Urine is a subject that people don't talk about because it's gross and we don't want to think about it. The benefit of checking our urine, however, is that we can see what's going on inside our bodies and can make an analysis of what we can do to increase our health and bodily functions. Color and odor are the two things that most people use to figure out what their body is up to and what needs to change to become healthier.
Color and what it means
There is a pigment in urine that is called urochrome, and this pigment changes the color of our urine based upon how concentrated it is. Colors are usually of yellow decent and the hue of it shows what our body needs as far as water. If your urine is of a darker or more intense yellow it means that your body is in need of more water because it's retaining it for other functions. Because your body retains this water you end up having a more dark yellow hinted urine and the simple solution is to drink more water. There are some medical conditions that can also cause this, but I won't go into that as I'm not a medical specialist. The lighter the hue of your urine the more well hydrated you are. If you have clear or very light yellow urine this means that your body is flushing out excess water and you have plenty of water in your system. It doesn't mean cut back on water, it's just a signal that because you have clear or light yellow urine your body isn't desperate for water.
Most urine is of a yellow hue, but urine can also turn different colors such as green, blue, orange, and red. Green and blue urine is usually caused by medications and this is generally nothing to worry about as this will go away once the medication has worn off and out of your system. I have heard of people's urine turning slightly orange after having something to eat such as carrots because of the nature of the food. The only color you should be concerned about is if it turns red because the only known cause of red urine is blood in the system. It may not be a severe problem but it is never good seeing blood in your urine. Check in with a doctor if you should ever have red urine and see what's going on
The other notable factor people take in when they investigate their urine is the odor. The color is easy to understand and so odor is the other one we need to know more about. Most of the time urine won't have any smell at all or just a slight smell from the waste in your body. If you have a strong odor then it can mean one of two things. The first thing it could mean is that you had a type of food item that really has a notorious cause of making urine smell like salty beef or asparagus as these food items process in our bodies and release these compounds that cause intense odor smells in our urine. This means nothing and as you drink more water and flush it all out of your system the odor will disappear. The other cause is if you have a condition like kidney stones or other serious medical issue. This is something only a doctor can tell you more about and it's important to visit one quickly if you know you ate food that doesn't cause odor problems. Just get a checkup once in a while and see if any problems arise and you should be fine.
Flush it down
These are the two things people can take away of what's going on in their body when they urinate. Odor and color are these key indicators and from the knowledge you've just read you can begin to deduce any changes in your diet or routine that need to be changed. When we urinate we are releasing excess water and also any harmful chemicals and waste products in our body so if you frequently urinate it's not always a problem because when you are sick or drink a lot of fluids the body is getting rid of those things which is a wonderful thing. It's really nice knowing when you are sick that you are frequently going to the bathroom because your body is working double time getting waste products and dead cells out of your body. As for odor, again it's usually just what you ate and flushing it out of your system will result in a day or two of unpleasant smells and then it's gone. If you stay well hydrated the color of your urine should be light or clear and if it's not simply taking back a few bottles of water will solve that problem easily.