Vitamin K is a nutrient essential to the human body. Its most important function is as a blood coagulant. Depending upon your own personal health, you may need to either seek out or limit your consumption of foods rich in Vitamin K. Keep reading to learn more about which vegetables have high Vitamin K content.
Vitamin K Rich Veggies
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble nutrient that promotes healthy bones and helps coagulate blood. In fact, the “K” comes from “koagulation,” the German word for coagulation. There are bacteria in the human intestines that produce Vitamin K naturally, and the body’s liver and fat can store it. Because of this, it’s not common to have too little vitamin K. That being said, it’s recommended that women get an average of 90 micrograms of Vitamin K per day, and that men get 120 micrograms. If you’re looking to increase your Vitamin K intake, the following are vegetables high in Vitamin K:
- Leafy greens – This includes kale, spinach, chard, turnip greens, collards, and lettuce.
- Cruciferous vegetables – This includes broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cabbage.
- Soybeans (Edamame)
- Pumpkins
- Asparagus
- Pine nuts
Reasons to Avoid Vitamin K Rich Veggies
Too much of a good thing often isn’t good, and this can be especially true of Vitamin K. Vitamin K helps coagulate the blood, and for people taking prescription blood thinners, this can be very dangerous. If you are taking blood thinners, you will probably want to avoid the vegetables listed above. (Of course, if you are taking blood thinners, it’s important to talk to your doctor about changing your diet. Your health is serious - don’t just leave it up to a list). The following list includes vegetables that are especially low in vitamin K:
