Changes in the colour of your urine can reveal important information about your health. If your urine takes on a hue beyond what's normal, it can be indicative of something wrong with your health. In general, the normal urine colour varies from pale yellow to deep yellowish-brown, which is a result of a chemical pigment in the urine called urochrome.

1. Red or Pink

- When your kidneys, urethra, bladder or any other urinary tract organ gets infected or inflamed, blood cells get leaked into the urine, giving it a red hue. The causes behind the presence of blood can be urinary tract infections, kidney cysts, kidney stones, enlarged prostate and even cancer. Taking blood thinners can also cause you to have blood in your urine.
- Certain foods like blackberries, rhubarb and beets can cause your urine to turn pink.
- The use of certain medications like a particular class of antibiotic used in the treatment of tuberculosis can turn your urine red. Likewise, a drug used to numb discomfort in the urinary tract can cause a red/pink discoloration of your urine.

2. Blue or Green

- The consumption of coloured food dyes containing green or blue pigments can cause you to pass urine of such hues.
- Certain anti-depressant and anti-inflammatory medications can turn your urine green/blue.
- A very rare medical condition called familial benign hypercalcemia (fbh), characterised by high levels of calcium in thE blood and low levels of the mineral in the urine can cause your urine to turn blue.
- Green urine can also occur if your urinary tract gets infected by the pseudomonas bacteria.

3. Dark Brown

- Having large amounts of these foods - aloe, rhubarb (a type of leafy green) and broad beans can cause you to pass dark brown urine.
- Certain anti-malarial drugs, laxatives and muscle relaxants can darken the colour of your urine as well.
- Dark brown urine can also be caused by disorders of the kidney or liver as well as infections of the urinary tract.
Injury of the muscle as a result of excessive training can result in dark brown urine.

4. Orange

- Problems with the bile duct (the duct through which bile from the gall bladder and liver passes before entering the duodenum) or liver along with the passing of light coloured stools can result in orange urine.
- A cause of orange urine may also be dehydration as fluids bring about a decrease in the concentration of compounds present in the urine.

5. White

- The presence of calcium or phosphate sediments in the urine can give it a white hue.
- White urine can also be a result of funguria infection (a form of fungal urinary infection wherein the fungus produces white sediments) or a bacterial infection.



What the Colour of Your Urine Says About Your Health?

Benefits of carom seeds (ajwain) for digestion, pain relief, and skin!

Carom is a prominent Indian herb that, apart from being used in cooking, comes loaded with many health benefits. Check out these unbeatable benefits you must have carom every day.

1. Cures acidity: powdered mixture of carom seeds, cumin seeds, and dry ginger powder relieves of acid reflux and acidity.

2. Treats constipation: carom seeds when consumed with lukewarm water help in treating constipation.

3. Relieves asthma: concoction of carom seeds helps in expelling mucus from the body and eases the condition of acute asthmatic patients. When consumed with jaggery, it effectively treats bronchitis.

4. Subsides renal pain: concoction of carom seeds helps in subsiding renal pains that may be due to an infection in kidneys or even liver.

5. Eases toothache: mix 1 teaspoon of carom oil with equal amount of clove oil. Floss your teeth and gums with this mixture to cure mouth odor, tooth ache or decaying.

6. Treats skin ailments: make a paste of carom seeds to apply over skin eruption, pimples, boils. This paste can even render relief to eczema patients.

7. Regulates pms: soak carom seeds over night and grind finely. Drink this to regulate scanty or excessive flow during PMS.

8. Benefits in arthritis: massage carom oil over painful joints and get relief from rheumatic pain.

9. Cures diarrhea: acute diarrhea can be easily cured with carom seeds. Prepare a brew of carom seeds to be consumed two times a day.

10: lightens facial scars: mix carom seeds powder with curd to be applied over acne scars. Follow this remedy consistently for 10 days and scars will start getting lighter.

11. Acts a mosquito repellent: mix carom seeds powder with mustard oil. Now smear this mixture over cardboard pieces and tie them at convenient places inside the room. This will keep irksome mosquitoes at bay.

12. Treats piles: the pain of piles can be effectively minimized by consuming carom seeds powder with buttermilk, seasoned with rock salt, after meals.

13. Enhances sexual ability: grind roasted carom seeds along with clarified butter and few tamarind kernels. Add 1 teaspoon of this powder to one glass milk with a dash of honey. Drink this every night. Over the time, this would enhance the sexual ability.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'consult'.

Related Tip: 6 Kitchen Spices That Heal Big Time

Benefits of CAROM Seeds (Ajwain) for Digestion, Pain Relief and SKIN!

Impact of drinking water in plastic bottles

We store water in all sorts of plastic bottles, jugs or containers. It can be low grade or high grade, but plastic is plastic! This is a very harmful daily practice as plastic containers carry lot of chemicals and bacteria. 

Let s see the harmful effects of drinking water in plastic bottles:

1. Harmful substances: Apart from harmful chemicals in plastic, water when get stored in plastic bottles also produces harmful substances like fluoride, arsenic and aluminium which can be poison for human body. So, drinking water from plastic bottles would mean drinking slow poison that will slowly and steadily deteriorate your health.

2. Dioxin production: Plastic does melt in hot environment. And we, often store water in plastic bottles while driving and so many times leave it in the car where it is in the direct exposure of sun. Such heating releases a toxin called Dioxin which when consumed can accelerate breast cancer.

3. BPA generation: Biphenyl A is an estrogen-mimicking chemical which can lead to lot of health problems like diabetes, obesity, fertility problems, behavioural problems and early puberty in girls. It s better not to store and drink water from a plastic bottle.

4. Liver cancer and reduced sperm count: Because of presence of a chemical called phthalates in plastic, drinking water from plastic bottles can also lead to liver cancer and reduction in sperm count.

5. Vitamin based bottled water: Nowadays, we get water mostly in plastic bottles and to increase its health content, manufacturers make it vitamin-enriched to attract buyers. But this is even more harmful as it carries health-harming additives like food dyes and high fructose corn syrup.

6. Impact on immune system: Our immune system is immensely affected when we drink water in plastic bottles. The chemicals from plastic bottles are ingested and tend to  disturb our body s immune system.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

Nothing s more dangerous than drinking water in plastic bottles!

8 Foods To Never Eat Before Bedtime
    
Hunger before bedtime is common esp. when you are used to staying up late. The craving to eat something before going to bed makes a person consume anything that is available. Bedtime hunger is not wrong, but there certainly are foods that shouldn't be consumed before going to sleep as they can create health issues. 

Avoid these 8 foods before going to bed.

1. Dairy fat - Having calorie rich cheese or butter for dinner or even before bedtime ensures that your digestive system is going to have a hard time at the night, thus disrupting your sleep.
2. Caffeine - Caffeine from the coffee doesn't let you sleep. It is used to kick our sleepiness so it should never be consumed before bedtime.
3. Spiced/Oily foods- Spices cause flatulence and oils lead to indigestion, ensuring incomplete and disturbed sleep.
4. Red meat - Dinner should always be the lightest meal of the day. If you make your digestive system work heavily overnight, it’s difficult for you to get sound sleep! Red meat being a very heavy, must be avoided to ensure a good night’s sleep.
5. Beans- Beans before bed simply fastens the process of flatulence! Avoid it to have a trouble free night.
6. Sugars- Sugars give you instant energy. That’s exactly what you don’t need before a good night’s sleep so avoid it before bedtime.
7. Aerated drinks- These drinks have acidic content with a lot of sugar and caffeine. Drinking them can destroy you sleep for the whole night so keeping it for the day is wiser!
8. Alcohol- Alcohol makes you drowsy and in a way bogs you down. But that’s really not the kind of sleep you’d like to have. Avoid alcohol to invite the perfect sleep!

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

From Lybrate: If you found this tip useful, please thank the doctor by clicking on the heart icon below. Also, spread good health by sharing this tip with your loved ones over WhatsApp, Facebook and other media.

8 Foods To Never Eat Before Bedtime

Roti vs. Rice- What should you have your meals with?

The nutritional conflict between rice and roti is age-old, as primary staples of every Indian cuisine.  White rice and wheat chapattis are both infused with considerable amounts of protein, calorie, fat as well as fibre. This overlap makes it tougher to choose just one as an accompaniment with your meals.
The health-conscious can take a sigh of relief with this list of effective benefits of the two. Let’s pit them against each other!

#1: If you opt for a lighter meal…Choose rice!
Boiled white rice is easier to chew and digest as it is low in fibres. For those with issues of diarrhoea, colitis, an upset stomach or morning sickness, rice is a favourable choice. If you are suffering from chronic gastrointestinal distress, rice is recommended for you.
Tip- You can consume a bowl of steamed rice with sautéed vegetables for a wholesome meal!

#2: If you are looking for muscle growth…Choose roti!
Rotis is the best food accompaniment for vegan and vegetarian bodybuilders. At home, you can mix variants of whole grains to harness the benefits of calcium and other minerals. Wheat chapattis made of whole grain consist of complex carbohydrates that boost your energy.
Tip- For reducing your portions, have two servings of roti (without ghee) with a large bowl of home-cooked yellow dal.

#3: If you have a heart condition… Choose rice!
For you to keep your heart healthy, the consumption of rice is vital. Brown as well as white rice is full of fibres and high in magnesium, niacin, phosphorus that can prevent heart problems.  Rice helps you in lowering bad cholesterol levels.
Tip- Substitute your regular white rice in the khichdi or biryani recipe with brown rice. (Contains fibrous bran and germ layer)

#4: If you want to feel fuller… Choose roti!
For weight watchers, who want the feeling of satiety for longer period should include rotis in their meal. Wheat rotis take longer to digest which helps in maintaining blood sugar levels. This quality also makes it a good alternative for diabetic individuals. Wheat rotis are nutritious and contain vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and B9 that help in keeping you strong.
Tip- While kneading the wheat dough for the rotis, you can add soya powder to increase its protein content.
To escape the dilemma of choosing between these two healthy and tasty staple sides, try switching to whole-wheat rotis and brown rice. Savour both, guilt-free!

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

 Roti vs. Rice- What should you have your meals with?

Let's start with an interesting fact: all types of tea, be it green or black, comes from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. The difference only lies in processing and oxidation. So how can one be better than the other you ask? Let's find out.

1. Fluoride content

When it comes to fluoride content both green and black teas score high, while milk tea sadly loses out. Green and black teas are good for your teeth and bones, although black tea has higher fluoride content (0.2-0.5mg as compared to 0.3-0.4mg in green tea). It is best to have your black tea with tap water as it increases the fluoride content up to 0.9mg.

2. Antioxidant content

Yet again green tea and black both have high antioxidant content that helps in preventing cancer, but green is the clear winner over. Milk tea loses again as the milk in it effects the absorption of these antioxidants by your body. Green tea is enriched with a particular type of catechin (flavonoid) called EGCG, which regulates gene activity in cancer cells, and may even prevent cancer growth.

3. Caffeine Content

Both black and green teas have different amounts of caffeine in them. Green tea has lesser caffeine content than black tea- 9-50mg/cup in comparison to 42-17mg/cup. So if you want to have an energetic morning then black tea is the one for you, but if you want to relax your blood vessels and just enjoy a soothing drink, choose green tea. Milk tea, unfortunately, does not have a calming or an energising effect.

Benefits for your heart:

Black tea is probably a healthier option if you want to derive cardiovascular benefits from your daily cuppa. While green tea has abundant EGCG which creates a lining along your blood vessels to reduce stress, black tea offers more benefits. Black tea can improve the function of your blood vessels if you suffer from coronary artery disease. Apart from that, both can lower the levels of harmful cholesterol. There's no evidence that supports that milk tea can be beneficial for your heart.

So, in the end, it's your call to choose black or green tea, whichever works best for you. Try avoiding milk tea as the milk steals away the essential health benefits of tea. Just remember to have no more than 10 cups of green tea a day, and no more than 4 cups of black.

Related Content: Try Auric skin radiance health drinks as an alternative for tea or coffee for glowing skin.

Milk Tea Vs Black Tea Vs Green Tea - Is Your Choice the Best?

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