Vitamin K Rich Foods That Should Be A Part Of Your Diet

If you want to develop a strong immune system, you must focus on the vitamins you consume. During Covid-era, we have realised the importance of health and a strong immune system. We began consuming meals containing Vitamins B, C, and D religiously but somehow Vitamin K rich foods have taken a backseat.

The health benefits of vitamin K have never been much discussed. Vitamin K plays a vital role when it comes to blood clots, health of the bones, and cardiovascular system. The recommended amount of Vitamin K is 90 micrograms per day for women to 120 mcg per day for men. We have various Vitamin K food sources and our body also produces this vitamin in small amounts.

Discussing Some Vitamin K Rich Foods

The manner in which you consume Vitamin K has a lot to do with its nutritive value. It has been seen that cooked food has more of this vitamin as compared to its raw form. We have prepared a Vitamin K foods list that you can stick on your refrigerator or mirrors to check if you are consuming an adequate amount of Vitamin K from the food you are having. Following are some vitamin K rich foods that you should include to your diet:

1. Green Leafy Vegetables

Remember how your mom was always after you, insisting that spinach is good for you? Turns out, she was right. Leafy vegetables are highly loaded with Vitamin K.

Apart from spinach, some of the best vitamin K food sources are green cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, and okra that you can relish. One quick tip to enhance Vitamin K and flavour in your food: add sprigs of parsley to the dish.

2. Soybean & Canola Oil

We can get our recommended dose of vitamin K from the meals cooked in a tablespoon of canola or soybean oil. Both the oils have a lesser amount of saturated fats, helping boost heart health.

3. Fruits

Fruits are not exactly Vitamin K food sources. However, avocado, grapes, roasted prunes, blueberries, and apples can contribute a minor portion of this vitamin and get you the required amount needed. These vitamin K fruits can be added to your diet in multiple ways too.

4. Nuts

Nuts were never recommended until they were proven to be a key contributor of Vitamin K in the body. Cashews and other nuts are good Vitamin K food sources.

5. Fish

Fish should be on the priority list to attain vitamin K benefits. Fishes like salmon help in lowering blood pressure. Tuna fish is packed with a considerable amount of Vitamin K.

6. Healthy Juices

A glass of carrot juice is loaded with vitamin K. If you dislike the taste, try a glass of  pomegranate juice, which too is one of the Vitamin K sources.

7. Soybeans

Try boiled and fermented soybeans if you are looking for vitamin K rich foods. You can flavour them with many seasonings like oregano or parsley and delight your taste buds. Who said health and taste can’t go together? 

Benefits of Vitamin K

Vitamin K rich foods have their benefits and significance. Here are some mentioned below:

• Prevention of excessive bleeding even from the tiniest of injuries
• Prevention of osteoporosis and make your bones grow stronger
• Improvement of intelligence and memory in healthy older adults
• Prevention of hypertension by helping keep the blood pressure levels normal
• Maintenance of strong cardiac health

A Few Facts About Vitamin K

Vitamin K is fat-soluble and a healthy body needs a small amount of this vitamin daily. There are two types of Vitamin K: K1 and K2. 

Vitamin K1 is easily found in green leafy vegetables, although legumes and berries are good sources of Vitamin K rich foods.

Vitamin K2 is present in fermented food, meat, and cheese. 

Vitamin K is also produced by the body in small proportions and is instrumental in activating proteins that carry out important functions.

Quantity of Vitamin K Consumption Per Day

There is a limit to the amounts of vitamin K sources you can include to your diet. This depends on the quantity of the nutrient you should consume on a daily basis. The ideal daily amount of intake is as follows:

*Very high amounts of Vitamin K supplements could still have side effects.

Deficiency of Vitamin K

Lack of Vitamin K causes bleeding or difficulty in blood clotting, brittleness in bones, osteoporosis, and poor heart health. Vitamin K deficiency can be generally treated by consuming foods high in Vitamin K. In severe cases, vitamin K rich foods fail to fulfil your body’s requirement of the nutrient. This is when doctors generally prescribe a medicine, phytonadione, which has vitamin K1.

However, Vitamin K scarcity is rare and mild (if at all it occurs) in adults as they generally eat meals with high Vitamin K sources. Lack of Vitamin K is not very common in infants but if it happens, it is potentially life-threatening. Hence, it is very common for neonatal physicians to give a shot of phytonadione to the newborns.

Vitamin K Supplements

Although Vitamin K foods are self-sufficient, a supplement is generally not required. However, there are people with certain diseases like cystic fibrosis or celiac diseases that have fat absorption issues. These people are not able to absorb vitamins from Vitamin K food sources and hence they might require a supplement in addition to vitamin K foods to overcome the deficiency.

If you are a heart patient on blood thinners, you might want to take the advice of your healthcare professional. Vitamin K supplements come in the way of blood thinners as the former can develop harmful clots while negating the effects of the drug. A doctor’s suggestion regarding Vitamin K Foods along with the supplement is required in this aspect.

Conclusion

Maintaining normal levels of Vitamin K should not be tough. There are a number of vitamin K rich foods that you can easily add to your diet. You should consume a balanced and healthy diet daily, and stay away from processed and junk food. This will help you get the required proportion of Vitamin K food sources.