Did you ever know that a low intake of one vitamin can actually be necessary for you? Well, it’s vitamin K we are talking about.
A diet low in vitamin K comes with its own set of benefits and can be helpful to you. Would you like to know more? Read on!
Why And When Low Vitamin K Diet Can Be Necessary?
Vitamin K is used by the liver in your body to generate a protein named prothrombin, which is vital for blood clotting (1). Clotting of blood is necessary as it prevents fatal hemorrhage risks.
However, in some specific medical conditions, the formation of blood clots can prove to be fatal for a person. Those suffering from strokes can die if blood clots reach the heart (2). To prevent such occurrences, they are given blood thinning or anticoagulant medications like Coumadin or warfarin. To let the medications work properly, you may need to make some changes in your diet and lower the intake of vitamin K that is absorbed through foods. It is necessary to consult a medical expert to choose a low vitamin K diet because stopping its intake altogether is also harmful to the body(3).
How To Switch To A Low Vitamin K Diet:
Even when you lower your intake of Vitamin K through foods, it is necessary to maintain consistency (4). You need to choose foods that are low in vitamin K and stick to the servings suggested by the doctor and your dietician. Below listed are some of the foods that are low in vitamin K that you can consider:
1. Meat And Seafood:
Unless you are a vegetarian, you get plenty of meat and seafood. However, when adhering to a low vitamin K diet, cutting down on foods high in vitamin K will be required. For example, beef has vitamin K; so you probably should refrain from consuming it. On the other hand, pork shoulder and ground pork do not contain this vitamin. Turkey and chicken also do not contain vitamin K. Seafish like Atlantic herring, Pacific mackerel, and fresh tuna do not have vitamin K. Fish like Trout and tilapia have small amounts of Vitamin K.
2. Vegetables And Fruits:
No matter what diet you are on, eating vegetables and fruits can be necessary! However, your choice of produce should be monitored when you have been advised to adhere to a low Vitamin K diet regime. While the majority of vegetables contain vitamin K, you should eat those that have the vitamin in lower amounts. Examples include parsnips, lettuce, baked potatoes, and water chestnuts. Vegetables with no vitamin K are mushrooms, frozen onions, canned corn. Take less amount of green leafy vegetables as well.
Fruits that are low in vitamin K are bananas, pineapple, litchi, and watermelon. Fruits that contain no trace of this vitamin are citrus fruits like tangerines and lemons.
3. Legumes, Nuts, And Grains:
Some legumes and nuts contain oodles of vitamin K and you should avoid them when you are taking blood thinning medications. Examples include cashews, kidney beans, and soybeans. However, you may still gorge on almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts. You can eat white rice and macaroni without any worry.
4. Eggs And Dairy Products:
When you are on low vitamin K diet, eating most of the dairy products and eggs is okay. You can take dairy products like plain Greek Yogurt, Skim milk, egg whites.
Recent studies have indicated taking the right amount of Vitamin K can be advantageous for patients who are put on blood thinning medications(5). This can actually help stabilize warfarin’s anticoagulant effects.
Low vitamin K diets are now vouched by doctors and health care professionals the world over. Just small tweaks in your daily diet can make you a healthier and satiated too!
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