Can Certain Foods and Beverages Cause Cloudy Urine?

Did you know that the color and odor of our urine can key us into possible medical conditions that need treatment? Or, as anybody who’s eaten asparagus knows, it might just be reflecting what you ate! So let’s tackle the topic: “Why’s My Urine Cloudy?” We don’t have cute illustrations to accompany this article, but here are some guidelines about what causes cloudy urine How Do I Know If My Urine is Normal? What is Cloudy Urine? If you notice something strange about your urine, the first rule of thumb is: Don’t panic. Any number of foods can affect your pee. For example, after eating beets, about 10-15% of the population discover a reddish color to their stool and, sometimes, their urine. Of course, that phenomenon initially seems alarming—it’s easy to imagine you’re excreting blood! But if you’ve recently eaten a serving of the purplish-red root vegetables, then you’re most likely experiencing a harmless side effect of digestion. Urine can be many different colors. Healthy urine is typically pale yellow, although anywhere on the spectrum from clear to dark yellow is common. If your urine is always colorless, you might actually be drinking too much water; if it’s a very bright or deep yellow, you might be dehydrated. If your urine appears cloudy or milky instead of clear, you might have a serious medical condition; or it might merely be the result of your diet. What Causes Cloudy Urine? Let’s be clear as we discuss the possible causes of why your urine might look strange. Although milky or cloudy urine can be harmless, sometimes the cause can be serious. If the cloudiness persists, you should absolutely call your doctor’s office to discuss the matter with a professional. For example, cloudy urine can be caused by: Urinary tract infection Kidney stones Sexually transmitted infection Prostate problems in men Diabetes Cancer While these possibilities sound dire, we’re not trying to scare anyone. We’re just saying, it’s wise to pay attention to what’s going on with your body. If something isn’t right, your own eyes and nose can function as your early-warning detectors. Diet and Cloudy Urine On the other hand, diet significantly affects urine. Cloudy urine can be the result of dehydration, and certain foods and beverages can contribute to that. Another possibility is that your diet contains high levels of phosphorus, purines, salt and/or sugar. The byproduct of your body digesting these substances is uric acid, which can increase the alkaline levels in your pee, turning it cloudy. Worth noting: High levels of uric acid in the body over time can cause uric acid crystals to form, possibly leading to gout. “In most cases, cloudy urine is harmless due to natural changes that your body goes through,” according to the Cleveland Clinic, an academic medical center that focuses on research, education and health information. “Normally, it goes away quickly when you stay hydrated and incorporate a healthy diet into your daily routine.” 6 Foods That Cause Cloudy Urine If you’ve ruled out any medical reasons for your cloudy urine, you might want to take a look at your diet. As we mentioned, certain foods that are high in phosphorus, purines, salt and/or sugar can cause uric acid to build up in your body, leading to cloudy urine. Here’s a list of foods to consider cutting down on to relieve symptoms. Milk and Dairy Products The dairy family offers a multitude of nutritional benefits beyond protein and calcium. Among those is phosphorus, another micronutrient essential to bone health. But an excess of phosphorus can be released in your urine, turning it cloudy. Meat Similar to dairy, some meat contains phosphorus. In addition, cured and/or processed meats—such as bacon, pepperoni, salami—contain high amounts of sodium, which can also contribute to cloudy urine. RELATED: Are All Hot Dogs Unhealthy? Seafood Certain kinds of seafood, particularly anchovies, herring and scallops, contain high levels of purines, which can cause cloudy urine. And the elevated sodium levels in fish such as anchovies provides a one-two punch. RELATED: The 5 Healthiest Fish to Eat (and 12 You Should Avoid) Salty or Sugary Junk Food As explained, too much sodium in your diet can cause cloudy urine. So can too much sugar, particularly fructose (think high fructose corn syrup), which can cause your body to produce uric acid, leading to the same effect on your pee. Yet another reason to avoid processed foods with tons of added salt or sugar! Tea and Coffee We’ve documented plenty of benefits to drinking coffee or tea, and that advice hasn’t changed. But one thing to be aware of: Caffeine is a diuretic, which means it makes you go to the bathroom more often. Therefore, although it seems counterintuitive, drinking a lot of caffeinated beverages (particularly coffee or espresso) can lead to dehydration, which can cause cloudy urine. “Drinking a cup or two a day shouldn’t be an issue,” says Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN, who is the founder of Nutritious Life. “This is because the water in the coffee or tea helps offset the diuretic effects of the caffeine. On the other hand, research shows that drinking large amounts of caffeinated beverages can lead to an increased risk of dehydration.” The solution: Drink some water before you go for that third or fourth cup of java. Alcohol As with caffeine, alcohol has a diuretic effect on the kidneys, which can cause you to pee too much and become dehydrated. Again, the solution we love to preach: Drink more water! More Reading 3 Weeks Without Alcohol: The Key to More Energy, Better Sleep and Radiant Skin (Image: Shutterstock)

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The Kitchen Gadget and De-Stressing Practices a Yogi Mom of Twins Swears By

It’s not surprising that when we asked Heidi Kristoffer which healthy habit she wished she had more time for, she said, “SLEEP!!!” Kristoffer is the creator of popular strength training-infused yoga class CrossFlowX, which she teaches at NEOU and YG Studios in New York City. She’s also a mother to twin girls and has a third child on the way. In other words, her life is about as go-go-go as it can get. “Yoga can be practiced anywhere, any time, so no gym necessary,” she says. “And running after and picking up my twin two year olds keeps me active all day every day. ‘Mommy, UP!’ is their favorite phrase right now.” RELATED: A 30-Minute Yoga Routine to Build Strength and Fight Stress Kristoffer does it all while literally radiating warmth and positivity 24-7, so we asked her to spill her secrets. Here are the diet, kitchen, and de-stressing practices that help her—and her family—thrive. How Does Heidi Kristoffer Live a Nutritious Life? If you had to name your healthy diet, what would you call it? Plant-Based Mom Fueling. What’s your go-to breakfast? Overnight oats with flax seeds and nut butter. RELATED: 3 Creative Ways to Make Delicious Overnight Oats Your go-to workday lunch? Tofu salad on whole wheat pita and air-fryer sweet potato fries. Your go-to workday dinner? Kale salad massaged with avocado or a nut or seed butter dressing, with plant-based protein. What’s the one food you always have in your fridge? Sugar snap peas. The one food you’d never buy? Meat. Your favorite food indulgence? Dark chocolate. RELATED: 5 Healthy Reasons to Eat Chocolate (as if You Needed Them) Other than water, what do you sip regularly? SOS Rehydrate!! It’s the first organic hydration formula, which mimics getting an IV hydration drip, and it makes me feel SO much more clear headed. It makes every workout feel easier, AND it’s delicious. I love it! How often do you exercise, and what’s your workout of choice? Every day. CrossFlowX, yoga, or SoulCycle. Which workout would you NEVER do? Barre class. It bores me to tears. What’s your go-to tool for managing stress? Japa Mala meditation. No thinking involved, and it zones me in every time. RELATED: Try This Two-Minute Calming Meditation How do you pamper yourself when you need it? Deep tissue massage or a bath with essential oils when I’m not pregnant. In pregnancy (like now), I just aim to get sleep at night and make my bi-monthly mani-pedi with foot and shoulder 10-minute massage. Do you have a favorite health gadget? Does my Vitamix count?! I make EVERYTHING in it: smoothies, soups, dressings, even carrot cake! How do you express and spread love? I tell my daughters I love them probably 100 times a day and hug and kiss them every chance I get. With my non-family members, I try to take the most kind action every time, compliment people whenever I can, and I smile at everyone I make eye contact with. I also try to express love in all of my teachings, in person or on the interwebs. Lightning Round Meditation or massage? Massage! You can meditate while you’re getting one! A hot shower or a soothing bath? BATH! Almond butter or peanut butter? Almond. Coffee or tea? Non-pregnancy: COFFEE. Pregnancy: tea. A long run outside or a dark spin class? SoulCycle every time.

The Gut-Brain Connection and How it Impacts Your Health

Next time you’re feeling down, instead of blaming it on bad Tinder dates, consider the gut-brain connection. Maybe you haven’t been giving the microbes in your digestive system enough of the veggie fiber they crave (or enough cred when it comes to their impact on your mood)? That may sound crazy, but actually, scientists have discovered that the microbes in your gut are engaged in a constant conversation with your mind. And that chatter could be affecting your emotions, moods, and behavior in major ways. Gut Health 101 First, a little review. Gut health has been building up steam as a trending health topic as more research points to the importance of the microbiome, a fancy word for the trillions (yes, trillions!) of microbes that live in your gut, on your skin, and elsewhere. (Feeling itchy?)  Much of the attention has focused on how those microbes affect digestion and conditions like leaky gut, and therefore the immune system and chronic inflammation, which is linked to disease risk. RELATED: The Facts on Inflammation The Gut-Brain Connection Now, the gut-brain connection is also entering the picture in a bigger way.  Turns out your gut’s got its very own nervous system, called the Enteric Nervous System (ENS), and it’s so influential it’s often referred to as “the second brain.” The ENS’ main job is to regulate digestion, but it also sends up regular signals to the brain via the vagus nerve.  Think of the vagus nerve as a busy two-lane highway. Traffic is moving in both directions, but it’s much heavier headed north, to the brain. Who’s directing that flow of traffic? Your microbes, of course. How That Connection Affects Your Health Here’s where things get interesting. Since your microbes are sending so many signals to your brain, if your gut health is out of whack, they may send up some wacky signals that influence your moods in negative ways. RELATED: 4 Easy Ways to Improve Your Digestive Health Studies have shown changing the makeup of gut microbiota actually changed how mice behaved, affecting anxiety and cognition, for instance. Mice raised without beneficial microbes also have been shown to be less capable of managing stress. Another example: 90 percent of the neurotransmitter serotonin is made in the gut, and research has shown microbes play a critical role in its production. So, if yours are not doing their job well, your body could end up with inadequate serotonin. That’s a problem since it regulates sleep, appetite, mood, and more. How can you harness this info for better brain health? Probiotics could eliminate some of the barriers associated with traditional antidepressant medications and provide a new avenue for alleviating depressive symptoms. Further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms of probiotic effects and establish standardized protocols for their use in clinical practice. Maintaining a healthy gut through a diet rich in fibrous vegetables and incorporating fermented foods can promote a balanced mood and reduce anxiety. Eating as many fibrous veggies as possible is key (microbes feast on the prebiotic fiber); fermented foods are great for your gut, and taking a high-quality probiotic is a good strategy either way since it can also benefit your digestive and immune systems.

What Do Your Food Cravings Really Mean?

Q: Why Do I Get Food Cravings, and What Do They Mean? A: Food cravings may sometimes arise from old habits or memories (like the smell of your grandmother’s chocolate chip cookies…mmm). However, while most of the research is young and doesn’t show a direct link between specific cravings and nutrient deficiencies, there is some evidence pointing to food cravings as your body’s natural, instinctive way of letting you know you that you need more of an important nutrient. Listening to your biology isn’t easy in today’s world, but it’s crucial here, especially since cravings may direct you towards a false fix, like processed foods and sugary treats, which will temporarily alleviate the craving but won’t get at the root of the issue. I stopped by The Doctors recently to share a few of the most common food cravings and what your body may be telling you when you have them, and I’ll break them down for you, here. Crave This, Eat That The Craving: French fries What It Means: If you’ve got a hankering for fries or other salty snacks like potato chips and pretzels, you could be slightly dehydrated. Hey, it’s always great to drink more water, so start there. But it could also mean you need calcium, since studies have shown a marginal deficiency of the mineral could stimulate the desire for salt, and others have shown women on low-calcium diets crave salty food more. How to Satisfy It: If you indulge the craving, the salt will temporarily increase calcium levels in the blood, essentially tricking the body into thinking it’s taking in calcium when it’s not. Instead, reach for calcium-rich foods like yogurt, kefir, almonds, tofu, sesame seeds, and sardines. The Craving: Chocolate cupcakes What It Means: An overactive sweet tooth may be a signal that you’re magnesium deficient, according to research. And while magnesium deficiency is not proven to cause PMS symptoms, some studies have shown increasing the amount of the mineral your diet can decrease PMS symptoms such as irritability, fluid retention, and headaches. I don’t know about you, but for me, those symptoms often lead to cravings for a bottomless tub of chocolate ice cream. How to Satisfy It: A diet rich in foods such as spinach, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains will ensure that you don’t become magnesium deficient. Then, you can eat sugary treats as conscious indulgences, when it’s really worth it, rather than constantly fighting the urge. The Craving: A juicy burger What It Means: Here’s a case where your body’s sending you a clear signal. A strong craving for meat may mean you’re iron-deficient. In fact, studies show that in pregnant women and others with iron deficiencies, food cravings serve to prevent or alleviate the nutritional deficit. How to Satisfy It: Go ahead, grill up a grass-fed, organic burger, since red meat is the best source of iron. You can also get it from fish and poultry, or if you’re a vegetarian, in tofu, legumes (lentils and kidney beans), nuts (cashews and almonds), seeds (pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds), oatmeal, dried fruit (apricots and raisins), and vegetables (mushrooms and potatoes). Just keep in mind that it’s harder for the body to absorb iron from plant-based sources. To help, pair iron-rich foods with foods rich in vitamin C, as it will help your body absorb the iron. The bottom line? Listen up! Your body has got a lot to say. Your food cravings may be telling you a lot more than, “Do not pass go, head straight for the nearest Shake Shack.”