Foods High in Vitamin K

It's hard to quickly name foods high in Vitamin K, because it is not very well known, but the lack of this vitamin might be considered fatal in some cases. by Summer Banks, a prolific writer and certified medical assistant who has supervised customer support for multiple supplement companies.

Blood clotting and bone formation are dependent upon one very important nutrient, vitamin K. This little known vitamin could mean the difference life and death if levels are lower than required for blood to clot quickly. Foods high in vitamin K are much better assimilated by the body than any supplement.

One of the most important fat soluble vitamins is vitamin K. While the vitamin is most often known for its purpose as a blood clotting agent, bone protein formation is also dependent upon good levels of vitamin K in the body. While deficiency levels are relatively low, very few people know the best foods high in vitamin K to add to their diet.

When too little vitamin K is consumed, trouble clotting can occur and lead to serious health risk or even death. Prescription medications aimed at thinning the blood to improve heart health can interfere with the vitamin K clotting effects on the body. Most often, doctors will instruct patients to limit the foods they consume which are rich in natural sources of vitamin K in order to maintain healthy blood thinness.

Recommended levels of vitamin K in the body differ based on gender and age. Males over the age of 19 should consume about 120 micrograms per day. Females over the age of 19 need only 90 micrograms. Pregnancy and breastfeeding do not increase the need for vitamin K in the body.

The best source of vitamin K is food. Foods high in vitamin K such are so rich in the vitamin that supplementation is usually not needed. The richest sources of vitamin K are green leafy vegetables. Turnip greens contain 429 micrograms per ½ cup serving. Raw spinach and cooked broccoli are also very good sources with 145 micrograms and 110 micrograms respectively.

If greens are not on the favorite foods list, some fruits provide more than enough vitamin K in just one serving. Kiwi fruit, for instance, contains 30 micrograms per fruit. Other fruits containing 30 micrograms of vitamin K include blackberries (1 cup), blueberries (1 cup) and red grapes (a little more than 1 cup).

If eating healthy foods is not an attainable goal due to health issues or illnesses, supplements may be taken to assume the proper amount is taken in for good health. There is no known toxicity for vitamin K, but taking amounts far in excess of the recommended amounts through supplementation is not suggested.

Much research has gone into the use of vitamin supplements in lieu of eating foods naturally rich in the same vitamin. Foods grow as complete sources of vitamins and nutrients. This means the total makeup of a fruit or vegetable is optimized for easy absorption into the body. While supplementation can replace food intake, the absorption of vitamins via capsule, tablet or tincture will not be as high as absorption when eaten throughout the day.

Some multivitamins will contain vitamin K. Patients taking anti-coagulants are not advised to take these multi-vitamins as they will interfere with the effects of the prescription medication on the body.

Do You Have A Great Story About This ?

You know that it's great to learn about new advances in health, and better ways that scientists and researchers are developing for us to live better, but what really drives the point home--helps us to appreciate these things more that personal stories and experiences?

If you (or someone close to you) has had personal experience with what you've been reading about on this page, why not add your story to the record? We'd love to hear from you and if you provide us with enough information we'll dedicate an entire page to your report, giving you full credit for it. If your story isn't enough for a full aricle, we'll save it to be included in a composite article together with others which we receive.

Enter Your Title

Tell Us Your Story! [ ? ]

Close Help Entering your story is easy to do. Just type!... Your story will appear on a Web page exactly the way you enter it here. You can wrap a word in square brackets to make it appear bold. For example [my story] would show as my story on the Web page containing your story. TIP: Since most people scan Web pages, include your best thoughts in your first paragraph.

Upload A Picture (optional but highly encouraged) [ ? ]

Close Help Do you have a picture either that shows something about your story or you as the author? Great! Click the button, find it on your computer. Then select it.

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Click here to upload more images (optional)

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

Your Name	(first or full name)
Your Location	(ex. City, State, Country)

Submit Your Contribution

Check box to agree to these submission guidelines.

(You can preview and edit on the next page)

Much more than Foods High in Vitamin K discussed back on the home page