Speaking on ITV’s This Morning, Dr Chris Steele explained what each shade of pee – from clear to red to green and blue – tells us about the body.

When thinking about the colour of our pee, it's important to remember how food, drink and medication could be affecting it, he added.

He said: ‘Laxatives can cause a darkening colour of the urine. Always think about what you’re putting in your mouth, could that be affecting things?’

An example of this is asparagus and food colourants that can turn the urine blue or green.

Meanwhile, urine that is frothy and foamy could be a warning sign someone is eating too much protein and needs to cut back, he said.

‘It could be due to protein. Maybe you’re on a high protein diet. Or it could be due to infection.'  

Next, he explained what each shade of pee means, in terms of health. 

Clear urine could be a sign of a ‘good hydrated person’, Dr Steele said.

However, it could be because they are taking diuretic medicine which is making them pass water frequently. He added: ‘They might be drinking diuretic-type drinks, such as coffee and alcohol. They can cause this effect.’

He explained that the kidneys have two main functions: the first being to filter out toxins, create waste matter, and get it out of the body.

The second is to balance fluid in the body; the fluid gained from drinks and metabolic reactions in the body, and the fluids lost through sweat.

A deep yellow coloured urine means the person is more dehydrated.

He said: ‘In the morning you might notice your urine is darker coloured than in the evening.

'This is because in the night you’ve just been laying there doing nothing and your kidneys have been working concentrating the toxic effects. ‘Deep yellow urine could be a sign of liver problems which cause jaundice of the skin, eyes, and the urine to become more yellow.’

But the most important colour to look out for is a pink or light red colour.

If a person has red-coloured urine, it could be because they ate certain foods the night before.

Dr Steele said: ‘Beetroot, blackberries, blackcurrants even rhubarb [are all common culprits]. Food colourants are powerful and can get through the kidneys.’

However, it could be a more serious sign of infection from the kidney travelling down through the bladder and urethra.

It could also be due to a tumour, or kidney stones.

‘But the commonest reasons for red urine is cystitis - or urinary tract infections,’ Dr Steele said. ‘This causes excess blood to come out into the urine.’

A person with dark red urine is deeply dehydrated, he warned.

‘We’re talking about patients with liver disease,' he explained.