What Has The Most Vitamin K?

The daily recommended intake of vitamin K is 80 micrograms. Vitamin K is an essential fat-soluble vitamin, so excess gets stored in fatty tissue, toxicities are rare and no tolerable upper intake level has been set. The amount found in foods often can help assure you get your daily recommended intake.

Vitamin K's Role

One of the key roles of vitamin K, as stated in "Nutrition Concepts and Controversies," is synthesizing the protein that allows blood to clot. Vitamin K's role in blood clotting is helpful to healthy individuals, but is not effective for those with bleeding disorders such as hemophilia. Vitamin K also plays a role in bone formation while working with vitamin D, and can help protect against fractures.

Nuts and Oils

Among nuts and oils, there are a few good sources of vitamin K. Cashews have 9 micrograms in 1 oz.. Among oils that contain vitamin K, olive oil has the least, with 8 micrograms per tablespoon. As stated in "Nutrition Concepts and Controversies," 1 tbsp. of canola oil boasts 19 micrograms of vitamin K. The oil with the most vitamin K is soybean oil, with 27 micrograms in 1 tbsp.

Vegetables and Beans

The beans that are the best source of vitamin K are soybeans. A ¼ cup portion has 20 micrograms, states "Nutrition Concepts and Controversies." One ½ cup serving of cooked cauliflower has the same amount of vitamin K as ¼ cup of soybeans. Celery also is a rich source of vitamin K, with 30 micrograms in 1 cup raw and chopped. Broccoli is very rich in vitamin K, with 110 micrograms per ½ cup chopped and cooked, and broccoli rabe, a relative of broccoli, has even more vitamin K, with 218 micrograms per serving, according to Calorie Lab.

Leafy Greens

Leafy greens are one of the richest sources of vitamin K. According to "Nutrition Concepts and Controversies," 1 cup of lettuce has 60 micrograms. Unlike some nutrients that are lost in the cooking process, vitamin K often is increased with cooking. For example, cooked pak choi has 29 micrograms in a ½ cup cooked serving, which is more than twice as much as in ½ cup raw. "Nutrition Concepts and Controversies" recognizes cooked cabbage as a very rich source of vitamin K, with 102 micrograms in ½ cup steamed. Collard greens are even richer, with 352 micrograms per ½ cup serving cooked. One of the richest sources of vitamin K in commonly eaten food is spinach, points out "Nutrition Concepts and Controversies, " and ½ cup serving of cooked spinach has 380 micrograms. If you are interested in trying something different, the food with the most vitamin K is kale, which has 531 micrograms in a ½ cup cooked portion.