Friday, March 29, 2013

Vitamin K and Coumadin (Warfarin)

The information on the internet is vast and difficult to sort through. I am on warfarin and am looking for a list of foods and their vitamin k levels.  I am trying to eat a consistent diet but would like to make informed, smart choices. Any suggestions would be appreciated, thank you for your time.      Marcy D.

Hi Marcy,

I'm so pleased to hear you received the correct education, which is to maintain a consistent intake of vitamin K and NOT to avoid vitamin K foods!

Here is a reputable list of vitamin K content of foods from a university (Anytime there is ".edu" on a website--as opposed to ".com"-- it's from a university and I deem this information to be far more reputable than blogs or sites with contributions from people who are not necessarily professionals in the field).

http://healthcare.utah.edu/thrombosis/patients/warfarin/WarfarinGuide_vitaminK.p

For the most part, the best way to maintain a consistent intake is to not greatly vary your intake of leafy greens: For example, going on a diet where you suddenly start having spinach salad every day could definitely throw off your coumadin/vitamin K balance.

Kudos to you for paying close attention to your dietary and medication regimen :)