VITAMIN K
GOOD FOR BONES & BLOOD
Vitamin K is an essential nutrient that helps your blood clot
& your bones grow the way they should
- It also may help prevent the bone disease osteoporosis & protect you against heart disease
- You can get vitamin K from certain foods, but up to 2/3rds of Americans don’t meet the daily recommended goal
1. 90 micrograms for women
2. 120 micrograms for men
EAT MORE LEAFY GREENS
- Spinach, collard greens & kale are the best greens to give you enough vitamin K
- Cooked kale is a vitamin K powerhouse, packing 550 micrograms in 1/2 C
- Raw in a salad or smoothie gives you 274 micrograms for the same 1/2 C serving
TRY OTHER VEGETABLES
- Vegetables are your best source of dietary vitamin K but you don’t have to stick to leafy
greens to fuel up on it - Roasted Brussels sprouts & broccoli are chock full of vitamin K giving you 110 to 150 micrograms per 1/2 C serving
- Other good choices are scallions, frozen asparagus, frozen okra, raw watercress & green cabbage
- You can also ad 10 sprigs of parsley to a meal for a quick vitamin K booster
HAVE AN APPLE
- Fruit isn’t super rich in vitamin K but certain ones can give you a quick burst of it
- Snack on a small green apple & you just added 60 micrograms to your day
- 1/2 C of dried pitted prunes nets you about 50 micrograms
- Blueberries give you 14 micrograms in 1/2 C
- Grapes give you 11 micrograms in 1/2 C which are great to add to a meal on the go
COOK WITH SOY OR CANOLA OIL
- These oils are rich in the most common form of vitamin K, phylloquinone
- Researchers asked some people to eat broccoli or use one of these oils for 5 days & discovered that all 3 offered the same vitamin K benefits
In fact, both groups raised their vitamin K count by 5 to 6 times the recommended amount
NUTS
- They’re packed with protein, fiber, healthy oils & other key nutrients that fight inflammation
& keep your heart strong - Cashews, mixed nuts & pine nuts give you an extra shot of vitamin K
FISH
The American Heart Association recommends
eating fish, such as salmon, at least twice a week
- It’s loaded with healthy oils, protein & minerals that lower blood pressure & help ward off
heart attacks & strokes - Cooked salmon has a little vitamin K, but light canned tuna in oil is loaded with 37
micrograms per 3 oz serving
JUICE
- 3/4 C of carrot juice or pomegranate juice gives you a quick serving of vitamin K, about 28 micrograms
- Some beverages are fortified with vitamin K
- Check the label to be sure
COOK WITH SPINACH NOODLES
- A 1/2 C of spinach noodles gives you 81 micrograms of vitamin K
- Add in an equal amount of tomato paste or marinara & you have additional micrograms
- Many tomato sauce entrees have healthy amounts of vitamin K including takeout pizza with tomato sauce will give you a small boost of vitamin K
HOW YOU COOK COUNTS
- The amount of vitamin K you get from foods depends on how you prepare it
- Frozen foods that you cook often have more than raw forms
- This is probably because frozen vegetables lose some of their water, which concentrates the vitamins
- For example, boiled frozen turnip greens net you more than 650 micrograms but eating raw turnip greens gives you about 1/5th off that.
WARFARIN
Isn’t Safe for Everyone
- If you take warfarin (Coumadin), be careful about the vitamin K in your diet
- Talk to your doctor about how much you should be getting
- It also can cause issues if you take certain antobiotics, cholesterol medicines or the weight
loss drug orlistat - Always check with your doctor before taking any mulitvitamins or supplements
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