John Myers
Vitamin K is quite common on the plate because it is found in many foods. In this article, you can find out which are the best suppliers, what the nutrient is important for, and how high your requirement is.
What is vitamin K actually?
Without it, our blood wouldn’t coagulate and our bones would suffer: Vitamin K plays an important role in nutrition. However, since it is found in a variety of foods such as vegetables, deficiency is very rare. The daily requirement of 60 to 80 micrograms can be covered with a balanced diet. Vitamin K is actually vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and vitamin K2 (menaquinone). The former is mainly found in plant-based foods, the latter is produced by bacteria in the gut. The exact role menaquinone plays in the body and for health is still the subject of research. More important to vitamin K food selection and preparation is the fact that, like vitamins E, A, and D, it is fat-soluble. So feel free to use some fat when cooking when preparing the following foods that are high in vitamin K.
These foods contain a lot of vitamin K
The following foods are among the best suppliers of phylloquinone – they have a content of at least 30 percent of the reference amount according to the Food Information Regulation:
- Leafy greens like spinach
- Leafy greens like lettuce and arugula
- broccoli
- Cabbage (kale, cauliflower, red cabbage, Brussels sprouts)
- sauerkraut
- Peas
- Green beans
- whole grain products
- asparagus
- celery
- beef offal
- leek
- Leek
- celery
If these vitamin K foods are regularly on your menu, everything is fine. When storing, make sure that you choose a place that is as dark as possible. Because vitamin K is sensitive to light. Do you have questions about this and other vital substances? Our experts have advice and provide answers about vitamins, nature’s little wonder substances.
What happens if you get too much or too little vitamin K?
In healthy people, neither one nor the other has consequences. The situation is different if you suffer from certain diseases. For example, if you take medication to thin your blood, you don’t have to do without vitamin K foods, but you should eat them as evenly as possible so that there are no large fluctuations in blood clotting. If in doubt, ask your family doctor. It should also be clarified on a case-by-case basis whether a higher amount of vitamin K makes sense because absorption via digestion is disrupted.
