Vitamin K is one of the four fat-soluble vitamins required daily in small amounts for human health. Your body, specifically the large intestine, makes about 1/2 of the vitamin K it needs -- the rest must come from your diet. The primary role of vitamin K is in aiding in normal blood clotting and forming bone. The recommended daily value or DV for vitamin K is 80mcg daily. Excellent food sources include leafy green vegetables, herbs and legumes.
Leafy Green Veggies
Dark leafy green vegetables are the richest food sources of vitamin K. According to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, those which contain the most vitamin K include fresh, boiled kale, spinach, turnip greens, collard greens and Swiss chard and mustard greens. A 1/2 cup serving of kale provides the most; meeting roughly 660 percent of the DV followed closely by spinach, turnip greens and collards, which meet over 500 percent of the DV per 1/2 cup serving, cooked. Mustard greens, 1/2 cup, cooked, round out the best food sources, meeting 260 percent of the DV. Other leafy greens are excellent sources of vitamin K, such as Romaine lettuce. Two cups, raw, provides about 115mcg vitamin K, or over 140 percent of the DV.
Herbs
Many herbs, both fresh and dried, are rich in vitamin K. Of all of the herbs, parsley outshines others in terms of its vitamin K content. An 1/8-cup serving or only 2 tbsp. of fresh, raw parsley provides 123mcg, or over 150 percent of the DV. Ground, dried basil and thyme are also excellent sources of this nutrient, providing about 48mcg, or 60 percent of the DV, per 2 tsp. serving according to the World's Healthiest Foods website. Dried, ground oregano provides less but is still a vitamin K-rich herb. A 2 tsp. serving provides 18.65mcg, or roughly 23 percent of the DV for this nutrient.
Legumes and Other Foods
Legumes, such as soybeans and other starchy beans, are good food sources of vitamin K. One cup of cooked soybeans provides 33mcg vitamin K, or over 40 percent of the DV. The same amount of cooked kidney beans offers nearly 15mcg, or about 18.5 percent of the DV. One cup of green peas, boiled, meets 51 percent of the DV. Other vegetables, besides leafy greens and legumes are rich food sources of vitamin K, particularly Brussels sprouts, broccoli and asparagus. One cup of any of these vegetables, cooked, meets over 100 percent of the DV. Avocados are the only fruit considered to be an excellent food source of vitamin K and their high fat content aids in the absorption of this fat-soluble vitamin. One cup of avocado slices provides 29mcg, meeting over 35 percent of the DV.
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