Buzz
Think of your body as a house. You bring things in by eating, drinking, and breathing. But just like with a house, not everything you take in is needed. There’s always some waste, or garbage, left behind. If you let that garbage pile up in your house or your body, it becomes unpleasant and can cause harm. Your body gets rid of this waste through peeing and pooping. These actions are part of your body’s excretory system (ECKS-krih-tore-eee SISS-tem), which is just a fancy term for ‘waste disposal.’ If your body is working well, you should see brown poop and yellow pee when you look in the toilet.
Clear, light yellow pee indicates that your excretory system and the rest of your body are functioning properly. If your urine (YER-inn) is cloudy or not transparent, it could be a sign that you’re not feeling well. Dark yellow pee often signals dehydration, while very pale or colorless urine might mean you’re drinking too much water!
Your blood gets filtered by two small organs called kidneys (KID-knees). Remember the waste we talked about? The chemicals known as toxins (TOCK-sins) act like trash in your blood. Your kidneys work like a filter, trapping these toxins and other waste, which are then turned into pee.
A component of your blood called hemoglobin (HEE-moh-gloh-bin) is responsible for giving your blood its red color. As hemoglobin travels through your body, it undergoes various changes. When it reaches your kidneys, it transforms into yellow due to a substance called urobilin (yer-ah-BY-lin). Urobilin acts like a kind of food coloring, and the more water you drink, the lighter the color becomes. So, if you notice dark yellow pee, it's a good idea to ask your mom or dad for some water.
To explore more about urine, take a look at this article from Kids Health.
