeing on fava beans or rhubarb can also offer urine color of a cola-like color. That flat Coke appearance can  also be triggered by some kidney and liver disorders, or from excessively intense exercise. 

The muscles utilize myoglobin to catch oxygen for energy. Hence, exaggerated exercise can  trigger substantial muscle damage, making the myoglobin to seep out into your blood stream and through to your urine. This causes the urine to turn dark brown. In such situation, you need to visit a physician for a myoglobin urine test; excess myoglobin in the blood can overwhelm the kidneys, leading to kidney failure.

11. Blue/Green.

Appear like: A Jell-O shot.

Excessive consumption of foods tainted with synthetic dyes can paint your urine in carnival colours. 

It could also be the case of negative effects of medication like Uribe, which is used in the treatment of UTIs. The effect is attributed to the component methylene blue. It is harmless, nonetheless. 

Just continue taking your medication with plenty of water without worries.

Check out this graphic for more information:

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 The potential health risks of bagged  and prepackaged lettuce

Nothing really beats the convenience of pre-packaged, pre-washed greens — especially is you’re cooking for a big family or don’t have a whole lot of time on your hands.

In fact, more than 70% of U.S. households consume packaged or bagged salads — which make up part of a nearly $7 billion industry.

But considering all the reports of diseases and other potentially harmful and unhealthy things that may be lurking in those prepackaged bags — on top of the fact that you’re supposed to wash the contents anyway — they may not always be the safest choice.

The potential health risks 

According to the CDC ( a federal agency that conducts and supports health promotion, prevention and preparedness activities in the United States, with the goal of improving overall public health ), Listeria is a harmful germ that can hide in many different types of foods.

When food contaminated with the germ is consumed, it can lead to a serious infection called listeriosis — which causes 1,600 illnesses and 260 deaths every year, according to the CDC.

While anyone can get sick, the CDC says the infection ‘is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems.

Why you need to be careful with prepackaged lettuce/salad

The problem is, while many packages contain ‘pre-washed’ greens, sometimes even ‘triple-washed,’ they can still contain harmful disease-causing bacteria, like Listeria, salmonella or E. coli, which can’t always be rinsed off.

Read more: Why sparkling water may not be as healthy as you think

After an outbreak a few months ago, the CDC issued a warning that “consumers do not eat, restaurants do not serve, and retailers do not sell packaged salads’ that were produced at the same facility where Listeria was found. 

Prepackaged vs. non-packaged greens

So why is bagged lettuce more at risk of containing bacteria than a regular old head of lettuce you buy at the store?

Bagged greens typically contain younger leaves, which have a higher risk of contamination. According to Jeri Barak, associate professor of plant pathology and executive member of the Food Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, “Data suggests that bacteria (Salmonella and E. coli) can enter wounds, such as the harvesting cut, and travel some distance into a leaf. 

But fresh produce that’s harvested as a head has longer leaves and is more mature. 

A consumer has the opportunity to remove part of the head away from the harvest cut and eat leaves in which a pathogen did not reside in the harvest wound.”

On top of that, a lot more steps are required to get bagged lettuce from the harvesting stage to your local grocery store — which means more opportunities for contamination. 

Plus, many prepackaged greens contain more than one type — so spinach carrying bacteria could not only contaminate bags of spinach, but it could also contaminate bags of mixed greens and any other packages containing the same spinach.

Some research suggests that the inside of the bags can even foster the growth of bacteria.

And don’t assume organic greens are exempt — they are no more or less likely to carry harmful bacteria.

So when it comes to bagged greens, the health risks are still low, but if you have the option of choosing prepackaged or non-packaged, the latter is the safer choice — and you should still rinse and clean the produce as thoroughly as possible.

Read more: 8 Best Essentials Nutrition Strategies

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            source: healthrisks

 

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