Vitamins are chemicals the body needs in small amounts for certain chemical reactions to work properly. One vitamin, K, is needed for the function of some of the proteins involved in blood clotting. Blood clots can cause many health problems, including heart attack, pulmonary embolism and swelling due to blocked veins. One commonly used medication to treat and prevent blood clots is warfarin, which blocks the action of vitamin K. If you are taking this or other blood-thinning drugs, you need to avoid foods rich in vitamin K.
Step 1
Eat fruits, meats, grains and dairy products freely. In general, all of the foods in these groups are low in vitamin K, so make them staples of your diet.
Step 2
Avoid salads and other foods that involve green leafy vegetables. Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens and mustard greens, have high amounts of vitamin K. Most kinds of lettuce, broccoli, green peas, asparagus, avocado and cabbage are also high in vitamin K.
Step 3
Replace fats that have a high vitamin K content with ones that have less vitamin K. Soybean oil, canola oil, mayonnaise, olive oil and margarine are all fats with high vitamin K content. Cook instead with corn, peanut, sesame or sunflower oil.
Step 4
Drink black tea, coffee or soda instead of green tea. Green tea is rich in vitamin K.
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