Urine is a very good indicator of the quality of diet.
Increased intake of certain minerals in food can change the colour, odour and sediments in urine. The commonest abnormality noted is cloudy urine.
This mostly occurs due to dehydration, urinary tract infection or inflammation of the prostate in males or of the vagina in females, sexually transmitted infections, kidney stones or dietary excess.
Knowledge of the causative dietary factors can help you eliminate them before approaching your physician to determine the pathological cause.
Given below are 7 such food and drinks:
1. Salty food
These mainly include processed chips, canned food and cured meat. High salt intake with insufficient water intake leads to dehydration and cloudy urine.
2. High fructose corn syrup
This seemingly innocuous additive to almost every packaged food item especially sugary sodas and desserts when consumed in excess leads to increased production of uric acid causing cloudiness.
3. Dairy products
Excess intake of milk and dairy products leads to increased phosphorus in the body leading to cloudy urine. This gets accelerated when the person has an underlying kidney disease .
4. Meat
This includes red meat and poultry which again in excess release phosphorus which combined with excess salt in the form of processed meat cause cloudiness in the urine.
5. Seafood
Certain types of seafood like sardines, anchovies and shellfish are high in purines which metabolize into uric acid leading to urine discolouration.
6. Alcohol
Excess alcohol consumption leads to dehydration and hence this change in urine colour.
7. Caffeine
Here again it is the excess intake of coffee, tea including black and green teas with caffeine which cause water loss leading to dehydration.
All the food and drinks listed above have beneficial health effects when consumed in moderation. The key lies in a well balanced diet with proper hydration.
Even after looking into your diet ,if the cloudiness in urine doesn’t go away or is accompanied by pus, discharge, pain or fever, consult your doctor.
