How’s Your Urine?

The color of your urine is an important indicator of your body’s health.

urine color chart

Many of us don’t give much thought to the color of our urine before we flush it. The basic details of urine, such as its color and frequency, provides information about what’s going on inside your body. Water, juices, the foods we eat, vitamins and medications along with our general health will effect our urine’s color and how often we go.

Pee is your body’s liquid waste, mainly made of water, salt and chemicals called urea and uric acid. Your kidneys make it when they filter toxins and other stuff from your blood. A bunch of things in your body like medications, foods, and illnesses, can affect how yours turns out.

How’s Your Urine?

If you are normal and healthy, urine color will generally a pale yellow to gold. These colors come from a pigment your body makes called urobilin, also called urochrome.

The shade, light or dark urine, also changes. If it has no color at all, that may be because you’ve been drinking a lot of water or using a diuretic. Very dark colored urine could be a sign that you’re dehydrated and need to get more fluids right away. It may also be a warning sign of liver problems, so ask your your doctor.

Pink, red or orange urine color

Pink or red: Some foods like beets, carrots, blackberries and rhubarb may turn your pee a pinkish-red color. This can also be a side effect of medications like the antibiotic rifampin, or a drug for urinary tract infections called phenazopyridine.

Always check with your doctor if your pee is pink or red. You might have blood in your urine. It doesn’t always mean there’s a problem, but it can be a sign of kidney disease, a urinary tract infection, prostate problems or a tumor. Check with your doctor right away.

Orange: When your pee is the color of a citrus-flavored soft drink, it could be because related to recent vitamin B2 usage, or a prescribed drug or antibiotic. Depending on the color, orange urine could be symptom of dehydration. Ask your doctor.