Vitamin K & Kale

Just 1/2 cup of boiled kale provides over 600 percent of your daily value of the nutrient vitamin K, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin K assists the body in coagulating your blood, meaning the ability to form blood clots. An adequate amount of vitamin K is necessary for your body to complete the chain of reactions needed to staunch blood flow from a wound.

Vitamin K

Blood clots form via a precise sequence of chemical reactions involving substances called clotting factors. If one step in this sequence fails to occur, blood clots cannot properly set, and bleeding can continue unabated. Vitamin K contributes to the production of a number of clotting factors, and is needed for others to function properly. Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning that your body stores it in your fat tissue.

Causes of Vitamin K Deficiency

Several factors can cause you to be deficient in vitamin K. Deficiencies due to dietary shortfalls are rare in adults, as the bacteria in your intestines are capable of synthesizing the vitamin, according to the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. Most often an adult's K deficiency will result from an underlying disorder that prevents proper absorption of the nutrient, such as biliary obstruction or a history of gastrointestinal surgery. Some drugs, such as Coumadin anti-coagulants, may interfere with the effectiveness of vitamin K, and high dosages of vitamin K can likewise interfere with Coumadin's effectiveness.

Effects of Vitamin K Deficiency

Without adequate vitamin K stores, blood coagulation cannot properly occur. As a result, you may experience bruising, bleeding gums, nosebleeds, blood in the urine, black tarry stools and heavy menstrual periods. Vitamin K deficiency is especially dangerous in infants, as it can cause hemorrhaging in the brain that is potentially fatal.

Kale

Kale is a primitive version of the cabbage plant that is an easy-to-grow, cold-hardy garden crop. It's a great source of numerous nutrients and a versatile addition to many soups, stews and side dishes. Kale can even be baked until it's crispy, then salted to create a healthy alternative to potato chips. The Linus Pauling institute states that green leafy vegetables are the best source of vitamin K, and Kale heads the lists with 547 mcg of vitamin K in each cup of chopped raw kale.