When you think of the most common vitamins and minerals, chances are, vitamin A, C and perhaps some of the B vitamins come to mind. As Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., explains in his book "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth," vitamin K is often forgotten but is an important nutrient for your body. Among its uses, vitamin K is essential to help form in blood clots over open wounds and helping calcium absorb into your bones to prevent osteoporosis.
Spinach
Leafy green vegetables are a primary source of vitamin K. Of the leafy vegetables, Bowden explains that spinach, calorie for calorie, is one of the most concentrated sources of vitamin K. A 1-cup serving of cooked spinach has 7 calories but provides 884 mcg of vitamin K, which is about 200 percent your recommended daily value. A list compiled in 2003 by a consumer protection nonprofit research group Environment Working Group, lists spinach among the top 12 foods most contaminated with pesticides. Buying organic will reduce your exposure to these toxic chemicals.
Collard Greens
Often regarded a generic, less nutritious green vegetable, collard greens are among the vegetables Bowden considers the most healthful. Collard greens are packed with vitamin K. One cup of raw collard greens provides 184 mcg of vitamin K. When cooked, this number jumps to about 900 mcg of vitamin K, slightly higher than spinach. Collard greens also contain large amounts of vitamins C, A, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium.
Kale
Kale, has the most bone-building vitamin K per serving. A cup of cooked kale contains 1,054 mcg of vitamin K. Though kale is mainly eaten raw and reserved for salads, cooking it dramatically increases its vitamin K content. A 2-cup serving of kale provides 4 g of protein and 3 g of fiber. Bowden considers kale the most potent source of antioxidants because its oxygen radical absorbance capacity, or the amounts of usable antioxidants, surpasses all other green vegetables, including spinach. Cooked kale should be your "go to" dietary source for vitamin K.
Kiwi Fruit
Most fruits are not a significant source of vitamin K. You will have to get most of your vitamin K from green vegetables, green tea or beef liver. Kiwi fruit has a moderate amount of vitamin K. A raw medium kiwifruit has 31 mcg of vitamin K. This is about 25 percent of a man's vitamin K requirement and 30 percent of a womn's vitamin K requirement. Men over 19 require 120 mcg and women over 19 require 90 mcg of vitamin K daily.
References
- "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth"; Jonny Bowden; 2007
- "Journal of the American Dietetic Association; Vitamin K Content of Nuts and Fruits in the U.S. Diet; MacKenzie L. Dismore, et al.; December 2003
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamin K; June 2009
- Furman University; Spotlight Ingredient: Spinach; Kelly Frazier
- Vaughns Summaries: High Foods in Vitamin K
- University of Utah: Vitamin K Content of Common Foods
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