Vitamin K plays an important role for proper functioning of our systems. The most vital benefit of vitamin K is controlling blood clotting, it works effectively in preventing blood loss during injury. Moreover, it also helps in assisting the absorption of calcium from food, making it a good nutrient to maintain the bone health.
Vitamin K can be found in many natural sources, such as vegetables, eggs, meat, strawberries and beans. Add some vitamin K rich foods in your diet to maintain its levels in your body (The Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine Recommended Intakes for Individuals – Adequate Intakes (AIs) for vitamin K ) to enable your systems to work well.
Listed below are some good sources for vitamin K:
1. Dried Herbs
Herbs are not only doing great for their medicinal uses, they are packed with nutrients and vitamin K as well. Some dried herbs are good sources of vitamin K, including
- Dried basil, one tablespoon of which contains 36 micrograms of vitamin K
- One tablespoon of dried sage contains 34.3 micrograms
- One tablespoon of dried marjoram supplies 10.6 micrograms of vitamin K
- One tablespoon of dried parsley provides 21.8 micrograms of it
Besides, herbs such as dill, tarragon, rosemary and thyme don’t contain any vitamin K.
2. Kale
Kale is one of the best sources of vitamin K in the dark-green leafy vegetables, it’s packed with several vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, one cup of chopped kale supplies 9% of the daily value of calcium, 206% of vitamin A and 684% of vitamin K. For the optimum health benefits of vitamin K in kale, eat it in well-cooked instead of raw, as no matter in types of frozen, boiled or drained, kale provides higher amounts of vitamin K than eat in the raw.
3. Green Onions
Green onions, also known as spring onions, contain lots of minerals and vitamins, including vitamin K. A single medium green onion contains 20 micrograms of vitamin K, 16% of the daily value of vitamin K for an adult. They’re also packed with iron, calcium, potassium ,vitamin C, manganese and natural antioxidants. Try to eat green onions raw, you can add them to your salads and sandwiches, as when cooked, they will lose some of the nutritional values.
4. Turnip Greens
Foods such as garlic has been known to be able to thin your blood, another great blood thinner you may not know is turnip greens. Turnip greens are an excellent source of vitamin K, which is essential for blood clotting, one cup of turnip greens without salt, no matter frozen, boiled, cooked or drained, supplies around 850 micrograms of vitamin K, and they’re low in calorie and none in fat, you can add them into your diet even you’re on a diet. Plus, just like turnip greens, collard greens and mustard greens are also good sources of vitamin K, add these cruciferous vegetables in your diet.
5. Spinach
Spinach is a nutrient-dense food, they are famously packed with good amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium and magnesium. And one single cup of spinach contains 138 micrograms of vitamin K, 173% of the daily value of this essential nutrient.
6. Plums
Plums also contain a good amount of vitamin K, the average amount of vitamin K contained in a single cup of plums may upto 248 grams. And they’re low in calories, low in fat, low in carbohydrates while rich in vitamin A and C, so it’s beneficial to add them to your diet.
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