Keto urine color varies upon stages. In the keto diet, you go through several stages. These stages make your body to adapt new changes.
Your metabolism, blood pressure, and hormone levels all change drastically! There are also plenty who get stuck doing everything right but suddenly have to switch away from the keto diet instead!
This is because they are unaware of ketosis symptoms. Ketosis urine color is the second most important fact to observe after the breath smell.
Ketosis urine color chart
From pre ketosis to ketosis your urine color changes four times. It goes through the color stages of clear to oily yellow.
The four majorly observed ketosis urine colors are
- Clear
- Dark yellow
- Frothy
- Oily yellow
Your urine color changes after your body enter a ketosis state. It usually becomes oily yellow from a clear pee.
By consuming keto fruits you may get different urine colors also. However, these are not directly related to ketosis urine color.
Moreover, there are some other urine colors that may occur during ketosis although these are not directly related to ketosis.
If you are facing any abnormal urine color during ketosis you need to check these
- Avocado urine color
- Watermelon urine color
- All 14 types of urine color
- How to get rid of ketones in urine
What is keto urine color?
Ketogenic diets are low in carbs. During the beginning stages of the keto diet, your body depletes all glycogen reserves.
To fulfill the glycogen gap our body generates ketone bodies. These ketones are used as body fuel. The human body generates excess ketones during ketosis.
Our body releases the excess ketones through urine. The urine color of this situation is known as keto urine color.
Light yellow topped with oily substances is the perfect keto urine color or ketosis urine color.
Also, you may observe ketosis bright yellow urine sometimes. It occurs because of excess intake of riboflavin-rich foods.
We suggest you stay updated regarding urine color. Check the following article
14 Urine Color Chart: Complete Analysis
Ketosis urine color green
Ketosis and urine color are closely related. Moreover, sometimes you face green urine color during ketosis.
However green color is not directly related to ketosis urine color. There are multiple reasons behind this green keto pee color.
Let’s discover the reasons for ketosis urine color green.
Methylene blue: It is a water-soluble dye, is used for diagnostic tests like fistula detection, patency of fallopian tubes, and identification of parathyroid glands.
Studies have shown that medication that contains methylene blue can produce green-colored pee (1). The blue-colored methylene with the yellow pigment of urine causes the green color.
Pseudomonas infection: Pseudomonas is the germ that lives in soil and water. If your immune system is weakened for some reason Pseudomonas infection may occur.
According to research Pseudomonas infection can cause green-hued urine (2).
Jaundice: Bilirubin count of the body increases abnormally because of jaundice. During oxidation of bilirubin, it creates a compound called biliverdin.
When the biliverdin is released with urine the pigments of it may cause the change of urine color from light yellow to green.
Green Jaundice: A genetic defect in the biliverdin reductase-A (BVR-A) gene may cause green jaundice. Green urine is a common symptom of this disease (3).
Hypothermia: Our body’s heat generation power decreases during hypothermia. Research has shown that hypothermia may promote green urine (4).
Additional causes of ketosis green urine: Furthermore some additional issues may cause green urine during ketosis. These are:
Medicine(both phenol groups and non-phenol medications)
- Clorets (breath mint)
- Indicans(dye)
- Ingested substances
- Indigo carmine(sodium salt)
Remember none of these are related to ketosis urine color. All of these are external causes that may affect urine color.
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Keto urine strips what color is good?
Keto urine strips are used to measure ketosis levels. It is done by measuring ketone levels in urine. The strips do not let you kick out of ketosis.
If you are going to buy keto urine strips there are several brands in the market. The strips colors may vary from product to product.
These urine strips change their color after being dipped in urine. You will observe that the color range starts from dark yellow to dark purple.
The dark purple color is considered as good. Dark purple means you have a large number of ketones in your urine. However, some keto urine strips generate maroon color instead of dark purple.
Does ketosis affect urine color?
Yes. Ketosis affects urine color. The low carb and high fat ketogenic diet produce ketones. When you urinate during the keto diet your body releases excess ketones.
Because of these ketones your urine color changes. If you started to pee oily yellow then you are in ketosis.
But some people do not get this color although they are following a ketogenic diet plan. Their urine color is clear glassy like water.
This state arises if you drink excess water and break the water consumption limit. To avoid this color loss of urine, you need to reduce your water intake.
Does ketosis make your urine dark?
You should always follow water intake keto guidelines. Less water consumption during the keto diet is not good. This creates dark yellow color urine.
Dehydration is the main reason behind dark urine on keto. Also, heavy weight lifting and surplus exercise promote dark urine during ketosis.
Ketosis bright yellow urine
Does bright yellow urine mean ketosis? No bright yellow urine does not mean you are in ketosis.
Sometimes your urine color changes to bright yellow during keto meal. This means you are consuming excess riboflavin(vitamin B2).
Eggs, salmon, cheese, yogurt, beef, pork, and chicken are rich in vitamin B2 (5). If your urine color turns bright yellow then you are eating these foods a lot.
However, riboflavin does not harm your body. Cutting down these ketogenic dairy products, vegetable, meat, fish & egg intake will stabilize your urine color and prevent keto bright yellow pee.
It would be better if you eat more vegetables than meat. You will get several additional health benefits from the selection.
What color is urine during ketosis?
There are four color shades of urine during ketosis. Details are given below:-
Light Yellow:-This keto urine color is considered accurate. Light yellow color urine means you are following the perfect keto meal plan. When you observe the oily effect in your light yellow urine color, you are in ketosis.
Dark Yellow:- You are drinking less water. Drink more water until you start peeing light yellow.
Bright Yellow:- Studies have shown excess intake of vitamin B2 rich foods may change the urine color to bright yellow (6).
You need to limit your intake of these foods until you observe a lighter hue.
Clear Urine on Keto(Glassy White):- You are consuming much more water than the required level. Bring down your water consumption to achieve the perfect keto urine color.
We suggest you use keto urine strips to identify the ketosis state. Urine color does not always work.
Why is my urine bright yellow on the keto diet?
Bright yellow urine means you are eating more vitamin B2 friendly foods. Keto meats like beef, pork, or chicken are good sources of vitamin B2 or riboflavin.
Also, seafood, eggs, and dairy products contain riboflavin. Try to check these consumptions and you will be freed from bright yellow urine.
Can keto cause dark urine?
Yes, keto urine color may become dark in absence of a perfect water level in your body. This is why it’s important to drink water as per recommendation.
To get the absolute keto urine color i.e light yellow you should not go below-recommended water consumption mark.
Does the keto diet change your urine color?
The Keto diet changes your urine color. The urine color changes from glassy white to light yellow within a week.
Does ketosis make your urine dark?
No ketosis does not make your urine dark. Dark urine occurs in ketosis due to three reasons
- You are drinking less water. Studies have shown that urine shade changes from light to dark due to less consumption of water (7).
- You are eating too many riboflavin-rich foods. Excess riboflavin is released through our urine which makes the darker urine color.
- You are doing heavy weight lifting or bodyweight exercises. These also cause dark urine.
After entering ketosis a great amount of cellular waste is released with urine, which makes the urine color oily yellow not dark.
When in ketosis urine color changes?
Continuous following of a low carb lifestyle helps you to achieve ketosis. When your body enters ketosis your liver starts releasing more ketone bodies.
These excess ketones increase releasing of cellular wastages through urine. At this level, your body starts releasing a compound called acetoacetate.
This acetoacetate changes your urine color to light yellow topped with oily substances. This oily urine color means that you have entered ketosis.
What are keto urine strips?
Keto urine strips are paper-made strips to measure the ketone levels in urine. These are used to identify if you are in ketosis or not.
Urine strips are a cost-efficient way to measure ketosis. Also, urine strips are easily available in the market and these are easy to use.
Can keto urine strips be wrong?
Keto urine color strips have the potential, however many don’t exist in most hospitals or clinics. They could be beneficial but will require a lot of research and testing before their use can be recommended for healthcare professionals.
You need to store them perfectly. Hydration affects the measurement of keto urine strips. So these strips for your keto urine color measurement may not be 100% accurate.
In that case, these strips may provide the wrong measurements. To get a more accurate reading use the strips within 5 minutes of breaking the seal.
Remember hydrated air will damage the strip.
Can keto urine strips go bad?
Keto urine strips have expiry dates. These keto urine color measurement strips are valid for six months from the opening date.
After the timeline over keto urine strips go bad or expired. So you need to use it within the validity period.
Ketone urine test strips color chart
There are six colors in the keto urine color chart i.e yellow, peach, orange, light purple, dark purple, and blackish purple.
Ketosis pee strips are used to measure the actual number of ketones in the urine color chart.
These colors of the strip confirm the measured ketone levels in your urine. The colors are defined according to blood ketones in mm.
Let’s check ketone strips’ color chart meaning. Keto urine color clarification according to stripe is given below
Yellow:- Your ketone levels are negative or no ketones are present.
Peach:- Your body has started generating ketones a little(5 mg/dL).
Orange:- Small amount of ketones released by urine(15 mg/dL).
Light Purple:- Moderate ketones are present in your urine(40 mg/dL).
Dark Purple:- A large number of ketones are releasing through urine(8o mg/dL).
Blackish Purple:- You have reached the max amount of ketone level(160 mg/dL).
How to read ketone strips?
To read ketone strips accurately you need to follow some steps. But you should always check the expiry date of ketosis pee strips before using them.
If keto pee sticks are not expired and fresh you can go further. The following steps should be followed for perfect ketone test strips results
- Break the seal of the tub and remove any one of the keto color strips
- Collect your urine in a disposable container
- Dip the testing portion(spongy area) of the strip in the urine
- Remove immediately after dipping and wait for 15 seconds for complete strip color change
- Match the ketone test strips results with the color chart given in the tub
Caution: Do not touch the spongy end of the strip to keep it okay.
What color should ketone strip be for ketosis?
A common question is asked about ketone test strips what color should it be. The dark purple color of the ketone strip is considered a perfect ketosis level.
Normally 8o mg/dL ketones are present in urine during accurate oily urine ketosis levels. The dark purple color in the ketone strips color chart occurs when this amount of ketones is released through urine.
When to use keto strips?
Studies on the keto diet have shown that more than 90 percent accurate ketone concentration detection is possible at 3 am, 7 am, and 10 pm, respectively (8).
That’s why the best time to use keto strips for a perfect measurement of ketones in urine color is either early morning or post-dinner time.
Final Thoughts
The low carb keto diet helps you to achieve ketosis. The ketogenic diet plan is a healthy and flexible low in carbs meal plan.
Ketones are the main powerhouse behind this diet plan. Your body cells use ketones as fuel during keto friendly diet plan.
Excess ketones are released through your urine which generates an oily yellowish hue. This effect is known as keto urine color.
However extreme ketone may harm your body (7). So be careful and follow the guidelines always to stay fit and safe.
If you are thinking to shift from a keto diet you can go for DASH Diet or a High Protein low fat meal plan.
