What your urine says about your overall health

Your kidneys filter your blood to collect waste materials which are then let out of the body in the form of urine. Sometimes, protein from the blood may leak into urine and cause a foamy or frothy texture to appear in the toilet. This may happen normally from time to time but may be an indicator for kidney damage if it is persistent. Look out for signs apart from frothy urine such as swelling in the hands, legs and face, nausea and vomiting among others.

Although a pink to reddish color may be a sign of blood in the urine, it may also be caused by certain food items or food coloring. Food items, especially rhubarb (revachini), blueberries, beetroots and certain food dyes in juices can give you a pink to red hue in your urine. However, if you haven't consumed any of these and this condition persists, then you should go visit a doctor immediately.

Urinary tract or bladder infections are caused by bacteria in the urinary tract or bladder which may have proliferated due to an excess of bacteria. These bacteria along with the chemicals will cause an excess buildup of ammonia in the urine, thus resulting in the foul smell. However, it is not necessary that a foul smell has to be present in case of UTI or bladder infection. If you have foul smelling urine for some time, then it is best to visit a doctor for further tests and analysis.

If your urine is totally colorless, it means you're overhydrated. This could be a signal that you are consuming too much fluid either in the form of plain water or other drinks. You may need to cut back on the total fluids you are consuming every day. If you are not over consuming fluids, then clear urine may also be an indicator for kidney disease and you may need to go to a doctor to get it checked.