Eating A Steady Amount Of Vitamin K When You Take Warfarin (Coumadin): How To Get A Steady Amount Of Vitamin K


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How to get a steady amount of vitamin K

You do not need to stop eating foods high in vitamin K if you are taking warfarin. But you do need to eat about the same amount each day. To be successful:

  • Learn how much vitamin K is in the foods you eat, and watch your portion sizes.
  • Don't suddenly change the amount of vitamin K in your diet. Try to keep the amount you eat about the same from day to day. For example, if you don't regularly eat leafy greens, such as spinach, don't add them to your diet or eat a lot at once.
  • If you take a multivitamin that contains vitamin K, be sure you take it every day.
  • Check with your doctor before you take any supplements or herbal products. Some of these may contain vitamin K.
Foods that are high in vitamin K include: 1 serving is:
  • Cooked leafy green vegetables, such as kale, spinach, turnip greens, collard greens, Swiss chard, mustard greens, seaweed, and beet greens
  • Cooked broccoli
  • Raw broccoli
  • Raw parsley
  • Green tea
  • 1/2 cup
  • 1/2 cup
  • 1 cup
  • 1/4 cup
  • 1 oz (dry)
Foods that are medium-high in vitamin K include: 1 serving is:
  • Raw leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, and endive
  • Cooked brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and asparagus
  • Liver (from beef, chicken, or pork)
  • 1 cup
  • 1/2 cup
  • 100 g (3.5 oz)

If you are used to eating foods that are high in vitamin K, you do not need to change your diet. What is important is to try to keep the amount about the same from day to day.

To keep a steady amount of vitamin K in your diet, it is a good idea to limit yourself to either:

1 serving a day of foods that are high in vitamin K, or
3 servings a day of foods that are medium-high in vitamin K.

For example:

  • You could have a salad with 2 cups of mixed lettuces for lunch and 1/2 cup of cooked Brussels sprouts with dinner. That would be 3 servings for the day.
  • If you do not normally eat much food that contains vitamin K, it would not be a good idea to have 2 cups of lettuce for lunch and then have 1/2 cup of cooked broccoli with dinner. The serving of broccoli is high in vitamin K and is the maximum amount you should have in one day. To be safe, have either the lettuce or the broccoli, not both.

Test Your Knowledge

    If I usually eat a lot of greens, I can keep eating that way.
  1. True
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Last updated: May 23, 2007
Author: Robin Parks, MS
Reviewed By: Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine, Karin M. Lindholm, DO - Neurology
Editors: Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman

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