The best list of vitamin K in foods is available from the USDA. The most important thing is maintaining a consistent intake of vitamin K as the coumadin dose will be consistent day to day. Your doctor will periodically measure your clotting time (prothrombin) to determine whether to increase or decrease your dose. So keep your intake of Vitamin K foods consistent day to day. The USDA has the best list of foods with vitamin K. table below, choose foods that add up to less than your RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) for vitamin K (90 micrograms per day for women 19 to 70+ years or 120 micrograms per day for men 19 to 70+ years). Do not eat more than your RDA of vitamin K each day and try to eat a consistent amount from day to day. Read below for what you need to know to regulate food intake which is influencing your clotting time (prothrombin). Just because you are on a blood thinner does not mean you should avoid all foods with vitamin K. Your mother does not need to restrict foods containing iron.
She needs to eat foods with iron to maintain her red blood cell hemoglobin which carries oxygen around her body. Vitamin K is needed for blood clotting and if your mother eats different amounts (high one day and low the next day) of vitamin K, it will be more difficult to regulate her clotting time. Remember that vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin so it is stored in your body. If your mother is on Coumadin, she needs to eat enough foods containing vitamin K to meet her RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) which is 90 micrograms per day for women 19 to 70+ years of age. See table below for a list of foods with vitamin K. Canadians don't include vitamin K as a B vitamin. Since 1995, the U.S. and Canada have worked together to create the RDA's (Recommended Dietary Allowance) for vitamins and minerals. Vitamin K comes in different forms including phyloquinone in plants and menaquinone in animal products in addition to a synthetic form menadione. The known B vitamins are:
Your grandmother's doctor probably took her off the prescribed blood thinner (warfarin) so that she would not excessively bleed during and after surgery. This is standard practice. If she were to start taking an herbal blood thinner, she may excessively bleed during surgery and the doctor may not be able to stop the bleeding. Follow her doctor's advice and keep your grandmother off her prescribed blood thinner and don't substitute anything else to thin her blood. Make sure your grandmother informs her surgeon of all her medications (prescribed and over the counter) including vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements. Make sure that your grandmother's tumor surgeon is conferring with her heart surgeon as they may work in different hospitals or clinics. Vitamin K promotes blood clotting. Ask your grandmother's doctor if there is any need to limit vitamin K foods pre or post surgery. Leafy green vegetables (kale, collards, spinach, turnip greens, beet greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens green leaf lettuce), Brussels sprouts, broccoli, green onions, parsley, asparagus and sauerkraut contain more than the RDA of vitamin K for men or women.
These foods are not allowed for persons with a history of blood clots and persons on blood thinning medication. There is some misinformation that people on anticoagulants have to avoid all foods with vitamin K. What they need is a consistent amount of vitamin K each day that meets their RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) which is 90 micrograms per day for a woman ages 19 to 70+ years and 120 micrograms per day for men ages 19 to 70+ years. Soy beans have about 1/3 of your friend's RDA for vitamin K, but should be limited to less than 2 cups of soybeans per day. Fortified soy milk is low in vitamin K so she can drink 3 cups per day to get her calcium and vitamin D. Tofu is low in vitamin K. See table below for a list of vegetarian foods with vitamin K. Onions are OK for persons on Coumadin except for green or Spring type onions. Onion soup is most often made with yellow or white onions so it should be fine. A few green onions slices sprinkled on the top would not be a problem either.
Here is a table of vitamin K values (micrograms per serving) which you can also get from the USDA. I have selected foods high in vitamin K that people usually consume (excluding spices and herbs which are used in very small amounts). The Recommended Dietary Allowances for vitamin K for adult males is 120 mcg and for adult females 90 mcg. Table: vitamin K in 1 cup serving: 90 to 1,150 mcg 60 to 90 mcg 30 to 60 mcg 10 to 30 mcg 5 to 10 mcg cashew nuts 1 ounce lettuce romaine or cos plums dried 5 prunes grapes red or green salad dressing Italian 1 tbsp onions Spring or scallion salad dressing Russian 1 tbsp tuna fish in oil 3 ounces kiwi fruit 1 medium salad dressing French 1 tbsp French fried potatoes 1 large fast food serving seaweed kelp 2 tbsp biscuit with egg & sausage fast food (1) chickpeas or garbanzo beans cooked salad dressing vinegar & oil 1 tbsp peppers hot chili green
salad dressing blue or Roquefort 1 tbsp peppers hot chili red bread stuffing 1/2 cup turkey patties breaded battered fried 1 patty seeds pumpkin or squash roasted peaches dried 3 halves pickle relish 1 tbsp mayonnaise salad dressing 1 tbsp salad dressing thousand island 1 tbsp fruit leathers 1 ounce Coumadin is prescribed to prevent blood clots and increase the amount of time it takes your blood to form a clot. This allows the blood to flow more easily through narrowed blood vessels. You should have a consistent intake of vitamin K (Recommended Dietary Allowance for men is 120 micrograms, women 90 micrograms per day). Avoid supplements with vitamin K as that would interfere with the amount of Coumadin needed to regulate your clotting time. Your clotting time will be periodically tested by your doctor to regulate this medication. Foods high in vitamin K are green leafy vegetables (kale, collards, spinach, turnip greens, beet greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens), Brussels sprouts, broccoli, green onions, parsley, asparagus, sauerkraut and lettuce (endive and green leaf).