Strawberries are a refreshing fruit to eat in the spring and summertime and can provide you with vitamins A, C and E along with minerals and other nutrients. This fruit also contains some vitamin K, which is an important vitamin for the body's health. If you are at risk for a vitamin K deficiency, talk with your doctor about foods that contain vitamin K and whether supplementation is necessary. Although strawberries do have this nutrient, it may not be the best dietary source for you.
Vitamin K Content of Strawberries
Strawberries contain vitamins and nutrients but have little vitamin K. According to Quality Assured Services, part of the Inverness Medical Group of Companies, a half cup to a cup of strawberries contains 0 to 9 mcg of vitamin K. If you need to increase your vitamin K intake, you may want to consider other fruit such as blackberries or blueberries, which contain 25 mcg or more of vitamin K in a 1/2 to 1 cup serving, states Quality Assured Services. Other foods with this amount of vitamin K per serving include broccoli, kale, peas and spinach.
What Is Vitamin K?
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means your body can store it. This vitamin helps blood clot and aids in maintaining healthy bones. For most individuals, getting enough vitamin K is not a problem because bacteria in the intestines also produce this vitamin. Sometimes if a person takes antibiotics, these bacteria are killed, leading to a short-term deficiency of vitamin K. Patients with medical conditions such as celiac disease or liver disease and those on dialysis may be at higher risk of developing a deficiency.
Vitamin K Supplements
If an individual needs vitamin K supplementation, there are several forms of the vitamin, and a couple are available over the counter without a prescription. Before taking a vitamin K supplement, talk with your health care provider because too much vitamin K may not be healthy and can interact with other medications. If supplementation is needed, men ages 19 yeasr and older typically need 120 mcg, and women of this age need 90 mcg, says the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Considerations
When researching the nutritional contents of strawberries, it is important to remember that the mineral potassium, sometimes abbreviated as "K," is not the same as vitamin K. It is easy to get this mixed up and assume because it says "K" on the list of nutrients that it means vitamin K, but this is not the case. Talk with your doctor about how to incorporate foods with vitamin K into your diet if you are concerned that you may not be getting enough of this vitamin.
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